Konrad Family
Familiar with civic engagement, Kathryn Konrad found a welcome home in Honeycomb. Wanting to do more, Kathryn initiated a Board of Directors matching process in 2021 through her employer, J.P. Morgan. She was quickly paired with The Honeycomb Project and shortly after the interview process, Kathryn joined Honeycomb’s Board.
“I’ve been involved civically for many years…a great part of my youth, high school and college years was focused on volunteerism,” Kathryn says. “My husband, Steve and I, want that for our kids and pairing up with an organization like Honeycomb has provided that.”
“I found community through volunteerism,” she continues, “and Honeycomb resonates with that.” One of the family’s first projects was cleaning up the woods at Ted Lechowicz nature preserve when Kathryn was pregnant with their third child. Their son, Will, was four-years old and daughter, Vivian, was one-years old.
Kathryn shares, “I was nervous, it was ambitious--but the kids had so much fun at their young age. We got our Honeycomb cards punched and continued from there…” With family schedules and weekend activities, the family tries to volunteer once a month.
The kid’s experience has shaped their interests. Now, Will (age 7), Vivian (age 5) and Caroline (age 2) ask about helping out again and what projects are happening. Kathryn commonly hears, “when are we doing the woods again and when are we going to clean up the beach?” The family has a great commitment to their communities and takes care of what’s around them.
It’s important to the Konrad Family to spread awareness about the importance of service. “What’s wonderful is the kids can participate in almost anything through Honeycomb and they can help and feel that sense of ownership,” says Kathryn. “We hope that we are helping to shape our youth to become great service leaders.”
Outside of attending Honeycomb Project events, the Konrad family keeps busy. Kathryn is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank and Steve is an FBI Special Agent. Will enjoys piano, chess and swimming. Vivian loves gymnastics and art. The youngest, Caroline, loves anything and is along for the ride. The Lakeview family loves exploring the city together, especially MSI and the Peggy Notebaert Nature and Field Museums.