CHS Blog

Have you ever experienced a phase in your life when a genuine and intentional community felt out of reach, leaving you wishing for a way to transform your situation?

That is what CHS Alum Kayty Helgerson (class of 2010) experienced when she lived abroad in Chaing Mai, Thailand, where she and her husband, Colby, used their backgrounds in social work to assist in efforts against human trafficking. While her work was fulfilling and meaningful, she found herself longing for community in this new place. This experience taught her the importance of creating community and inspired her to build a life skills training program for victims of exploitation, using food as a medium for building relationships.

After returning to the United States, Kayty founded Gather Wholesome Gourmet, a catering service focused on gourmet offerings for special diets. As she transitioned from the kitchen to education, this evolved into a lifestyle platform called Gather Intentional Living & Everyday Hospitality (soon to be rebranded under her personal brand, Kayty Marie Helgerson).

This platform would give birth to a multitude of opportunities for her to take her message of hospitality further through social media, public speaking, a YouTube channel, being featured on numerous lifestyle media outlets. Kayty has interviewed over 100 experts in food, design, and relationships on her podcast Making Room by Gather, and her work has been featured on Good Morning America and numerous local news stations. Most recently, Kayty has appeared as a hospitality contributor on the 700 Club! Check it out here. Her next segment with them for the holidays can be viewed December 16th on Freeform network at 10:00 am est. so be sure to check that out!

When thinking about her time here at CHS, Kayty states, “To say that my time at CHS drastically changed the course of my life would be an understatement. An opportunity arose for me to attend CHS my junior year, and I attended through graduation and my only regret is that I didn't start sooner. The CHS community showed me a Christ-like community in a way I hadn't experienced before and needed especially in that phase of life. The community of faculty and parents called out, and made room for gifts and talents in me that propelled me into a new direction for my future after CHS. CHS showed me God's heart for community, and excellence also what it looks like to operate in calling. When I think about all that has happened through my graduation in 2010, I very clearly can attribute so many of the milestones to the way CHS launched me into the world.”

Currently, Kayty is navigating big dreams and opportunities in her career along with raising her sweet and energetic 2 year old son alongside her husband Colby. We are proud to see how far this Kingsmen has come and excited to see where she is headed! 

If you want to follow along on her journey, you can find her on these platforms:
Podcast: Making Room by Gather podcast
Instagram @gatherintentionalliving
Gatherintentionalliving.com

Kayty can be hired for public speaking on hospitality topics including food, design, and relationships, along with the loneliness epidemic and friendship in adulthood. Kayty also can be hired for corporate and private event planning and food styling workshops.