We were lucky to catch up with Kristen Baltrum recently and have shared our conversation below.
Kristen, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
My optimism comes from a deeply held belief in the natural law of polarity. All too often a “negative” idea, comment or situation comes my way and I can get bogged down by the weight of that negativity. OR, I can remember that everything has an equal opposite. The opposite positive idea, comment or situation is often way more fun and energizing. I find that as I engage in the positive, life is more brilliant and opportunities abound.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I retired from my previous career in March of 2020. I had been a Youth Minister in various Lutheran congregations (ELCA) for 27 years. In knowing it was time to close that chapter of my life, I decided to pause my work to reflect on my identity, beliefs and purpose. Within weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic paused the world around me as well. It was during this time that I focused in on what story I had to tell and what resources that story could offer to my community.
The story I settled on was that of my sister Annie and her dog Millie. Together they had experienced homelessness in 2019 for seven months before Annie died by suicide. I reflected back on how our family walked that hair-thin line between enabling and empowering Annie during her experience, even as that line blew in the wind. I kept coming back to the critical point in her story: the decision to stick with her dog, Millie, and therefore not be able to access indoor safe and secure overnight shelter.
Had Annie been welcomed in to safe emergency shelter with Millie by her side, her entire trajectory would have changed. This became my single focus, discovering where these resources existed, or didn’t. Sadly, they were very few and far between and I set out to change that for others who may be in the same decision point Annie was in.
I believe that I have a story to tell, a belief that no one should have to decide between safe sheltering and the love of an animal companion, and a purpose to offer that story to the world to create co-sheltering (human-animal together) spaces for all. This is what excited me as I navigated the world of founding a nonprofit and launching into a new arena of professional work.
I founded “Annie and Millie’s Place”, a resource for people experiencing homelessness with pets. I am serving as the Executive Director. We offer foster care support and coordination, veterinary care support and pop-up clinics, pet food supplies and gear, and sponsor extreme weather shelter. We are the primary partner in our county for animal related services for the unhoused population and we are continuing to grow and expand our reach.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
“Hindsight is 2020” is a common saying. The year 2020 was for me a year of looking back at our family’s story in 2019 and the challenges Annie and Millie threw our way. As I looked back on that experience for all of us, I had many regrets, some guilt, and a massive amount of belief that I did all that I could do. I recognized that I was unable to fix everything for my sister even if I loved her tremendously. It was this hindsight that also helped me realize I had gifts to use to turn the story of trauma on its head, into a story of healing.
First, I have a strong faith. This faith in something greater than me gives meaning to the story I am living. Meaning provides purpose and purpose drives us to action. So the ability to drive my faith into action is a gift.
Second, I have great connections in my community. During my time as a church leader, I engaged in work alongside other service organizations and supported their work. This network of helping relationships provided a web of resources of which I could ask questions and discover even more resources.
Third, I have a clear vision of what I want to create. This vision is ignited by a passion to fill the gaps in services in our county. As I passionately share that vision with other stakeholders, they are inspired to join in the work and build more collaborations.
The advice I have for others who are early in their own journey is to “look in, look around, and look far. Then GO!” I encourage all people who want to make a difference in the community to figure out what gets their juices going deep inside their soul, do an assessment of who they are surrounding themselves with, and then decide how those two perspectives are connected for the sake of the world. Then get going!
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
There is no one single person who has been most helpful in overcoming challenges. Each person in my life brings with them a specific set of skills and knowledge. For this reason I like to surround myself with many different people from all walks of life. I believe that a particular group of people is brought together at a particular time for a particular purpose. As I began to think about starting this nonprofit work, I recognized that those closest in my circle of friends were social workers, non-profit managers, accountants, street-outreach workers and theologians. Each one of them provided guidance and perspective for me as I began to chart my course.
Throughout this work I have come alongside other Executive Directors, lawyers, lobbyists, policy writers, business developers, fundraisers, veterinarians and doctors, dreamers and survivors. Each person has a lesson to teach if only we are open to learning. Each story I am told and each friendship I am honored with becomes another stepping stone in the journey of me discovering who I am at my core, and for what the world needs me to be here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annieandmillies.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annieandmilliesplace
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnieandMilliesPlace/
Image Credits
Julie Gould
Lisa Bulow
Elloise Torkelson
Ann Maki
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
