At the time, it had kept just over half of its 18 rooms filled. The finances were solid but primarily buoyed by donations from family and friends. Metropulos, 53, the nonprofit’s first CEO and president, had to think big. One of her first moves was to strengthen the relationship with Froedtert Hospital & Medical College of Wisconsin. “There were families and patients who just didn’t know about us,” she says.
Metropulos expanded the board, identified new donors and helped rebrand Kathy’s House. By 2017, annual revenues had doubled, and occupancy regularly reached 90 percent. Now, Kathy’s House is planning a larger facility, which is slated to break ground by early 2020.
“Over the last two years, we’ve had to turn away over 500 families. People now see this expansion is not only feasible, it’s something we must do,” she says.
