For more than a decade, Karen Hall has been using her belief to power her work at A Servant’s Heart, a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless and needy in La Salle County.
With a background in accounting and an appreciation for small business, Hall is the volunteer treasurer for A Servant’s Heart, a role she said suits her on several levels.
“Most importantly, we’re acting as the hands and the feet of Christ, and we’re showing people the love that He has for them,” Hall said. “We are able to help a lot of people out there who have just fallen upon some bad luck.”
Hall thought she would end up in special education for children with autism, but a twist of fate in college led her to accounting – and her husband.
Once she worked in small organizations and found she could pair her faith with her affinity for helping those in need as an accountant, she knew A Servant’s Heart was the place for her.
“I like the fact that small businesses are trying to make an impact on a community,” she said. “I thought that it would be nice to be able to offer that service and keep the cost low.”
Hall’s responsibilities as the treasurer of A Servant’s Heart include not only managing the internal funds but also coordinating with outside groups to obtain resources to further the mission of the organization.
“It’s nice to know that because we are an organization that’s there to accept donations from people and groups that want to help, that we’re able to provide an opportunity for the people that are disadvantaged to come in and meet with us and hopefully get funds,” she said.
A Servant’s Heart works with churches in the Ottawa area to centralize efforts to help those in need. With a great humanitarian effort, Hall’s colleagues appreciate the diligent work she does to streamline the organization’s operations.
“Karen consistently demonstrates dedication, integrity and attention to detail in ensuring that our financial records are accurate and transparent, and her commitment to responsible stewardship has been essential to our organization’s success,” said Brenda O’Donnell, A Servant’s Heart board secretary. “She always goes above and beyond by volunteering countless hours helping with fundraisers, which in turn allows us to give more back to the community.”
Hall manages to fulfill her obligations as the treasurer of A Servant’s Heart, in addition to being an accountant for her own business and a bookkeeper for her husband’s business, Draftech, in Ottawa.
“She is ready to lead and help whenever she can,” O’Donnell said. “Her reliability and positive attitude have made a lasting impact on our group and the community we serve. She is not only extremely competent, but a wonderful, kind and generous human being.”
Hall said her role has expanded over the course of her tenure at A Servant’s Heart, in order to manage grants, organize donations and correspond with government entities to provide the nonprofit with as many resources as possible. The uptick in workload has not gone unnoticed by those in the organization.
“Karen does an incredible job of keeping track of the funds going in and out and has been instrumental in helping us maintain our bookkeeping and ensuring that the paperwork is exactly how it’s supposed to be,” said Terry Gustafson, associate pastor at Praise Center Assembly of God. “Karen has been so good at making sure that we are above board with our financial integrity. I’m not a financial guru by any stretch, and she makes it easy to understand, putting things in a way to help us understand our financial situation.”
While Hall has a full schedule, she said her work at A Servant’s Heart will remain a priority.
“I’ll keep going as long as God gives me the ability to,” she said. “There are times when it’s challenging because of the time commitment, but I love the organization, and I think it’s a wonderful way to share the talents I was given.”