Kelly Volunteer of the Year

The Kelly Board served lunch to a packed house of Kelly volunteers. We have such a strong community of helpers, including more than 50 who assisted in the November 5 Wildlife Arts Festival. The Board themselves all work hard, but there are so many others who help with manning the gallery, special events, publicity, fund-raising and all the myriad tasks it takes to run a successful non-profit.

This year Libby Christensen, who was ironically raised in Tennessee, the Volunteer state, received the enviable award, which was a framed Kelly Fitzpatrick numbered print. (You can purchase your own at The Kelly. The proceeds go to our scholarship fund.) A former college English instructor, her work for the Kelly spans over ten years, before and after her retirement. She has exhibited her award-winning photography and quilting numerous times, served as secretary, edited the former Kelly Canvas magazine, assisted in updating the Constitution, assisted with the website, manned the gallery, provided refreshments for various activities, taken photos, written the blog, chaired the Holiday Artists Market, and just recently quilted 100 name tags for the Wildlife Festival.

At the same time, Libby maintains her business, Christensen Creations (https://sewgocreate.com), which has been a Kelly sponsor for several years, and she is now also collaborating with www.thefabrichut.com in designing quilts and doing Facebook LIVE presentations. She says she will continue to treat The Kelly as co-work, though, until the pace drives her crazy…and some younger members step up to help. She was very glad, indeed, to see so many willing hands at the volunteer luncheon.