Joliet Park District renames multi-purpose center after Kathy Green

On Wednesday, a ceremony took place at the Joliet Park District, inside the Kathy Green Multi-Purpose Center.

The ceremony honored Kathy Green, who passed away suddenly this past June.

Green worked at the Joliet Park District for 30 years. Her role before she passed away was the Special Recreation of Joliet and Channahon Superintendent.

[ Green was also a Special Olympics coach, and was involved with many local special needs organizations. ]

The multi-purpose center is now named the Kathy Green Multi-Purpose Center, in Green’s honor.

Wednesday was Green’s birthday, so the Joliet Park District celebrated by having cake and refreshments, while also having the attendees dress in Cubs gear. Green was a life-long Cubs fan.

Tom Carstens, the Executive Director of the Joliet Park District, praised Green for her work ethic and commitment to the park district, during the 30 years that she worked there.

“Kathy was an outstanding staff person, hard worker, had a great sense of humor, and would do anything for anybody in any other department,” Carstens said.

Carstens also recalled some memories of he and Green talking about the Cubs and White Sox, and how she was an important part of the Joliet community as a whole.

Carstens was ecstatic that the multi-purpose center is now being named in Green’s honor.

“Kathy put in so much time," Carstens said. "She worked with us for 30 years, and not only did she work with us for 30 years, but she had 30 years involvement not just with the park district, but with the community with people with special needs, with Special Olympics, she was just a vital part of the community of Joliet, not just the park district.”

Sue Gulas, the Joliet Park District Park Board President, knew Green for seven years and said that she was always a joyous person and humble about the work she did for the park district.

“Kathy loved life. She was always happy and she always made people laugh, and her laugh was infectious,” Gulas said.

“She was very humble about everything, everything that went on here today, she never wanted to be in the limelight," Gulas said. "This would’ve been hard for her to take, if she was with us today.”