Our new volunteer program manager has been on the job a few short weeks and we’re thrilled to introduce you to Kat Lucid.
Kat grew up in Chicago where she earned a degree in comedy writing and performance from Columbia College Chicago. While studying at Columbia, she worked part time at a local museum taking on increasingly more responsible roles, from floor manager to volunteer program manager upon her college graduation.
In Arizona, Kat helped manage the volunteer program at the Phoenix Zoo, then worked on communications and outreach for Girls on the Run in Maricopa and Pinal counties.
But Portland always held an allure.
“I’m obsessed with the scenery, the nature, just the culture out here,” she said. “And so, I wrote ‘Portland’ on a little note… just a little notecard, and then I put it in my desk. It was decorated and cute and it kind of served as a little goal sheet that I had, like one day I’ll get out there, and it took five years, but I did it. The stars aligned and now I’m finally here.”
‘Here’ can also mean Habitat for Humanity Portland Region where just a few weeks ago, Kat moved into the role of volunteer program manager. It’s a new position that will oversee all volunteer programs, including but not limited to volunteer recruitment and engagement at our four ReStores, Habitat’s homebuilding construction sites and business engagement program as well as in our offices and warehouses.
When asked how her degree in comedy writing and performance will aid her in her new job, Kat said, “It’s a people position- helping engage people, keep it fun, informative.”
This and that about Kat
Kat is also an artist. She plays and writes music for her electric ukulele, paints, writes scripts and she’s also working on her first book: a YA adventure book that follows two twenty-something sisters whose lives take a weird and mystical detour.
During her time at the Phoenix Zoo, Kat was awarded a grant to study under internationally renowned wildlife conservation artist Anne E. London in New Orleans.
The primary focal point of Kat’s own paintings are colorful surrealistic depictions of plants.
“Right now, painting is just a hobby,” she explained. “I like to do it and it’s something that’s not screen-based, which I think is important right now, because I started painting at the beginning of all the world shutting down.”
On the electric ukulele, Kat has penchant for alternative rock music. Her songs deal with experiential themes inspired by a life-changing event or an exceptionally elevating hike.
Her companion during the life-changing events of the past six years is her cat Rory, named appropriately after the Rorschach test. Kat describes the large orange tabby as a super laid-back cat who took their three-day U-Haul haul from Phoenix to Portland in his easy-going stride. A nonplussed puss.
“In terms of the cats I’ve met, he just does not care about much,” she said.
Reuse reads and ReStore
Kat is eclectic in her choice of reading material. She loves books and almost exclusively shops used books. She’s not super selective about the genre. Instead, she actively assesses a book by its look and/or how it will imprint on her psyche.
“Is this book going to make me think? Is this book just going to take me out of my current life and place me in another world?” she wonders. “And I think a lot of the times you can read the first page or look at the summaries or the reviews and just get a good idea. They tell you not to judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I do just buy books because I know that I have a lot of yellow books, and maybe I can put all my yellow books on one shelf and have a pretty yellow bookshelf. You know, it’s a mix.”
The whole thing sensory perception thing comes into play when Kat indulges in another favorite hobby: thrift store shopping.
“I don’t always go with the intent to buy. Sometimes I end up inevitably buying, but it’s almost like window shopping for me,” she admitted. “It’s things that have history and stories that I don’t know, and the fact that something could be so cool and unique and has lived one or ten lives before it even ended up with me looking at it on the shelf–that’s just really fascinating to me. And a lot of times those are also things that inspire me to paint something or write a song about something.”
That yearning to understand the history, to embrace the past and present story, is also evident in her desire to get to know everyone around her individually. She invites the conversation. Please come talk to me, Kat says. She wants to know who you are, what your interests are and what you like to do.
“I think part of that comes from me being a writer and performer because making those connections with people, and building those communities is kind of what makes me feel fulfilled,” she said.
Clearly, Kat Lucid will be a great asset to ReStore. Please welcome our new volunteer program manager.
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MORE ABOUT KAT
– Kat’s passion for volunteer management and nonprofit organizations led her to obtain her Certificate of Volunteer Administration (CVA).
-Obsessed about redwoods (A day trip to the California redwoods in numero uno on her bucket list.)
– So far, Kat has ventured to Cannon and Rockaway beaches and Multnomah Falls, and is psyched to be able to explore all area trails post-snowmelt.
-Favorite/required trail treat: warm cinnamon roasted almonds
Learn more: Volunteer at ReStore
