Kristy (Ayers) Custer
When Kristy Custer joined the Norwich High School Kayette Club, she was looking for something that would be a mix of having fun with friends, while also doing something that would be meaningful and lasting for her community. Little did she know the profound impact this organization would have on her life.
Kristy enjoyed her time in KAY, partly because of the opportunity to get together in a non-competitive environment and work toward a common goal. There are two important lessons she took away from her time in KAY, and they are two that many KAY alumni will likely remember:
“Much more often than you’ve expected, the lives of others you have affected.”
“You can either be happy and hot, or you can be miserable and hot; either way, you are going to be hot, so you might as well have a good attitude.”
Not surprisingly, Kristy’s favorite memories of her time in KAY date back to her time at KAY Leadership Camp. She remembers initially not being too excited about giving up a week of summer to attend camp. However, that all changed as soon as she arrived. “From the moment we got out of the car and a staff member came out to greet us and help us carry our luggage in, to learning table manners, to the excellent leadership training, and, of course, the final night of campfire, every part of KAY Leadership Camp is masterfully planned to not only model to students how their own clubs can operate, but also to show students how fun service learning can be.” KAY Leadership Camp went on to give Kristy some of her favorite memories from high school- there are still friends she keeps in contact with from her first year at camp!
The dedication and the work of the KAY Leadership Camp staff were a part of what made KAY Leadership Camp such a memorable experience for Kristy. She noted “There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes on to make it such a successful week. I’m so grateful that there are people who are willing to sacrifice for such a great cause.”
When thinking back to her favorite service project from her time in KAY, Kristy thought back to a unit conference shortly after the first Gulf War began in 1991. All clubs attending the conference brought items to pack into care packages for the troops. Clubs worked together to assemble all the supplies. As she remembers, “It was a giant assembly line of “home guard” doing our part.”
When talking about how KAY influences her life today, Kristy doesn’t hold back; “In all honesty, and without over-exaggeration, I use what I have learned in KAYs every day; not only everyday “be a good citizen” things, but also every day in my job.” Kristy works as the Principal for Complete High School Maize, which was recently named a National School of Character. “[S]o much of what we do goes back to what I learned from KAYs. Organizing and motivating a group around a cause, yearly themes, beginning-of-the-year skits, service projects, recognition programs, personal responsibility, hiring the right personality for the team, and exemplifying good character is everything–all of these things were modeled through KAYs.”
Kristy also has many fond memories of KAY State Director Cheryl Gleason. She credits Cheryl’s “work ethic, integrity, and endless enthusiasm” as an influence on her professional career, and for making it easy to work hard for the club that she belonged to.
Her favorite memory of Cheryl dates back to when Cheryl was giving a speech to all of the students and sponsors at a unit conference. Out of the blue Cheryl asked, “Kristy Ayres, what does service mean to you?” As Kristy noted, “I imagine that she does not remember that, but I’ll never forget how it made me feel to think that CHERYL GLEASON knew my name, and she wanted to know what I thought! As often as I can, I try to give young people that feeling of belonging and importance.”
Kristy takes great pride in her work today and her school’s designation as a National School of Character. “I am so humbled to help lead a school with this designation, and I am so honored to be able to keep the pledge made so many years ago: I will, as a member of the Kansas Association for Youth, endeavor to maintain the high ideals of my organization, to make my personality a positive influence in the life of my school and my community, and to pass on an association which will be a challenge and inspiration to future members.”
