Karen Lund is a living testament for women everywhere aspiring to positions of authority, responsibility, and respect. Family has been a consistent centerpiece in the tapestry of Karen’s story. Whether drawing strength from her mother or sharing that strength with her late husband, her children, and their children; Karen has always realized the unflappable achieving power that arises when folks come together in the context of family to accomplish God’s work. More so, she did what others didn’t. She chose to make a difference, and created opportunities for so many others to follow suit.
Picture this, you’re sitting at the dining table rustling through assorted files. Your work environment – once a sterile, all white, clear-cut hospital – has changed into your home. The same place you say grace, is the same place you write reports. The rooms you once tucked your children in, are now the libraries for case files. The kitchen is the break room and the couch is where you conduct interviews.
In a post-pandemic-lockdown world, that may seem all too familiar but to Bill and Karen Lund 20 years ago, that was totally new territory.
In the years before founding CK Family Services, Karen was a registered nurse. She worked with other professionals to medically help families and took a special interest in people with learning disabilities. The work she did left an impact on others and she was asked to seriously consider working in the foster care vocation. She has always thrived when in an environment of professional achievement surrounded by like-minded and mission-driven individuals, but it was still a whole new world.
“I woke up each morning and said, ‘God, what do you have for me?’” Karen said.
She first became a Tarrant County CASA(Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteer. Eventually, the calling over her was so loud and clear that she and her husband took the leap of faith to fully join the foster care system.
“The scariest part of taking that risk was getting started, developing the relationships, and feeling confident that I could put the pieces together,” Karen said.
Their first family consisted of 5 children between ages 0 and 6. Eventually, they were able to reunite all of them with an uncle in a rural county, but it took a lot of work, learning, commitment, and adjustments. Especially in those early days, if there was ever a time Karen’s morale was low, her prayer warrior mother also walked by her side.
“Whatever [my mother’s] kids were burdened with, she was giving it to God … and you could feel it,” Karen said.
From there they continued the mission of getting children into safe homes and families through the ministry of foster care. By taking baby steps, Karen and her husband expanded CK Family Services. Until overtime, the baby steps were full-blown sprints. What started as a loving couple answering the call of God in their home, turned into a state-wide agency that helps hundreds of families.
“It’s just one child at a time,” Karen said. “Can you help just one child at a time?”
Today, she serves as President and Executive Director for the nonprofit foster care, adoption, and behavioral health organization (CK Family Services) that she and her late husband, Bill, founded as Covenant Kids, Inc.. Her keen attention to detail and commitment to getting it right are just two of the many strengths she perfected over a storied career focused on helping those in need.