The End of an Era

Today was Kraft’s last day of work at the UCC.  Kraft has spent just about every day inside those UCC doors since August 2002.  Holy cow.  That is just about 8 years.  On that fateful day that Kraft went to Mass at the UCC as a lowly little freshman he came out of Mass and Hung Doan saw him and said, “Hey you, you look like a guy.  Come join Lambdas.”  And from that moment on, Kraft was hooked.  (Thank God he looks like a guy.)  The UCC has really helped Kraft grow from a cocky know-it-all freshman to a more humble know-it-all husband and father.  What really amazes me is that the UCC encompasses Kraft’s entire adult life.  He was 17 when he walked in and is 25 walking out.  He has worked full-time at the UCC for 5 years.  5 years.  Ca-razy.  I have not held a job for more than a year so 5 blows my mind.

While Kraft has grown and learned a lot from the UCC and the people he has met there, Kraft has poured his heart and soul into the place.  He has really helped shape the place and has been instrumental for most great things the place has done for the last 8 years.  Before Kraft started working full-time, he was being paid for 11 hours part-time but was actually working  probably 50 hour weeks.  Probably to the detriment of his academic career, Kraft always worked way more hours for the UCC than he would like to fess up to.

Kraft has been vital to the Lambdas throughout the years.  Officially he has been the Lambda chaplain and president separate years.  But he has helped them through small and very, very large problems.  He planned the 15th year anniversary celebration.  His door has always been open to the many members that needed to talk out issues with him.  While the guys don’t always make the best of decisions, Kraft has always been there to firmly but pastorally lead them back to a path of being good and upstanding Catholic men.

Kraft put together and executed the first Phonathon that will happen for the 4th year this year and is the biggest fundraiser that the UCC does.

He has helped plan and MCed countless liturgies, Masses, Triduums, etc.  He has helped cultivate the relationship between the UCC and the bishop.

Kraft has helped put out lots of fires (figurative) from money issues to building issues to differences of personalities on staff to student problems.  With so many students coming through the UCC doors along with your usual group of homeless folks that wander off the drag and parents and resident community members, there was always someone that Kraft needed to help or unruffle feathers.

If you could only see the difference between the computer system/server/technology pre-Kraft and post-Kraft, you would be amazed.  If Kraft did nothing other than the tech stuff for the UCC, it alone would be worthy of praise.  I can’t really say what all he has done, mostly because it is more technical than I understand but he has revamped the staff’s email and calendar, built the computer lab from scratch, designed and implemented the facilities calendar and room reservation system, and then it gets into stuff I can’t explain.

Kraft has improved Student Leadership and has re-started the Knights council that has been dormant for many years.

All of this doesn’t mention the countless hours he has spent planning, emailing, counseling, mentoring, chatting, building community, etc, etc.  This is just the stuff I can think of right now and am sure that I am leaving out a lot.  While Kraft has learned a lot from the UCC, Kraft has been invaluable to the UCC.  I know he has made such a huge impact on the community and on many students’ lives.  All his work has not been in vain.

We will always be thankful for the UCC.  If it weren’t for the UCC, we
would never have met.  Kraft’s best friends are from the UCC.

Thank God for the UCC and the opportunities it has given Kraft.  Thank God for leading Kraft to the UCC and making him such a dedicated
servant.

Today is the end of an era.  The Kraft era.    So, thank you UCC.  You have been good to us and will always have a place in our hearts.