EMPLOYEE FEATURE
Kathy Kluesener Faithful Servant
K
athy Kluesener stands in the kitchen during Volunteer Corps orientation fondly looking over the volunteers. “It’s the anniversary of Father Beiting’s death,” she says. “I can’t help but think how proud he would be.” This is the last crop of volunteers that Kathy, who is retiring, will usher in at CAP and it marks a milestone in our organization’s history. We have benefitted from her presence since 1972 both as a volunteer and then an employee. She has served as a touchstone for those who want to learn CAP’s history and has encouraged and mentored hundreds of employees and volunteers along the way. She will be profoundly missed.
If you ask anyone at CAP to identify someone who embodies the spirit
of our mission, they will quickly
mention Kathy. It’s not simply her longevity that has inspired so many, but it is the care and attention that she gives everyone she meets that has made such an indelible mark. Kathy is known for her ability to remember almost everyone who has walked through our doors and can provide a copious amount of details about each person she has met. A highlight of the Volunteer Program’s recent retirement party was a game of “stump Kathy” during which she was shown random photos of past volunteers and asked to identify them. She didn’t miss a single one.
“I feel that CAP allowed me to grow and brought people into my life to nurture that seed that was planted many years ago.”
When she first arrived in Appalachia she thought that she would be here for six months. She has stayed for nearly 50 years. “I didn’t realize what God had in store for me,” Kathy explains.
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CAP CONNECTION • FALL 2021
