Krissy Merritt’s son Cooper is a senior at Sapulpa High School and a member of the varsity baseball team. Krissy serves as the secretary for the baseball booster club and has done so for the past two years.
Serving on the board requires everyone to wear many hats.
“One of the things I oversee is the concession, which is a big source of revenue for the club. We’ve taken it from the normal popcorn and hotdogs to specialty tailgates for our varsity home games. We’ve done everything from freshly grilled hamburgers to pulled pork sandwiches, loaded nachos, philly cheese steaks and fajitas,” Krissy said. “This year we added specialty drinks as another fun option such as the Arnold Palmer, Lemonade, Root Beer Floats, and everyone’s favorite, “The Hannah” aka dirty Dr Pepper – this was in honor of Sapulpa Baseball’s own Hannah Irvine.”
Serving and being part of the school activities is something that Krissy loves to do. Being there for her son and his teammates, helping to ensure they have a great experience is a source of enjoyment for Krissy.
“The thing I enjoy most about volunteering is just being there. Being a part of something that my son enjoys and that he’s grown up in and learned from. Baseball is truly a passion for our boys – the time that goes in to practicing, preparation, games . . . these boys are together 5-6 days a week,” Krissy said. “It’s important to me to support that in any way I can. My favorite quote is Maya Angelou’s – “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” And to me, that is what volunteering is all about – making our boys feel supported, cared for, and important.”
Being involved in the life of your kid is something Krissy believes is important for every parent.
“The most important thing you can do for your child is to be there, in all ways. Our program runs on volunteers. We could not do it without them – many hands make light work. There is always something that needs to be done, from Feed The Chieftains, a program our treasurer Kerra Roberts runs, that allows the club, through the support of volunteers, to feed all of our players before every away game all season long, to working the concession at home games so that it isn’t the same group of parents in there every time. It doesn’t always have to be something that costs money – time is the most important thing a parent can give to their children and to our program.”
Krissy’s oldest son Dillon graduated from SHS in 2020. Krissy said Sapulpa is the right place for her and her family.
“Both he and Cooper were in Sapulpa schools their whole academic career. The support they received has been incredible. They both have had some of the best teachers I have ever met, and those teachers truly made a difference in their lives. The coaches and players from other sports and administrators and teachers show up on their own time to support our boys at games and it’s just really nice to see that happen. That goes right back to making our boys feel supported, cared for, and important,” said Krissy.
Not originally from Oklahoma, Krissy grew up in Northern California and graduated from Laguna Creek High School.
“I’ve been with SRP (known locally as Solaray) for 22 years this month. I am blessed that being close by affords me the opportunity to be involved with my boys at the level it has. Right now, I am just soaking up and taking in all the moments I can with Coop before he sets out on his journey to adulthood. It’s true what they say – it goes by way faster than you think,” said Krissy.
