For many people who consistently contribute to the United Way of Greater St. Louis (UWGSL) community campaign, their past trials and tribulations often fuel the time, talent and treasure they commit to UWGSL. They want to give a hand up to people who face the same struggles they once did.
Karen Jarrett has been a champion for UWGSL for over 25 years, and throughout that time, she has flourished in business and project management, winning the St. Louis Business Journal’s Innovation’s Fire Award in 2023.
But before Karen ascended to becoming an award-winning businesswoman, the fate of her future was uncertain. Separated from her biological parents at birth, Karen needed stability, and a UWGSL partner agency was there to give it to her.
Because of the support she received, she was committed to being there for us no matter what. As more obstacles came her way, her support for UWGSL never wavered.
A call to serve
When Karen was 3-weeks-old, her biological mother decided to terminate her parental rights in hopes of finding someone who would be better equipped to take care of her.
Her mother gave her to UWGSL partner agency, Children’s Home Society of Missouri, now known as Family Forward. Family Forward facilitated an adoption for Karen to be united with a loving, caring family that gave her the support she needed to achieve everything she has today.
While working for UWGSL corporate partner Wells Fargo, she was presented with an opportunity to learn more about UWGSL and donate to us through their company’s employee giving campaign. After attending a presentation detailing UWGSL’s mission, wide-reaching impact, and how our programs and partnerships helped her as an infant, she knew she wanted to find a way to get involved.
“I got an opportunity to understand that most of the time people don’t just have one need through one agency, they have a situation like the tornado that we had this spring, where their needs go across many agencies that United Way funds,” said Karen. “So, by giving to United Way you can help people in a lot of ways.”
Karen’s support of UWGSL went from employee giving to becoming a UWGSL Leadership Giver, Women’s Leadership Society cabinet chair, and a member of the allocations committee. Her contributions were inspired by her passion for supporting people who needed help, many of whom faced crisis situations.
As Karen was at the peak of a very successful professional career and leadership in the UWGSL community, she faced a crisis of her own which made her passion for supporting UWGSL even stronger.
Commitment inspired by calamity
On November 20, 2015, Karen was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Prior to the diagnosis, she had no symptoms or any indication that she could be at risk of developing cancer. A routine visit to the doctor turned her life upside down.
“I don’t think you can prepare yourself to hear the words, ‘You have cancer’,” said Karen. “I had a lot of good things going in my life – I had a great career, I hadn’t had any horrible things happen to me, so this floored me.”
In the years following, Karen was also diagnosed with breast cancer and cervical cancer.
Enduring the scares, treatment, and medical bills that came with cancer were daunting, but she refused to see herself as a victim. She held true to a principle she and UWGSL values – lending a helping hand to our fellow neighbors in need.
Despite her tribulations, Karen had access to the best resources, medical care, and support systems that would ensure these troubling times were as smooth as possible. But Karen thought about the people who had to endure health crises like cancer that didn’t have access to the same resources as she did.
The idea of having to go through something like that without the proper care increased her consciousness towards helping them.
UWGSL partners with several organizations that help people recover from health crises. With this in mind, Karen put more emphasis on giving her very best to UWGSL so we could continue to provide funding and support to these organizations that help people.
“My pastor and I were talking, and he said, ‘The one thing that I never heard you ask is, ‘Why me?’ He told me that he honestly felt that God put me on this journey because I was there to help others who were going to follow behind me on this path,” said Karen. “So United Way and the agencies that partner with them gives me the opportunity to do that. I have a responsibility to give back – whether it be financial, lending my time, or mentoring.”
Today, Karen is surviving and thriving 10 years after her first diagnosis and uses her life’s story as an example of how broad and powerful UWGSL’s reach is. When you give to UWGSL, you could be helping a newborn baby in need of a stable home, or you can be helping an adult facing a health crisis.
UWGSL helps 1 in 3 people throughout the St. Louis region, so when you support us, you could be helping a friend, family member, co-worker, neighbor, or someone that you may least expect. Working together, we make our region a stronger, healthier place for all.
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