Her Story
About Karen
Karen Northern serves as the Executive Director of Care for the Lot, a nonprofit organization she founded three and a half years ago in Greenville, North Carolina. The nonprofit was established to meet immediate needs in the community while also providing spiritual support, financial assistance, employment opportunities, housing, life skills training, and mentorship programs. She currently leads a six-week structured mentorship initiative called Hurst Our Legacy, which focuses on women seeking to redirect or rediscover themselves by building self-worth, identity, healthy communication, and personal goals. Her approach to this work stems from her own life experiences, including periods of homelessness and personal challenges, rather than formal education or certifications, as she completed some college but emphasizes lived experience as her foundation. Karen Northern is also involved with several partner organizations, including Heart for ENC, Rebuilding Eastern North Carolina, Feeding our Neighborhood, Repo to Living, Stop Human Trafficking, New Beginnings, and Re-Image Church.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Karen
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would encourage her to go for it. I would encourage her, you know, I would give her the ins and outs, everything that I went through, give her walk with her through the process, not let her try to find figure it out on her own, like I had to. Just be available for her, and just let her know that it'll be successful, and just bend that mouthpiece for it until she can actually get it for herself.
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