News

Karen Sweetapple is being honored

as one of Bethesda Hospital Foundation’s ‘Women of Grace.’

Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star

    The impact coastal Boca Raton resident Karen Sweetapple has made on the South County charity scene continues to change the lives of those served by local nonprofits.
    The 57-year-old wife and mother has given the gift of volunteerism to organizations aiding the poor and sick, boards supporting schools and students and, most recently, an initiative awarding high-impact grants to area agencies.
    Sweetapple will receive a Women of Grace award Nov. 11 at Bethesda Hospital Foundation’s annual fundraising luncheon.
    “I just decided one day I was going to volunteer because it makes you feel great,” she said. “It’s really fulfilling to know that you’re making a difference.”
    Sweetapple began volunteering when her four children, now ages 17 to 26, were little. For 10 years, she served on the American Cancer Society board and founded its young professionals group.
    For nine years, she served on the Gulf Stream School board and chaired its annual fund. As her children got older, she involved them in programs helping the hungry, including delivering meals for Boca Helping Hands.
    The ultimate family project comprised an assembly line that, once a month for several years, turned 10 loaves of bread, dozens of packages of lunch meat and assorted jars of peanut butter and jelly into sandwiches for CROS Ministries’ The Caring Kitchen.
    Last month, Sweetapple took on another gig: Student ACES. Her daughter belongs to the 501(c)3 dedicated to teaching leadership skills to young athletes. Mom stopped at Panera Bread to bring bagels — 130 of them — to the meeting.
    Her work with Palm Beach County Impact 100 earned her the Women of Grace nomination. In the four years since she joined the cause, she has served as board member, chairwoman of the public relations committee and, currently, co-president. The organization makes $100,000 donations to program-based, results-oriented charities in Boca Raton and Delray Beach.
    “Volunteering is just part of my roots, being from the Midwest, helping your neighbor out,” the Iowa native said. “They say that good deeds contribute to good karma or future happiness, but I think it’s immediate.”
— Amy Woods

    Q. Where did you grow up and go to school? How do you think that has influenced you?
    A. While I have Midwestern roots, I was an Army brat and lived all over the U.S. during most of my childhood. Finally settling in Florida gave me a wonderful sense of home.

    Q.  In what professions have you worked, and which ones make you the proudest?
    A. I wore many hats during my 10 years of management at AT&T/BellSouth. I taught use of computer-based systems to new customers. Computers were the size of a refrigerator! I’m most proud of my work on the homefront, raising my four children.
    Q.  What advice do you have for young adults selecting a career today?
    A. No matter where you start, give it your absolute all, contributing however you can. The best way to get to your dream job is being great at whatever you are currently doing.
    
Q. How did you choose to make your home in Boca Raton?
    A. We’d been living in Miami during the crazy ’80s … so when starting our family, we decided that Boca was a gentler world.
    
Q.  What is your favorite part about living in Boca Raton?
A. The ocean. We’re beach bums and boaters at heart. Also, the pedestrian-friendly access to restaurants and movies is just an amazing lifestyle.

Q. What book are you reading now?

    A. I usually have several books going at once. Just finished All the Light You Cannot See, Sick in the Head and Circling the Sun.

Q.  What music do you listen to when you need inspiration or want to relax?
    A. My kids accuse me of always listening to overplayed pop. True. I love Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and Macklemore. To relax, I’ve started listening to Pandora’s Classical for Studying station.
    
Q.  Have you had mentors in your life — individuals who have inspired your decisions?
A. My mom always made me feel that I could do anything I set out to do. While growing up, I also devoured the biographies of famous women such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa and Amelia Earhart.
    
Q.  If your life story were made into a movie, who would you want to play you?
    A. While I would love to be a Meryl Streep character, Goldie Hawn could certainly capture my more quirky, scatterbrained moments while still having some degree of depth.

Q. Who/what makes you laugh?
    A. After 33 years, my husband, Bob, still keeps me entertained.

IF YOU GO
What: Bethesda Hospital Foundation’s Women of Grace luncheon
When: 10:30 a.m. Nov. 11
Where: The Mar-a-Lago Club, 1100 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach
Cost: $150
Info: 732-7733, Ext. 84445, or www.bethesdahospital
foundation.org
Honorees: Shelley Albright of Wellington (American Cancer Society); Kathy Feinerman of Boca Raton (Best Foot Forward Foundation); Julia Kadel of Delray Beach (The Miracle League of Delray Beach); Carole Putman of Boca Raton (Junior League of Boca Raton); and Karen Sweetapple of Boca Raton (Impact 100)