Philanthropy Spotlight: Catherine Gehrmann
Catherine gave her first gift of $75 to Hand in Hand at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Her gifts always come wrapped in beautiful stationary or a holiday card with thoughtful, kind words handwritten on the inside that never fail to make us smile. They keep us going and remind us why we do what we do. Since then, she’s made a point to stick a little note and gift in the mail from time to time, supporting our mission and our work. Her small acts of kindness have led to big impact.
She first learned about Hand in Hand when she was told about a participant from her mom. She hopped on the website and social media learning more and eventually got to know others who had a direct connection with Hand in Hand or who were positively impacted by the organization.
Catherine saw all the activities that Hand in Hand offered to people of all abilities through social media and how those activities impacted people's lives with opportunities that may not have otherwise been possible. She says she wants people to know the impact Hand in Hand has on people, and the dedication the team has for the community.
“These are people within the community who are daily doing their best to impact the lives of others and allow them to smile and laugh. The amount of activities, adventures, and programs that are offered are astonishing,” she said.
She gave her first gift after getting to know a People with Purpose participant. She was excited to see how much this participant was able to take part in and experience and how she was positively impacted.
“I knew someone who was part of People with Purpose and had told her about how I saw she went on several trips and was part of quite a bit of activities, and the smile she gave me was huge. The happiness that she radiated by telling me how much she enjoyed it, that is joy, memories, and adventures that was provided to her by Hand in Hand,” said Catherine.
She says she enjoys giving to Hand in Hand because she loves seeing that participants are growing and positively impacting the community and making a difference. “I enjoy seeing how individuals of all backgrounds can have opportunities that may not have been possible if it wasn't for Hand in Hand. The people who I've interacted with who are part of Hand in Hand have shown their dedication and passion to the organization and community,” she said.
Catherine believes in the phrase, "it's the little things." “I believe that it's the small steps that lead to big impacts.” She said her parents are a source of inspiration for her philanthropy.
“I would say that my parents have had a huge impact on me, because growing up I witnessed how they would volunteer and donate to a variety of organizations. They've shown me how big of an impact one can make on another's life, and I hope that I'm able to bring that spark of joy to someone else.”
In addition to Hand in Hand, Catherine gives to many other local organizations.
“I support HDC for their vision, Girl Scouts for how they positively impact young girls' lives, Augustana College for the quality of education they provide (also, I'm an alumni), and the Quad City Botanical Center for how they're able to impact the community with nature,” she explained.
When not getting involved in the Quad Cities community she is a Patient Experience Partner at UnityPoint Health-Trinity and a barista on the weekends at Dunn Brothers Coffee.