Kay Ethridge is a powerhouse of compassion. An accomplished artist, mother, and philanthropist, Kay began volunteering at Roof Above in 2002, with her two kids and a kiln in tow. Evidence of Kay’s impact is sprinkled throughout Roof Above campuses, through ceramics dotting our walls and brightening our days. Her work started with a grant from her church, Myers Park Presbyterian, to support neighbors making art alongside sparkling young creatives at Roof Above, including now-CEO Liz Clasen-Kelly. Kay shares they, “wanted to create a community around art, because in art everyone is equal, and the arts give people a means of self-expression.”
Kay led pottery workshops; in her first one the group created stepping stones for an abandoned lot turned garden next to the Day Services Depot that then became a space to create more art. She shares that this time working alongside neighbors at Roof Above, “was the first time I felt true church.”
Uniting the Community
Kay led ceramics workshops at Roof Above for over a decade. Eventually, she invited students from her children’s school, Charlotte Country Day, to do pottery alongside Roof Above neighbors, fostering her care for art and community in future generations. As many neighbors in the art program moved into housing, Roof Above invited Kay to bring the program to them. To this day, Kay brings her clay and the Country Day students on the road, visiting housing programs for those who have experienced homelessness, and making ceramics alongside them. Participants make two pieces: one they keep, and one that is sold to benefit a local hospice organization.
A Legacy of Good
One of Kay’s most influential contributions to Roof Above is the product of the immeasurable effort of parenthood. Kay says of her children, “they were raised with service. Everything they did: their family, their church, their sports team, their school, always had a service component.” After a childhood of serving our neighbors, her children have stepped up to serve our community. Daughter Emily is an active participant in affordable housing and service work. Son Mark works tirelessly to expand affordable housing for our neighbors in need, co-founding the Housing Impact Fund and Ascent Housing. These organizations work to preserve Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing in the Charlotte area, which Roof Above CEO Liz Clasen-Kelly often says is one of the most “innovative and impactful housing interventions happening in America.”
The Ethridges have been with Roof Above through decades of growth: hands-on, generous, and deeply committed to our neighbors. Thank you Kay! You, as Liz shares, “help others create beauty in the midst of turmoil.”