Women of Impact awards to be presented at Celebrating Women event

Four women will receive the first-ever Leader Publications’ Women of Impact awards at the second annual Celebrating Women event set for Friday, March 28 – Kim Byerly of Imperial, Jackie Greer of Hillsboro, Janet Monsen of Pevely and Debbie Staufenbiel of Arnold.

The event will run from 6-10 p.m. at the Oak Valley Golf Course and Resort, 1230 Abbey Lane, in Pevely and will include an open bar, dinner, dessert and a night of fun. Tickets are still available and cost $40.

This year’s theme is Hollywood Glam, and attendees are invited to dress up and take a walk down a red carpet, where a photographer will be on hand to snap their photos.

Two games will be held, and winners could go home with four tickets to Silver Dollar City or a $20 gift card to Just Be Kind Café, plus a lunch box and T-shirt from the shop. 

Raffles, including a 50/50 raffle, will be included. Attendees may earn raffle tickets by bringing donations of tampons and sanitary pads to be donated to the Aunt Rose Project, which supports women in our community. Some of the raffle prizes include gift cards, gift boxes and a birthday ad to be published in the Leader.

Purchase tickets here.

Awards

The night also will include an award presentation to the Leader’s four Women of Impact. The awards recognize local women who have demonstrated dedication to community service, leaving a positive influence on their community. The awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the hardworking women who may not typically receive public recognition but whose contributions make a lasting difference behind the scenes.

Katelyn Mary Skaggs, the Leader’s digital marketing manager, said the Leader staff was excited to create the new award.

“We want to make this a community award. We asked the community to nominate the women in their lives who make a big difference but aren’t always recognized,” she said.

The Leader received 55 nominations, with nominations for more than 30 area women who have a connection to Jefferson County, Eureka and Wildwood.

“There are women who were nominated several times, and we loved to see that,” Skaggs said. “I was thrilled at all the nominees. I was also thrilled at the number of men who nominated women. I had a preconceived notion that we would have a lot of women nominating other women, and we did, but we also had a lot of husbands, sons and fathers nominating the women in their lives, and that warms my heart. They appreciate what the women in their lives are doing.” 

Skaggs said the nominations detailed the women’s occupations, community service work, how they have impacted the community and why they deserve to be nominated. The Leader created a selection committee to choose the winners from among all the nominees.

“They took on the very hard task of carefully combing through all the nominations to select four winners,” Skaggs said. “They wanted women from across the county who were diverse in age and background and work experience. They picked women who we thought were a good representation of the community.”

The four winners for this year’s 2025 Women of Impact awards will make up the selection committee that will choose the 2026 Women of Impact winners.

Event sponsors

The Leader would like to thank the following sponsors:

■ Title sponsor – Twin City Area Optimist Club

■ Dinner Sponsor – Precision Dental Care

■ Bar Sponsor – Comfort Cabinetry

■ Dessert Sponsor – Nothing Bundt Cakes

■ Award Sponsor – Axiom Design and Engraving

■ Impact Sponsor – NJ Infinity Links

■ Impact Sponsor – Mary Kay Cosmetics with Phyllis Neff

■ Impact Sponsor – Cosaglow Candle Co.

■ Champion Sponsor – Women Dems.

Donations for The Aunt Rose Project will be accepted at Celebrating Women event

By Kate Bequette

The Leader’s Celebrating Women event will be a time to recognize the exceptional women who make up this community. It also will offer attendees the chance to support women by donating an unopened box of tampons or sanitary pads to be donated to The Aunt Rose Project, a nonprofit group that helps local women in need.

Tickets, which cost $40, are still available for the Celebrating Women event, set for 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Oak Valley Golf Course and Resort, 1230 Abbey Lane, in Pevely.

The Aunt Rose Project, founded by Renee Gerlach of Hillsboro, works to help provide women with free tampons, pads and other period products, as well as menstrual education books. Gerlach said she decided to start the group after hearing that some high school girls were missing classes due to a lack of access to period supplies. She also learned there was a high demand for period products among other women in need. Gerlach works with a variety of groups, like the Jefferson County Foster Children’s Fund, Homeless Youth Initiative, Jefferson County Foster Closet and Hillsboro Schools, providing them with donations of period products to be distributed to students or clientele.

