Community Happens Somewhere
It is easy to talk about community as an idea. Chris Manola’s work in Crete, Illinois, is more concerned with the places where community actually happens.
A yoga class needs a room. Volunteers need somewhere to gather. Civic programs need a home. Sometimes people simply need a quiet place where they can sit together for an hour without the usual demands competing for their attention.
Chris has become involved in several of those spaces since retiring from a 35 year career in commercial real estate in 2021.
Her latest role brings those interests together. Chris was appointed to the Board of Directors of Friends of the Crete Township Community Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting the Community Center and its role as a gathering place for residents.
Bringing Wellness Into the Community
Chris already knew the building well.
Through Humble Warrior Yoga, she leads guided sound meditation and breath work there on the last Monday of every month from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. The Crete Township Community Center is located at 25930 S. Cottage Grove Avenue.
Using crystal singing bowls, guided meditation and breathing techniques, Chris creates an hour intended to help participants slow their pace and develop practical ways of responding to stress.
“Our nervous systems are not equipped to handle the relentless demands of modern life,” she says.
Chris is a sound meditation guide and certified yoga instructor. She also teaches yoga Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Crete Park on Main, located at 1374 Main Street.
For someone whose professional life once centered on commercial real estate, there is an interesting continuity in her current work. Buildings still matter. Now she is interested in what can happen inside them.
Helping Local Institutions Grow
Friends of the Crete Township Community Center supports the facility by helping host social activities, classes and civic events. The nonprofit also works to raise funds for operations, identify grant opportunities and develop programs and events serving Crete Township and surrounding communities.
Chris’s appointment gives her another way to participate in that effort.
Her community involvement reaches elsewhere in Crete as well. She volunteers at the Crete Lions Club Recycling Center at 1215 Douglas Lane and was recently named Lion of the Year.
Volunteers can help from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday; 7:00 a.m. to noon on Tuesday and Saturday; and 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Chris encourages residents to consider giving even one hour a week. Profits from the Recycling Center go back into the community.
She is also a founding member of the Crete Community Runners Association and serves with several local nonprofit organizations.
The Value of Showing Up
Chris has another side to her career as a film actor with 25 IMDb credits, yet much of her current attention remains close to home.
Her various roles share something basic: they depend on participation.
A community center matters because people use it. A recycling program works because volunteers arrive. A meditation class becomes meaningful because people make time to attend.
Chris puts her philosophy simply: “Your inner peace can transform the world.”
In her case, the work begins with the community immediately around her.
Learn More
To register for monthly sound meditation at the Crete Township Community Center, call 708.722.1857 and leave a message.
Yoga registration is available at Cretepark.com. Learn more about the Friends of the Crete Township Community Center at https://cretetownship.com, Humble Warrior Yoga, and the Crete Community Runners Association.
For Recycling Center volunteer inquiries, email cretelionsclub1215douglas@gmail.com.
