Welcoming Caitlin Doran to the LHF family

March 19, 2020| People

By: Jess Murphy

This has been quite an interesting time to bring a new staff member on board, but we are so happy to welcome Caitlin Doran to the Lake Hopatcong Foundation team as our new Deputy Development Director! Caitlin comes to us from Hackensack Riverkeeper, and has lifelong ties to the Lake Hopatcong area. The Lake Hopatcong Foundation received a grant for this position from the New Jersey Cultural Trust, a division of the New Jersey Department of State, and it will allow us to grow our fundraising, deepen ties with our volunteers, and harness more resources for our lake.

Caitlin has a fantastic energy and seemingly boundless enthusiasm for the mission of the organization and the job in front of her, and we could not be more excited to welcome her aboard. In her two weeks on staff, she has already taken on a number of new projects… and, of course, seen some pretty wild changes to day-to-day life, which we are all trying to manage. Although some of you might have had the pleasure of meeting her in the last couple of weeks, we know most face-to-face opportunities for an introduction are on hold for the time being. But you may see her name pop up in your email inbox from time to time, and here’s hoping you’ll all get to meet her in person soon. We’re confident you’ll find her as wonderful as we do. And now, in her own words:

Having grown up in Roxbury Township and Mount Arlington Borough, I am no stranger to our lovely Lake Hopatcong. I will always remember the way my hair whipped in the wind while zipping around on a friend’s speedboat; how sore my arms were after a marathon paddle in another friend’s canoe; celebrating birthdays and graduations lakeside at The Windlass; and later, the many times I sat quietly on the shoreline in Hopatcong State Park, journal in hand, making sense of big changes in my life. The lake, for these reasons and more, has remained a special place for me.

Strangely enough, I had to go far to learn about a very-near foundation doing excellent work to protect his special place. It was during my time at Hackensack Riverkeeper that I learned about the Lake Hopatcong Foundation, its important programs, and festive community events. I remember thinking then, around 2014, “Hmm, maybe someday!” Well, someday finally came, and I cannot tell you how excited I am to come aboard as your Deputy Development Director. I have always enjoyed getting to know volunteers and donors and understanding their personal connection to the cause. And until COVID-19 hit our community, I was really enjoying meeting all the new, friendly faces here! I look forward to getting to do more of that as things normalize, and until such time as we can all get together, I am sending “Love in the time of Corona.”