Kappa Kappa Gamma - University of Kentucky

Mental Health Awareness Mental Health Awareness B E TA C H I I N T R O D U C E S N E W P H I L A N T H R O P Y environment. Her favorite time of year is when she gets to welcome new members during recruitment. While there is so much to enjoy, there are sad moments too, such as when the seniors leave. "It's bittersweet. You want them to go on, and you want to keep track of them and see what they're doing, but you miss them," Ms. Marcy said. "It's hard not to get attached when you watch them grow from freshmen all the way to seniors." Ms. Marcy takes pride in keeping up with responsibilities to ensure a happy house. She wants to provide the best environment to help create memories. Her duties to keep the house running smoothly vary from day to day. One of her main goals is making sure the house is safe, which includes checking to see that the plumbing and air conditioning are working properly. One of the most important responsibilities is taking care of the girls. Ms. Marcy makes sure she is always there for them. They learn from her, and she learns from them One valuable resource that she brings to the table is nutrition. As a certified nutritionist, she can answer any questions that the girls may have about allergies and other topics. Years ago, one of her girls wanted to go vegan for Lent; Ms. Marcy participated with her to make sure she was consuming the right nutrients. Ms. Marcy wasn't always a housemother, but she did always have a passion for working with younger people. She worked as a territory manager at Lifetouch for 15 years. She loved the opportunity to be creative and take photos (from school and sports pictures to senior pictures). There are special parts of being a housemother that go beyond working with the girls. Ms. Marcy loves the community of housemothers that she has developed over the years. She has noticed that they all have something to give. Continued from page 1 A Rewarding Career Ms. Marcy Knabe Cherishes Her Time as a Housemother Housemother Marcy Knabe posing with sisters during Bid Day 2021. Holli Goff '20, Philanthropy Chairman his past year has been extremely tough on our community as well as the world. The changes that COVID-19 brought, including virtual events and quarantine, have brought challenges to many people. While mental health has been important long before COVID-19, we want to help make a change. With a brand-new school year, Kappa Kappa Gamma decided to take on a new initiative for our national philanthropy. Our philanthropy chairman, Holli Goff '20, has worked very hard to introduce our new philanthropy, Mental Health and Fighting the Stigma. "We are pleased to be starting this journey in our philanthropic efforts. These past few years, we've seen so many influential figures fighting for mental health. Transitioning to this new philanthropy will benefit both our members and the community here in Lexington," Holli said. "One thing we love about this new journey is that we are able to select one of Kappa Kappa Gamma's national organizations that resonate with our chapter. We are so excited to serve our community through this new endeavor." We are excited for this opportunity to help our community and can't wait to see where our philanthropic efforts will take us. "With this job, you can go other places and meet the greatest house moms and they're very supportive," Ms. Marcy said. "It's almost like a sorority of its own." When she worked in Louisiana, she and the other housemothers would go to book clubs, flea markets, dinners, and tour town together. Ms. Marcy found there are many new housemothers at UK, and a few of them aren't from Kentucky. They created a Facebook page so they can share tips and tricks with each other, as well as recommend places to visit. Ms. Marcy has five grandchildren in Kentucky and two in Virginia. Her daughter lives in Northfolk, Virginia, and recently earned her Ph.D. Her son and mother live in Akron, Ohio. Ms. Marcy enjoys visiting her family when she isn't working and was excited to be at the University of Kentucky for her granddaughter's move-in day. She is ecstatic that her granddaughter, Riley, pledged Kappa at UK. Ms. Marcy loves photography, sewing, cooking, baking, and nutrition and enjoys being with family. She likes participating in the book club she joined when she started her position. You can connect with Ms. Marcy at lexmarcy@aol.com.

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