GratiTuesday: Khrissy Hollister

Community Coordinator

I will be the first to admit I don’t know Khrissy Hollister as well as the other GratiTuesday subjects I’ve written about. But her impact in our community is known to all. I met Khrissy through my job at WSIL many years ago. I don’t even remember what the cause was, but she was the organizer of it and the station was covering it.

I’ve found most of my interactions with Khrissy have come that way. She is the driving force behind a project or an event in our small town of Carterville. Khrissy works at city hall and has a pulse on what’s going on in the community anyway. But she is definitely a “roll up the sleeves” type of person and gets stuff done. There’s no sitting around and waiting for results with Khrissy, she’s on it and ready to deliver results.

One of the best examples I can think of for this is the Christmas in Carterville event that has happened downtown for the past seven years. I know this evening takes months and months of planning and is the work of countless volunteers. It is not my intention to overlook these individuals. But I know as an outsider looking in, Khrissy is often leading the charge. When it comes time to rally the troops to come out and promote the event on the morning news, Khrissy gets dozens and dozens of people to fill that role.

Khrissy also helps put together the Pumpkin Path at Halloween, has a hand in the Community Thanksgiving Dinner, and works with the American Red Cross to organize a handful of community blood drives each year. She’s also helped keep the Paws for a Cause fundraiser alive for many years too, which provides Christmas for families in need in Carterville. Khrissy does all this community service with a smile on her face and balancing work and her family.

I know I’m just scratching the surface with the things Khrissy has done for our community through the years. She sets a good example for the rest of us and has helped to make Carterville become “home” for me and my family since moving here nearly 14 years ago. Thanks for what you do Khrissy.