Building Blue and Beyond
Harriet Karr-McDonald has been a champion of racial and economic justice for more than 30 years. In the 1980s, Harriet was commissioned to write a screenplay on homelessness. Her research brought her to the tunnels underneath Grand Central Terminal, where she met April, a young woman who would change her life.
Harriet made plans to adopt April and arranged for her to enter a drug rehabilitation center in Los Angeles. Tragically, the young woman died by suicide before those plans were realized. It was at her funeral where Harriet met George McDonald, Founder and then-President of The Doe Fund, and they soon became partners in both life and work. In 1990, the duo co-founded what is now the nation’s foremost solution to homelessness and recidivism: Ready, Willing & Able.
Building Blue and Beyond celebrates Harriet’s legacy and vital role in The Doe Fund’s growth over 30 years, from one program providing paid work to 70 men experiencing homelessness into a multi-service organization that has empowered 30,000 individuals with the gift of opportunity.
New York is on the verge of recovery after extraordinary challenge. Still, a convergence of crises stands in our way: an unprecedented surge in homelessness in our streets, subways, and shelters; highly visible and tragic mental health-related incidents; a perception of eroding public safety; a lack of affordable housing; and economic disparities that marginalize countless New Yorkers.
These interrelated crises suggest a singular truth: people experiencing homelessness aren’t a monolith — and we need diverse solutions to meet them where they are. In the same way that The Doe Fund pioneered the most successful solution to homelessness for single adults, we have now expanded into a multi-service organization providing a full continuum of care for all New Yorkers in need.
On October 26, 2023 at 6:00 PM ET, join leaders in business, finance, real estate, philanthropy, and media to celebrate working solutions that have impacted more than 30,000 lives over 30 years, from the Men in Blue to the residents of our permanent housing — and see how The Doe Fund is Building Blue and Beyond.
