Good People
5questions Story by David Moore Photo by Leslie Dyer/Soulful Snaps
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eritage Park, Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center, Field of Miracles, Cross Creek Golf Course, neighborhood parks, Art Park, Donald Green Senior Center, Festhalle Marketplatz, Hurricane Creek, the 21-mile Duck River Trail for mountain biking and hiking, North Alabama Agriplex, indoor archery ranges, Oktoberfest, Strawberry Festival, Cullman Community Theatre, baseball, softball and volleyball leagues, flag football teams, Second Fridays, Christmas in Cullman, Christkindlmarkt, summer camp, arts camp, field trips … It’s a crazy long and crazy fun list of activities offered to not just residents of the city of Cullman but all of Cullman County. But guess what? All of that fun requires a lot of effort on the part of a lot of folks. Christy Turner can tell you all about the long hours, the hard work, the pressure and dedication required of her and the other 35 employees of Cullman Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism, a $7 million department budgeted by the city of Cullman. She can tell about work and pressure, but she won’t. She simply doesn’t dwell upon the grueling aspects of the job. Far from it. “Not one day since I started working here have I gotten up in the morning and not wanted to come to work,” says Christy, CPRST’s recreational development director. “Never. It sounds corny … but it’s true.” When former CPRST director Nathan Anderson left Oct. 1, 2019, to take a private-sector job in Nashville, Christy – along with Kyle Clark – was named co-interim director. They remained in that position until March 2020 when Zac Wood of Cullman replaced Nathan as CPRST director. “I am very excited about Zac coming 14
Christy Turner
She gets up each day, eager to be a part of Cullman Park, Rec and Sports Tourism in,” Christy says. “I can’t wait to work and grow with him and see a lot of our existing projects through.” CPRST has been nationally recognized over the years for its top-notch programs and facilities. And last year it became Alabama’s first department – and one of only 178 across the country – to earn accreditation through the National Recreation and Park Association. Yep. Park and Rec’s scope in Cullman – and across the county – is far-reaching.
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hristy grew up in Crane Hill, daughter of Barbara and Ray Calvert, a stay-at-home mom and a dad who was a contractor and poultry farmer. “I have wonderful parents that taught me how to work hard, serve God, be grateful, to laugh, never give up, and how to be a servant,” she says. They also instilled in her a love of community and people. After a friend’s father had a stroke, Christy was inspired to work in the healthcare field, which is why she majored in occupational therapy at Wallace State Community College, and why she later worked for Restore Therapy Services at USA Healthcare. In 1997, another friend, Julie Edwards Graham, got Christy a blind date with Rusty Turner. They married that fall and went on to raise three children. After a stint as a stay-at-home mom herself, Christy’s early lessons of service and community led her to volunteer in 2009 at CPRST’s then new Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center. The position also dovetailed nicely with her earlier desires to be associated with healthcare, and she quickly felt at home. What’s more, John Hunt, then director of CPRST, insisted that the new, firstclass facility existed to serve the entire Cullman community, not just people inside the city, which resonated strongly with Christy’s upbringing, “John always felt like the aquatic
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center was meant to be an extension of everyone in the community, not just one segment,” she says. “It’s always been a part of the community fabric.” So she immersed herself in the team effort to serve the community, first as a volunteer with CPRST then going fulltime in 2011. “I’ve felt like a part of the team since the beginning,” Christy says. “We are all very community-minded, servant-like people. We have a heart for community and to give of ourselves to help Cullman be Cullman.”
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n Christy’s view, CPRST really took off in 2007 when the Field of Miracles became a reality, providing ballpark facilities for athletes with special needs. “Chester Freeman helped make that happen,” she says. “He was one of the most giving, community-minded people I ever had the privilege of knowing.” Field of Miracles is an example of CPRST and city leaders listening to the needs of the community and responding accordingly, Christy says. “That happens often,” she says. “It’s why it’s not uncommon for one of our programs to lead to another.” Such was the beginning of CWAC. The same happened with the youth volleyball camp that prepares kids for middle school sports, and – of special interest to Christy – with CPRST’s therapeutic recreation program. The latter uses the power of playing and leisure activities to help rehabilitate people of all ages and promote their overall wellness. “During the busy season, Parks and Recreation program has over 200 parttime, seasonal employees,” she says of the program. “We have over 200 volunteers as well, including members of the Pilot Club, coaches and the girls basketball team at Cold Springs High School. They love it and won volunteer group of the year for their work with Therapeutic Recreation.”
