For the past seven years, Community Shares Backyard Hero Catherine McKenzie has volunteered with the Sierra Club of Wisconsin, but she has always found solace in nature. With a background in health care, she is also a theater and portrait photographer and spends her free time planting native plants and photographing all the bees, butterflies, birds and mammals who visit her garden.
Elizabeth Ward, the chapter director of the Sierra Club of Wisconsin, nominated McKenzie for the Backyard Hero award for doing “a beautiful job communicating important environmental issues through newsletter layout and design,” she said. “Since she took on this role, we have received numerous compliments about how engaging our newsletter is.”
Ward added, “Catherine has a real skill that she shares to move our mission forward, and we are so thankful for her. She helps us make sure that that information is being communicated effectively.”
What about these organizations appealed to you? Why did you begin volunteering?
I've been a lifelong supporter of the Sierra Club and other environmental groups. A clean, healthy ecosystem is the foundation that supports everything else.
What need does this fill in the community and what more would you like to see to fill that need?
Sierra Club works to restore, maintain, and enjoy the environment on a local and national level. We should all do what we can to support our ecosystem — it’s our home. Globally, contact your government representatives and demand positive change. Locally, plant native plants to help restore the habitat in your yard and neighborhood.
What did you find most surprising about volunteering with a nonprofit?
I’m not at all surprised by the hard-working, dedicated folks I’ve worked with. I was very surprised to be nominated for this recognition. It was surprising because I have always worked from home for this organization and never met any of the staffers in real life.
Why do you continue to volunteer? How does it reward you?
Volunteering my newsletter skills allows me to support a cause that is everything to me and also gives me a creative outlet. I have a deep and abiding conviction that a protected and restored environment is the foundation for a happy, healthy, meaningful life for individuals and the community. Every other endeavor becomes more difficult or impossible if we don't have clean water, clean air, and a functioning ecosystem.
What gives you hope for the future of Madison?
All the people who volunteer or work towards a better world is what gives me hope. Reading through the member organizations of Community Shares gives me hope because it’s a snapshot in time of the many people who are dedicating their lives to empower people, increase civic engagement, and improve the environment.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
