Interview with Kathleen Guinan
“Change Makers”
7-15-08
Kathleen Guinan is the Chief Executive Officer of Crossway Community, an entrepreneurial, non-profit organization that supports families through it’s community programs. Located in Kensington Maryland, Crossway opened it’s doors in 1990 turning an abandoned elementary school into a thriving community for single mothers and their children. Since it’s founding, 300 families have gone through it’s residential program and 20,000 people have consulted their counseling referral and creative education programs.
KG - I actually have been doing this for about twenty years, I came to Washington after school and I was interested in working in the community and making a difference. I began as a community organizer. I spent many months listening to women and children and what their needs were. I helped create the first drop-in women’s center, Rachel’s Woman’s Center, which still exists today.
PS - Tell me about the organization you work with.
KG - We’re in a 64,000 sq foot building on a five acre campus where we offer a number of different programs. Our Family Leadership School is our hallmark, which is an innovative living, learning environment that targets young mothers and children who have experienced extreme trauma.
We were selected in 2007 by the catalog of philanthropy as “one of the best small charities in the region”. USA today named us a “community solution for education”. And we won the Bridge Builder Award for partners for a livable community.
PS - You’re working on some innovative new ideas with your new mentoring program. Tell me about that.
KG – We are so happy to have joined forces with Knock Out on this new initiative. Our goal is to recruit two kinds of mentors. One type would form an advisory counsel. These would be a group of professionals that provide “informational interviews”. In these interviews professionals would speak about their field so our students could learn how they got their job, the skills necessary for that job and any other pertinent information that will help them prepare for the job. We want it to be realistic information that identifies that there are bumps in the road for everybody.
We are also interested in mentors who would like to be life coaches. The life coaches would need to make a commitment of one year. Life coaches would need to possess several abilities: to keep confidentiality, to communicate well, to accept different points of view, to find solutions and opportunities, to be flexible, to adhere to the program’s policies and procedures and have a basic understanding and interest in young mothers and children. The life coaches would need to meet regularly with our clinical director.
Overall we want to help woman become change makers so that they can then go back into their community and mentor other women in a positive way.
PS - I know the road to recovery is not an easy one for most women and children. In your opinion what are some of the key factors that make the difference for success?
KG – Our idea is that women should be empowered. They will have increased earning power and will pass that along to other women. The focus here is not on a sorry environment. It’s an environment that focuses on their strengths. It’s fun and positive.
PS - It’s our goal at Knock Out to raise awareness about domestic violence and raise money to stop it. What would you like people to know from your hands on experience that may inspire them to help out?
KG - Despite the hardship experienced, these women have a desire to build a new life. They are eager to change their economic situation, increase literacy, get career skills and be more involved in their children’s life. Through our joint efforts we hope that women can live a life free of violence and full of promise.
If you would like to be a mentor please contact Kathleen at kguinan@crossway-community.org.
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