Women of Distinction honoree Debbie Gallagher: parks advocate, volunteer, coach, fundraiser, cat fosterer

The first image Debbie Gallagher had of Crystal Lake came from a brochure that her father brought back to the family in Omaha, Nebraska.

He was trying to ease the idea of a big move for his teenage daughters, and he handed them a brochure from the small Illinois town showing the many programs the park district had to offer, including swimming.

And that was more than 50 years ago.

The community and park district have grown considerably larger in the last half-century, and Gallagher, although modest, has played a part in that growth through her dedication and service to the park district – as an employee, elected park board member and, today, as a volunteer with the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation.

Gallagher is among the latest recipients of the Northwest Herald’s Women of Distinction Awards, honoring those who have made an imprint in the community and their respective fields.

“Debbie Gallagher’s leadership inspires those around her to dream big for our community,” said Michele Hartwig, president of the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation board and a former Crystal Lake park board member who served with Gallagher. “She cares about families, children, adults, pets and wants to see all live a happy and comfortable life.”

She may have moved to small-town Crystal Lake as a reluctant teen, but it’s easy to see how she has grown to embrace the community she has called home since 1970, raising her daughters Gretchen and Megan.

“I moved my sophomore year of high school from Omaha, Nebraska, which was a big city, to Crystal Lake, which was a smallish town,” Gallagher said. “I remember [my father] gave us the Crystal Lake Park District brochure to look at the programs and how they had a lake.”

Her first role with the park district was working part time as a receptionist, one of the first faces visitors saw at the entrance of Main Beach.

She moved to full-time work with park district guests and would continue serving as an office manager and executive secretary. She was assistant director at the time of her official retirement after 20 years with the park district.

After two decades with the park district, she decided to take her experience and knowledge and serve as a volunteer, asking voters to elect her to the Crystal Lake Park District board.

“I knew they were going to have to look for a new executive director, and I wanted to be a part of that process,” Gallagher said.

She served as a park district board member for 14 years, including serving as the board’s president. In her tenure, she helped select the new executive director and oversee several projects, from upgrading equipment to renovating playgrounds.

She helped guide spending and construction to bring the new splash pad to Veteran Acres Park as well as one at Woodscreek Park and the updates and renovations at the Nature Center. She led the team in securing $1 million in grant money and supporting natural area restoration projects.

“Debbie understands how parks and open spaces are valuable to our families’ well-being,” Hartwig wrote in her nomination of Gallagher for the Women of Distinction honor. “She is constantly involved in projects that enhance the life for everyone in our community.”

For Gallagher, her love of parks is about the importance of play.

“It is just really important to play, to get out and to nurture your inner child,” Gallagher said. “I love to spend time outdoors. I appreciate winter and love summer.”

In 2023, Gallagher completed her term with the park board and was invited to serve on the Crystal Lake Parks Initiative Foundation, which supports the park district. Gallagher was a part of the foundation’s first fundraiser, the Crystal Lake Cardboard Regatta.

Hartwig said Gallagher was valuable because of her knowledge about marketing, event planning and race day communications.

Gallagher said it’s great to get involved and work with others in the community.

“I met so many people,” she said. “I highly recommend volunteering for one of the boards.”

Gallagher said the foundation would like to support construction of an outdoor ball hockey rink. She gets animated talking about the benefits of activities for young people, and she’s spent her time on the playing fields with her own children.

Through the years, she’s been a volunteer and coach with the local youth softball and youth football organizations. She said one of the best parts is seeing the young people she once coached and helped on the youth teams as they grow up in the community.

Through her daughter Gretchen, Gallagher has helped with several cat rescue organizations, including the most recent, Purrfect Cat Rescue, fostering kittens and helping to find them forever homes. She’s lost track of the number of litters they’ve raised but said they’ve been quite successful in finding homes for the kittens.

“It’s chaotic but fun,” she said.

In 2023, she helped plan her Crystal Lake Central High School class 50th reunion – it also was the school’s centennial celebration year – and welcoming back alumni from near and far.

“It was one of the biggest turnouts for a 50th-year reunion,” she said. “It was all smiles and laughing all night.”

She said she is proud of her high school, noting that today, the fourth generation of her family attends Crystal Lake Central. She has enjoyed watching her four grandchildren attend the school and is proud of their accomplishments.

The family enjoys spotting photos of previous generations on the wall.

“I love our community,” Gallagher said. “I love what I do, and that makes it so easy.”