Meet Christa Moody | Retired Banker & Community Volunteer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christa Moody and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christa, what’s the most important lesson your business/career has taught you?
The most important lesson I learned in my business career was that every single person no matter their rank has something to offer. Some people don’t know how to share their gifts but I found that a few kind words of encouragement sure are helpful.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I worked in the Banking industry a total of forty two years. I started as a teller and then moved to the Bookkeeping department, this is where I spent the majority of my years. One day I was asked if I would coordinate a community event for the company. I agreed to do it not really realizing what I was getting into. Well, little did I know then but I found my niche. Over the next 19 years I designed and hosted Lancaster Festivals Art Walk for the company. I was given a generous budget to create a fun welcoming environment each year. We averaged about 2000 guests coming through our lobby. I had customers tell me they were excited to see what I was going to create for the event. Along the way I made a lot of business friendships and my confidence grew. As my confidence grew I wanted to do more! I began to become involved in the community. I joined Friends of The Parks Board. This is a Board that supports our local Parks Board. I wanted to do more so I joined a local Rotary Club. I strongly believed in Rotaries Motto “ Service above Self”. I began to volunteer in the community wherever I felt I could help.
I joined two more Boards, Destination Downtown Lancaster and Fairfield Medical Center’s Foundation Board. Continuing to volunteer wherever I could. A dear friend approached me and asked me if I would be interested in joining Meals On Wheels of Fairfield county Board and I absolutely said Yes! All of these Boards are places where I had the opportunity to give back.I am also active in my Church. I am on a Steering Committee at our local Heritage Association. I also served for three years as my Twig’s President. I became President of my Rotary club for year 2020/2021. Some of the things our club accomplished that year were, to partner with ears On Wheels and deliver food boxes, we partnered w it’s the Noon Rotary club and held a Community Food Drive, we held a Downtown Business Raffle and raised $3,400.00 for World Polio Day, we cleaned a Downtown parking lot by pulling weeds,cutting down branches, sweeping and picked up trash. we held a toy drive at Holiday time, we collected gloves for the homeless,we donated Easter Baskets to needy children, we planted a tree in Lancaster’s new Arboretum. All of these things were done in the height of COVID. Not one of my Rotarians got COVID while participating in these projects.
In 2022 I was given what I consider to be our community’s highest award “ The Floyd Wolf” award. In January of 2023 Destination Downtown Lancaster awarded me the 2022 Volunteer of the Year. I am truly humbled and so honored to receive these awards.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s easy! I was President of my Rotary club in 2020/2021 and part of my role as President was to do a community project. I wanted to do something big, something impactful for our community. I chose a mural. (Rather a large undertaking given we were in the height of Covid) The location would be in an alley in the heart of our Historic Downtown. Sherman Rotary had already made a footprint in this alley but I wanted to go bigger. I reached out to the director of Destination Downtown Lancaster, Amanda Everitt, and asked if she knew an artist and she said yes, she knew of an Artists working on another mural. One Sunday morning I stopped and said “ Hi I am Christa Moody and I have an idea” . The artist is Jason Annecy and he agreed to do the Mural. I gathered together Matt Brady of Provisions. A business on one side of the Alley and Laura Tussing, President of Park Bank on the other side of the Alley. Amanda, myself and Keith Yates of Yates Painting who has painted historic brick before. We met in the alley one evening and Jason had brought seven different designs ideas for the Mural. All of the designs we wonderful but the last design was Gay Fad! We all immediately said yes! Gay Fad was a glass company that was started by Fran Taylor. Fran invested $30.00 of her own money to start the company . In 1945 she came to Lancaster to be near Anchor Hocking which was one of the companies she bought her blank glasswear from. She created Modern Mid Century designs. Jason had taken different parts of her designs to create the Mural.
In May of 2021 the work on the Mural began and was finished in September of 2021. This Mural means so much to me because in creating this we revived a piece of lancaster’s rich history in glassware and because Fran’s story is so empowering to all women. In the lower corner of the Mural there is a little Red door. This door represents all women who have the courage to seek out their dreams.” Step through the door your dream is waiting,”
This is where I would and have taken guests who have come to Lancaster!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I used to lack confidence in my leadership skills and speaking in public situations. One day I was given the opportunity to be a participant in our local Chamber of Commerce “Fairfield Leadership program”. This program opened up my world. This program taught me how to be an effective Leader based on Leadership principles. It gave me training in communication skills in my personal and professional life. I will be forever grateful for this program and I strongly advise young professionals to consider participating in this 9 month course.

Website: visitfairfieldcounty.org

Facebook: The Rotary club of Lancaster-Sherman