Kristen Douglas
Head of Marketing and Social Media/Community Relations
Kristen Douglas got involved with Be Perfect "BP" in 2021 when she started working on the BP 9.0 Scholarship Gala. She is learning about the work of several different roles but is providing support with social media, volunteers, and The Perfect Step "TPS" client relationships and their roles for the event.
She initially learned about the BP Foundation and the Hargrave family in 2010 when she played on the same volleyball team as Hal's little sister, Hailey. She crossed paths with TPS and the foundation again when she was attending the University of La Verne. As a student-athlete and kinesiology major, she continued to hear about BP and eventually started an internship at TPS where she immediately expressed interest in volunteering and helping in any way she could.
The Be Perfect Foundation works to help raise awareness and funds for those within the paralysis community. They support by providing medical supplies, home and car adaptations, therapy hours, and more. Kristen believes that BP is true to its 99% promise. They are completely volunteer-based and spend their time giving to a great community of people who need financial and emotional support.
One of the things that has made Kristen very passionate about her work with BP is because of one of her clients that she works with at The Perfect Step, Leo. Leo (who has transverse myelitis) has had such a strong impact on her and her work with BP. He has shown tremendous progress in the year that he has been training at The Perfect Step, but even more, he is always prompt to his sessions, hard-working in and outside of the building, and is mentally prepared for any challenges each day might bring. He is an amazing example of someone who is being supported by BP and will continue to work to support himself financially and physically. He is a strong motivation for her work.
In the past, Kristen has donated to BP several times throughout each year, advocated for clients who are sponsored, and helped spread awareness about BP's mission and the amazing people who benefit from their work.
She loves that BP is beyond generous; they are always looking to find more ways to give more. “There will always be people in need, and they do as much as they can to continue to raise the funds needed to provide more financial support, she says. They build a community of people who both live with paralysis or can help those living with paralysis, and their mission will never be complete.”
Putting her time and effort into BP is both humbling and rewarding. She works with a group of people who volunteer their limited free time to give back to a community they are so passionate about. The people they support are kind, and strong, and have faced so much adversity, but they are resilient. They have so much to teach us and offer to society, so the more they can do for them now and help them get to a better and more independent life, the more they will be able to for the rest of their lives.
“People who want to get involved with BP have so many options. Donations of any size, helping spread awareness, and participating in their events are only a few of the ways people can find involvement. It is a rewarding opportunity that they get to raise money and spread awareness for an amazing population.”
“BP's internal ethics are just as they claim; they guarantee $0.99 of every dollar to go right back to the benefit of the paralysis community. Their foundation is constantly working to plan more events, reach out and inform more donors, and continue to support as many people as possible. Their efforts are never over, and there will always be more lives to change!”