On December 3rd Kristy Weinberg, Director of the Bethel House of Whitewater, was chosen for the Democracy Work Award due to her caring and understanding work she’s contributed to the families that are going through homelessness in Whitewater. The League of Women Voters Whitewater Area honored Weinberg by giving her the award, especially since she showed the spirit and the goals of the League. The tributes were given by members of the LFW, Dave Gambel who is the Bethel House Treasurer and Jim Winship who is a founding member of Bethel House while serving as their Vice President. 

Ellen Powell who is the League of Women Voters of Whitewater Area Co-President of the organization gave the first tribute to Weinberg. She explained many of the criteria and what made them give the award to Weinberg.

“When we give this award to the honorees, we look towards the people who shared and implemented the vision of Whitewater as a fairer and safer place. We feel that Kristy Weinberg has more to meet that criteria through her 12 years of commitment in compassion to aiding at risk families to transitional housing through Bethel House on case management, financial advising to many in the community in taking it whole as a tribute to the organization Kristy is in as a way to make the community safe to be a place for folks to live and shelter,” said Powell.

Two members of Bethel House gave testimonials to Weinberg’s hard work and all she has done for the community, families, and organization for 12 years. Jim Winship, the Vice President and founding board member of the organization also testified to Weinberg’s work.

“She and the support of the board has really epaneed to the mission of the house to help with case management with families, but early on Kristy noticed that families were on the verge of homelessness. They helped with many academic, financial planning, and getting people in houses. The other things that Kristy has done that made Whitewater a better place to be safer and fairer place was financial planning be provided, working on developing that curriculum to others, then the covid happened, and provided that curriculum to the community to know what to do even through the storm,” said Winship.

Weinberg then gave her response to thank her community members, the Bethel House and League of women voters of the Whitewater Area. 

“I am humbled and honored. This work is real, heartbreaking, and sacred. Sometimes I can’t believe I call this work, I love what I do, the community encourages involvement and helping others. I have the most amazing board of directors, they’re so supportive, wonderful, and give back to the community. The students that work with me don’t get as much recognition, they’re right there with me, they’re in the trenches with us,the community supports us financially, it’s wonderful, the clients who come in and ask for help. It is great to see them being courageous. The words of the late great founding board member of the Bethel House, Dick Triebold, “All our life, we’ve been taught to follow the golden rule. Now we have the chance to live it out,” said Weinberg. 

Kristy Weinberg is the executive director of Bethel House, and hopes to serve the community further. Her job consists of helping people with homelessness by giving them the chance of helping them with transitional housing with case management and using the rebuild programs they have in the community. In the end, making the community a better and safer place for many families and it’s members.