Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Carter.
Kate, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Imagine being a parent of young children and being told you don’t have much time left. You can prepare financially. You can make arrangements. But how do you leave… your presence? Your voice, your laughter, your love.
THAT’S WHAT WE PRESERVE.
For 28 years, we’ve sat quietly with seniors, seriously ill individuals and their families. We gently guide the conversations that might otherwise never happen and capture the words that matter most.
A 24-year-old woman reached out to us from Toronto. When she was 11, we filmed her with her dying mother. She asked if we still had the video. We did. After watching it, she called back in tears: “You have no idea what this means to me in my grieving process.”
THIS IS WHY WE EXIST.
We’ve served families in over 440 cities across three countries, but many who need us most can’t afford to donate. We ask those who can to donate what they can, but no one is turned away and we have no judgement on what people give.
Because when you support LifeChronicles, you’re not just funding a video. You’re giving a child the chance to hear “I love you” from a parent, long after they’re gone and for a senior the opportunity to be remembered for generations to come.
After 28 years, LifeChronicles continues to be the mission of my life that never fails to add meaning to my life and to others.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The work itself is so gratifying and feels effortless. Being a nonprofit is the most challenging part, so when Katrina struck, when the economic downturn happened and the years of COVID occurred it was more challenging than before to raise funds to keep the doors open. And yet, we are still here and the calls never stop coming.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
For 28 years I and my team have had the privilege to be a source of comfort to families facing end of life and the following grief. I will own that I have become expert at sitting with families and walking them through conversations around what they are going through and what is to come. I’m known for expertly yet compassionately guiding families through what they need during this time in their lives.
I am most proud that years later, we still from families about the profound impact the video of their loved one has been for them as the years go by…the comfort it brings them, the memories and eventual joy. We know of no other organization that has served as many families for as many years as we have…it’s quite an accomplishment.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Traveling with my grandmother by train to visit my great-grandmother’s farm in Michigan where we would help harvest grapes and feed her many chickens. Ma, my great-grandmother, would walk me out to her extensive garden to harvest potatoes or asparagus. I would climb into her fruit orchard and eat peaches from the tree while lying in it’s branches. Then she would feed us her pure farm meals of homemade bread, goulash and homemade pie with ice cream we made with a hand crank ice cream maker. Lots of amazing food, can you tell?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lifechronicles.org
- Instagram: lifechroniclesnonprofit
- Facebook: lifechronicles
