Storytellers: Laura Kind McKenna and Elizabeth Killough
Giving for charitable return and investing for financial return have historically been considered separate activities. However, more and more people are exploring ways to align their investments with the mission and values of their giving. Night Out With Meaning was lucky to have had two Greater Philadelphia-based trailblazers in this area of mission related investing – Laura Kind McKenna and Elizabeth Killough.
About Laura Kind McKenna
Laura Kind McKenna, a family nurse practitioner, has served as the Managing Trustee of the Patricia Kind Family Foundation since the fall of 1998. The Foundation started by Laura’s mother Patricia Kind provides grants to health and human service organizations in the Philadelphia area. Laura is committed to the importance of Mission Related Investing for Foundations and individuals. Laura believes it is vitally important to link assets with mission and values to achieve a double bottom line. Over the past 14 years the Patricia Kind Family Foundation has invested more than 25 million dollars in this region through direct grants and program related investments.
Laura received her BSN from The American University in Washington DC in 1978 and her Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania in 1981. Laura was employed as a nurse practitioner and Director of Student Health Services at La Salle University from 1986-1998. She also served as member of the Board of Trustees at La Salle from 2002-2012. Currently Laura is a Board Member of the van Ameringen Foundation, located in NYC. In addition to running the Foundation Laura volunteers weekly as a nurse practitioner at the House of Grace Catholic Worker Free Medical Clinic in Kensington because she strongly believes in giving back to the community both financially and through direct service to those in need. Married for thirty-five years to Marc Walsh McKenna, M.D, they have four grown children AND twin grandchildren born in December 2012.
About Elizabeth Killough
Elizabeth Killough directs the Untours Foundation, which provides loans to “green”, innovative businesses that create jobs and training for vulnerable populations. The Untours Foundation is funded by Untours, a unique travel company offering spectacular vacations to Europe, Quebec City, and Buenos Aires. Owners Norma and Hal Taussig believe in living simply and in sharing the profits of their business to create a better world. In the Foundation’s 20 years of lending, it has funded projects ranging from craft co-ops in the developing world to a dozen new businesses in an impoverished city near the company’s office in Media, Pennsylvania.
The Foundation’s bottom line is finding long-term solutions to poverty. They look for businesses that offer ripple effects and strengthen those around them. They are about building community and communities.
Prior to joining Untours Foundation, Elizabeth directed an anti-hunger organization and co-directed an organization that addressed US policy toward Central America. She was self-employed for a decade leading retreats and consulting on organizational development for businesses and nonprofits. A long time peace activist, Elizabeth focuses on sustainable development issues as an avenue to peace.