Katelyn Mary Skaggs, the Leader’s digital marketing manager, said the Leader is happy to raise awareness about The Aunt Rose Project and help out the organization.

“Last year, we supported the I Support the Girls organization at our first-ever Celebrating Women event, and it was such a success. We wanted this year to share the love and wealth with another organization that still serves the women within our community. We chose The Aunt Rose Project,” she said.

Feminine hygiene products are a necessity, and all the women The Aunt Rose Project supports are from Jefferson County and the surrounding area.

“Women are resilient, but sometimes there are roadblocks put in our way that we cannot control,” Skaggs said. “If we don’t have the proper products to help us care for ourselves during that time of month, it can be debilitating. Therefore, we are happy that groups like The Aunt Rose Project exist, and we want to continue to support their impactful work.”

For each unopened box of tampons or pads donated at the Celebrating Women event, attendees will receive a raffle ticket for the chance to win prizes, including Leader T-shirts, gift cards to local businesses, gift baskets and a birthday ad in the Leader.

Donating to The Aunt Rose Project at the Celebrating Women event is just one way to support the organization. Donations for The Aunt Rose Project also may be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Leader office, 503 N. Second St., in Festus. While the project accepts donations of period products, if people wish to give monetary donations to help buy period products, checks may be made to one of the local organizations The Aunt Rose group supplies and write in the memo “Aunt Rose Project.”

To learn more about donation locations for The Aunt Rose Project, visit the group’s Facebook page or call 636-942-4245.

Staufenbiel wins award for work to help the unhoused

By Teresa Inserra

Debbie Staufenbiel, 64, of Arnold, who helps people who are unhoused through her church’s New Hope Cares program, will be recognized with one of this year’s Women of Impact awards. She was nominated by eight of her friends from New Hope United Methodist Church of Arnold: Ruth Ann Newman, Donna Shell, Annette Sachs, Steve Rademacher, Glenna Phillips, Gerie Usher, Sue Thomure and Gary Hensley.

“Debbie has been the moving force in the creation of our church’s outreach, New Hope Cares, which provides resources for our community’s unhoused and needy,” said Shell, a fellow volunteer.

New Hope Cares, located in the church’s basement, 3921 Jeffco Blvd., provides food, clothing, showers and laundry for those in need. It is open from 1-3 p.m. on Mondays and from 9:30-11:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Without Debbie’s leadership, New Hope Cares would not exist,” Shell said. “She does all she can to keep it running smoothly, yet she wants no special recognition.

“Debbie coordinates the resources, organizes the supplies, trains the volunteers and helps determine policies to keep everyone safe.”

Staufenbiel said the church members have always tried to help those who need it. The church has offered a clothing closet for about 10 years, and in 2019, an outside organization started a drop-in center in the church’s basement to help people who are unhoused and those in need, but for the past year and a half it’s been run by the church.

She has partnered with many organizations to help those in need, including the Salvation Army James II Project, Fox C-6 School District, Head Start, Nurses for Newborns, Family of Christ Lutheran Church, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office’s crisis intervention, several area Catholic churches, St. John’s Lutheran Church and Connect Church and others.

Staufenbiel said she feels “proud but humbled” to have been selected one of the Women of Impact.

“I do not think I do more than any of the other people I interact with while volunteering,” she said. “The fact my colleagues felt (the award) was something I deserve means so much to me. I feel blessed I can do this.”

Steve Rademacher said Staufenbiel has focused a lot of energy on helping those experiencing homelessness.

“Debbie works tirelessly to improve our program, New Hope Cares,” he said. “She is constantly improving the clothing closet, processing and getting food ready for distribution and scheduling and training volunteers. In addition, she helps at the (Gateway) Food Pantry.

“Many of us (New Hope Cares) volunteer some time, but Debbie has made a full-time commitment.”

Sachs said Staufenbiel sends out a monthly needs list to keep the New Hope Cares pantry stocked with protein-rich foods and other items for those starting over.

