Staff Highlight: Karen Wheeler

When her “empty nest” chapter began, and her last child left home, Karen realized she needed a new way to feel grounded and useful. That search for purpose led her to the Family Resource Center, where she quickly discovered a place that matched her heart for families and community.   

Meet Karen Wheeler, Care Coordinator with Raising Strong Families at the Family Resource Center (FRC) in New Hampshire’s North Country. Raising Strong Families is a voluntary, free program that offers relationship-based coaching, resource connections, and goal-setting support. At its core, it’s about meeting families where they are and helping them notice what’s already working; then building from there 

Karen has been part of the FRC family for a little over three years, spending the last two years with Raising Strong Families. Her story is full of family, community, and the kind of purpose that inspires other caregivers to reach out and ask for support.  

Finding purpose in a new season 

Karen grew up in Berlin, NH, surrounded by parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles—a close-knit circle that shaped how deeply she values family. After college in New London, NH, she lived in Burlington, Vermont, then Scarborough, Maine, before she and her husband decided to return to Berlin so their three children could grow up near their extended family, too.  

A day in Raising Strong Families 

As Care Coordinator, Karen describes her days as “never the same,” and that’s one of the things she loves most. Raising Strong Families gives her the flexibility to shift where she is needed—whether that means connecting families to resources, helping them navigate a tough transition, or simply listening when someone needs to talk. She’s especially good at helping people take a big, overwhelming situation and find the next doable step. 

For Karen, the real reward is walking alongside families as they discover their strengths and move toward their goals. She views her work as a privilege, especially because she gets to serve families in the same community she calls home. To Karen, it’s simple: if families feel supported and a little less alone, the work matters. 

Outside of work, Karen is rarely still. She enjoys running and walking, hiking, camping, shopping, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. One favorite memory: she once ran a half-marathon with her entire family to celebrate a milestone birthday, which was a perfect blend of determination, togetherness, and fun.  

At home, she shares life with Oskar, her twelve-year-old Weimaraner, who is very much part of the family. And when it’s time to slow down, you might find her watching Gilmore Girls with her daughter; they have watched the series more times than they can count and still love it.  

Loving the North Country 

Karen’s love for the North Country shows up in how she spends her free time. She enjoys being outdoors: hiking, exercising, and kayaking on local lakes and ponds whenever she can. Being active outside is one of her favorite ways to feel connected to the place she grew up and chose again as an adult.  

That connection to place is part of what makes her work at the FRC feel so meaningful. The center’s mission is to build healthier families and stronger communities in Coos and Northern Grafton Counties, and Karen brings that to life in the way she shows up, listens, and keeps building trust over time.  

A message to families who are struggling 

When Karen talks to families who are unsure about reaching out, her message is simple and powerful: asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. The Family Resource Center offers voluntary, free services to all families to support them through challenges and help them thrive.  

She believes that “supporting families is what we do best,” and she encourages anyone curious or hesitant to give the FRC a try. With people like Karen in their corner, families in New Hampshire’s North Country are not alone. They have someone to walk alongside them through parenting, life changes, and the hard days in between.