Meet Katherine Carol
In honor of International Women’s day, RMHS celebrates the foresight and determination of Katherine Carol, our first board chair.
Thirty years ago, Katherine became chair of the board of Denver Options, the previous name of RMHS. The non-profit was born from the collective will of determined parents like Katherine, advocates and civic-minded individuals who wanted more and better for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They wanted better services and more choice. More meaningful employment opportunities. And they wanted to see people with I/DD play a greater role in making the kinds of decisions that shaped their lives.
“It was about creating options for the people of Denver who had a disability,” Katherine said. “It was a really cohesive, strong board that had a lot of connections. We really tried to amp up the quality of people serving the citizens of Denver.”
These ideas, which came to be called a person-centered approach, were the foundation of RMHS and continue to guide our work to this day. This year, RMHS celebrates thirty years of having the privilege to serve our communities. RMHS certainly is a larger and more complex organization than it was at its inception, but that central belief system – honoring people and their choices -- is an unshakable part of our heritage.
Katherine Carol played an essential role in forming this belief system, and we are so thankful for her work and care. Currently, you can listen to Katherine and her daughter Mikelle -- who has cerebral palsy and is non-verbal -- on their podcast, The Shining Beautiful Series: https://podcasts.apple.com/.../the-shining.../id1450299981