“She understands some of the reasons for homelessness and helps those she can, making the clients feel visible and cared for … She is not judgmental and knows that most people needing assistance didn’t plan on being in the position they are in.”

Glenna Phillips said Staufenbiel teamed up with the nearby Salvation Army to get people signed up for showers, laundry, food, clothing and other help.

Newman said the world needs more “Debbies.”

“Homelessness is a problem in our community,” she said. “They need to know people care, that they are not alone. Maybe they need help finding their birth certificate. Maybe they need clean clothes and a shower to get ready for a job interview. Maybe they need to wash the few clothes they have. Maybe they need to come in from the hot weather and relax and get something to eat. Debbie has turned part of our lower level in our church into all of that.”

Staufenbiel was a teacher for the Mehlville School District and retired in 2014.

“After I retired, I thought I’d do something with kids, but this (helping people who are unhoused) has been on my heart,” she said. “We are looking to expand. We want to add another day on Fridays, but we just need a few more volunteers.”

If you would like to help New Hope Cares, contact the church at 636-464-5600, email churchoffice@newhopearnold.com or look for New Hope Cares on Facebook.

Staufenbiel said she wishes the program could do more and that there was a shelter in the area for people who are homeless.

She said New Hope Cares provides a place for people to come in for a few hours to sit in a chair; sleep a bit; have a hot meal and coffee; fill out paperwork; make some phone calls or have someone to talk to. She said each person who needs help has his or her unique situation. Some are mothers leaving domestic violence situations, and some are young adults whose parents have asked them to leave. Some are people who fell on hard times and lost their housing and their vehicles.

Staufenbiel and her husband, Eric, have two adult children – a daughter, Carly, and a son, Connor.

She said Connor struggled with addiction for several years and was homeless for a time, but is in recovery and has turned his life around.

“He’s been clean and sober for over two years and is working and involved in NA (Narcotics Anonymous). His life is great now, but going down that road, we saw such a need to help people who are struggling with addiction or are homeless.”

Pevely woman receives award for decades of volunteerism

By Teresa Inserra

Janet Monsen, who just turned 90, is one of the first four recipients of the Women of Impact Awards. The 90-year-old Pevely woman was nominated by her daughter, Dora Barren.

Monsen, who moved to Pevely around 1968, said she has been involved in a little bit of everything over the years, including campaigning for Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was president from 1953 to 1961.

She was a stay-at-home mother while raising her five children: Dora, Roger, Patty, Alice and Veronica. She served as a Girl Scout Brownie leader and an area cookie chairperson. She was president of the PTA at Herculaneum High School and a volunteer at Jefferson Memorial Hospital (now Mercy Hospital Jefferson) in Crystal City. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for more than 50 years and of the VFW auxiliary for more than 40 years.

“She’s made it her mission to sell the poppy flowers every year for the veterans,” Barren said. “She has been a strong supporter for our veterans.”

Monsen also was active with the former Herculaneum Assumption Catholic Church, where she served as a lector and helped with church dinners and fundraisers.

“She’s volunteered at nursing homes calling bingo,” Barren said. “She’s even dressed up and danced for their entertainment.”

Monsen served many years on the Pevely City Council.

“She still keeps up with the issues in the community and has been asked by other concerned people to speak to the council on their behalf,” Barren said.

For her 90th birthday party last month, Monsen asked guests to donate money to the Ozark Food Bank in Festus.

Monsen has been devoted to several causes over the years, Barren said.

“If you meet her out and about town, she may ask you if you have a copy of the U.S. Constitution,” Barren said. “This is her latest cause; she’s very passionate about her country and wants others to know the Constitution and make sure they vote.”

“I just thought it was a good idea,” Monsen added. “I found out I could order (the books). I ordered 500 and then 500 more a few years later. It cost me a lot of money, but it was worth it.”

Barren said her mother was also devoted to her family, which includes five children, 10 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren.

Monsen’s volunteerism has rubbed off on her family, Barren said.

“It has led me and others in my family to continue to volunteer and give our time and energy for many years to come to keep the legacy alive,” Barren said. “She’s been a woman who has impacted her church, her community, her family and friends.”

Monsen said she was surprised to learn she was named one of the Women of Impact award winners.

“I was just living my life, doing the things I do,” she said. “I didn’t expect any pat on the back for it.”

Monsen will receive her award at the Celebrating Women event scheduled for 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Oak Valley Golf Course and Resort, 1230 Abbey Lane, in Pevely.

Tickets are available and cost $40.

Greer honored for her work helping young women

By Goldie Lowe

Jackie Greer, 53, of Hillsboro will be honored with one of the four Leader Women of Impact Awards to be presented at the upcoming Celebrating Women event.

She is the owner and president of St. Louis Glass Works, a commercial and residential glass company in Hillsboro. She also owns and operates Grit and Grace Ranch, a horse ranch in the Hillsboro area that offers English and Western riding lessons for equestrians of all levels. In addition, she is president of GaitWay Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps girls build confidence and learn skills while interacting with horses.

Greer said she was happy to learn she had won one of the awards, which recognizes local women who have left a positive impact on their community.

“I was surprised. I am not a receiver, so it made me a little uncomfortable. I am more of a work-behind-the-scenes kind of person,” she said. “But, I 100 percent appreciate (the award). I’m very excited.”

She said she was touched to learn about the family and friends who nominated her for the award.

“That makes me feel really good,” she said.

Greer and the other winners recently met at the Leader office and got their photos taken.

“I really enjoyed meeting the other women; that was great,” she said.

Greer said she looks forward to attending the Celebrating Women event, to be held from 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Oak Valley Golf Course and Resort, 1230 Abbey Lane, in Pevely.

Tickets cost $40 and are still available.

Greer’s work

Greer started the Grit and Grace Ranch about six years ago.

“I was looking for something I could do for the community to enjoy. I wanted to give the gift of horses to people because I know how beneficial they can be. So we started a riding program where people can come and get horseback riding lessons.”

Greer said a teenager mentorship program evolved at the ranch, leading to the GaitWay group.

“We had girls who would come and help clients; groom and help take care of the horses; and give horse tours of the ranch in exchange for free lessons.”

Greer said she personally funded the program for five years, and then about a year ago, when she decided to form GaitWay Inc., the group began raising funds and got grants to help expand the program, helping more teenage girls free of charge.

“We were seeing how beneficial the program has been mentally, physically, emotionally for them and wanted to expand,” she said.

GaitWay has started a DreamMaker Program for girls aged 13-17, which teaches them essential life skills and values, such as a strong work ethic, responsibility, communication, teamwork, time management, leadership, kindness and respect, Greer said.

She said GaitWay teaches the skills and values through mentorship, equine programs and employment training.

Greer said GaitWay recently partnered with Melissa Spillman from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to create a new program for helping young women between the ages of 18-24 with career development services. The program coaches women on how to present themselves in a professional manner.

She said the program has provided networking events to help them practice getting out of their comfort zones to approach other people, introduce themselves and have conversations with professional women.

Greer said the program also is creating a business attire wardrobe so professional clothing can be provided to the women for job interviews. The group also meets monthly to ride horses and spend time having fun and practicing building interpersonal relationships.

She said the program also helps teach women about how to deal with anxiety and how to create boundaries with others.

“I believe that’s a very difficult thing for women in general to set boundaries and be OK sticking to them,” Greer said.

The five people who nominated Greer for the Women of Impact award said they were proud of the services she has provided these girls and women, helping them to improve their lives.

Greer was nominated by her son, Travis; a longtime friend, Alisha Werner; her cousin, Courtney Mertz; a friend’s mother, Valerie Politte; and a former employee, Jeana Valdez.

In his nomination, Travis said his mother and “GaitWay do incredible things for young women, and help them become strong and capable women, even if those skills aren’t taught or encouraged at home.”

Mertz said of her cousin, “Jackie is the most selfless and hardworking person I have ever met. There is nothing that is too big or too small of a job for Jackie. She is confident and kind, the exact type of person we need in this world.”

Valdez said Greer’s kindheartedness, her love for other people and desire to see others grow and succeed makes her unique. “She doesn’t just want herself to succeed. She wants the people around her to succeed, too.”

In addition to her work with GaitWay, Greer said she previously volunteered for Ride On St. Louis, a nonprofit organization with a therapeutic horse-riding program that services veterans, children and adults with health complications.

Greer and her husband, Travis, also have a daughter, Cassie Moser, and two grandchildren, Tristan and Lainey Moser.

Blue Owl owner to win Women of Impact award

By Teresa Inserra

Kim Byerly, co-owner of the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery, said she feels honored to have been selected to receive one of the Leader Women of Impact awards at the Celebrating Women Event set for next week.

“It’s really exciting,” she said.

Byerly, 47, and her husband, Dan, took over ownership of the business in August 2022 when her mother, Mary Hostetter, retired. The Byerlys also are assistant ministry leaders for Celebrate Recovery at Gracelife Chapel in Pevely.

Celebrate Recovery, which is offered in more than 35,000 locations worldwide, offers a 12-step, Christ-centered recovery program for those experiencing “hurts, habits and hangups,” such as alcohol or drug addiction and other addictions; anger, co-dependency; physical, sexual or emotional abuse; grief; anxiety and depression; and low self-worth.

Sarah Dix, who is also a part of the Celebrate Recovery ministry, nominated Kim Byerly for the award, which recognizes local women who are dedicated to community service.

“Kim tirelessly works to help women and men enter and walk through the steps of recovery,” Dix said. “The Blue Owl purposely seeks out and employs people who are just needing a hand to make the step into employment and out of the cycle of addictions and negative patterns.

“Kim is amazing. She has dedicated her whole life to work beyond herself and for others. She is one of a kind. The mission and vision of the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery is also amazing.”

Byerly said part of the Blue Owl’s mission is to be a beacon of hope and transformation, adding that the restaurant has a wall of photos of employees and their statements of recovery.

She said she joined Gracelife Chapel and its Celebrate Recovery program nine years ago at a time when she was working seven days a week and felt like her life was a mess, and since then, she has found a more peaceful life.

Byerly said Celebrate Recovery brings about 120 people to the church every Friday evening.

“She is an inspiration to so many,” Dix said. “She is a sponsor to at least 12 women in Celebrate Recovery. She teaches many more women than that each week in the step program of recovery and the weekly meetings of Celebrate Recovery. She helps by hiring women in ‘broken’ conditions and loves them enough to raise them up until they can raise themselves up.”

The Blue Owl

Hostetter opened the Blue Owl Restaurant and Bakery in Kimmswick 40 years ago this year, and while Byerly was in college, she started working in her mom’s business. Byerly said she initially had plans to work in the corporate world, but she never left the Blue Owl.

“I’ve worked there since 1997,” she said.

Byerly said she has about 75 employees, with 50-60 at the restaurant in Kimmswick and 15-25 at the Blue Owl Bakery in House Springs, depending on the season. The House Springs location opened in 2011.

“We outgrew Kimmswick, so I was looking for an off-site place, and that was already a doughnut shop, so it was sort of set up (for a bakery),” she said. “But since then, we’ve taken over the whole building, and we bake everything there. We do weddings, and we make desserts for some restaurants, and then we also ship our desserts all around the country and to Canada. So that’s the biggest thing we do there. We ship desserts.”

Byerly said the business partners with Goldbelly, an online marketplace for gourmet food and food gifts, to sell and ship the desserts.

“They handle all our marketing, and they handle the customers,” she said. “They have about 1,000 restaurants on their site, and a lot of them are famous chefs, and they work with us so well. They keep choosing us. They chose us for Valentine’s Day. We made a heart-shaped cake. So, we made like 100 of those to ship (the week of Valentine’s Day). At least 100, probably 200.”

She said the holidays are a busy time for the Blue Owl. It’s also busy during Strawberry and Apple Butter festivals in Kimmswick.

Byerly and her husband have six children and three grandchildren with one more on the way.

She said she’s looking forward to the Celebrating event, to be held from 6-10 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Oak Valley Golf Course and Resort, 1230 Abbey Lane, in Pevely. Tickets cost $40 and are still available.

“We have a table and our dresses, and we’re excited for a fun night,” Byerly said.