The Northwest Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce has presented CR Kersten with this year’s Community Service Award.
Kersten received the award at the chamber’s annual banquet and awards ceremony, held Nov. 4 at Pupillo’s Banquet and Event Center in High Ridge.
During the event, the chamber gave out two other awards recognizing those who have been working on behalf of residents and businesses around the Hwy. 30 corridor.
Cindy Hayes received the President’s Award, and the H.E.R.O.E.S. CARE group was presented with the Founders Award.
Community Service Award
Kersten, who lives in High Ridge, was presented the Community Service Award for his decades of service mentoring at-risk youth, chamber president Danny Tuggle said.
He said the award is given to recognize those who have provided outstanding volunteer public service to the High Ridge area.
Tuggle said chamber members felt Kersten was a wonderful choice because he has “been out in the community for the better part of his life, trying to be helpful.”
Kersten said before his retirement, he worked for 44 years as CEO of the St. Louis division of Adult and Teen Challenge, an organization that helps mold local men (18 and older) and offers them a fresh start by providing volunteer opportunities and other ways to become more involved.
“He would take young men under his wing and bring them to public events, having them assist the community and local organizations,” Tuggle said. “He is the type of person where, if we requested some help, if he could, he would do it.”
Tuggle said Kersten also spent a lot of time volunteering for the Rotary Club and at churches and schools.
“He assisted us for many years, and we felt he needed to be recognized for what he did,” Tuggle added.
“It was a great honor,” Kersten said of the award, while laughing about how it was unexpected.
As for working for Teen Challenge, he said, “It was a great experience. I loved it. All the different miracles we saw, and the lives that were changed … it was pretty cool.”
President’s Award
The chamber president selects the recipient of the President’s Award each year, honoring someone who “goes above and beyond the call of duty.”
Tuggle said he selected Hayes, who lives in High Ridge, for this year’s award because of her work with a number of organizations.
“Cindy is one-of-a-kind,” Tuggle said. “She has helped us for years. She always has been around for us and this community. Not only is she the director of the High Ridge branch of the Jefferson County Library, but she is active in many volunteer organizations. She is very interested in her community and is the type of person I can call when no one else is available.”
Founders Award
Tuggle said the chamber created the Founders Award as a way of recognizing volunteer organizations from the Hwy. 30 corridor that work to improve the area, and H.E.R.O.E.S. CARE fits that bill.
The group helps active-duty military members, veterans, firefighters, police officers and nonprofit organizations by providing financial assistance, as well as daily necessities. The H.E.R.O.E.S. CARE website notes that Jon Jerome began the organization in 2003 “when his young daughters wanted to send care packages to military members. Since then, they have provided more than $1 million in direct financial assistance and more than $150 million in donated products nationwide to our soldiers.”
“They wanted to do something for the soldiers that were deploying, and we stood out on High Ridge and asked people for help, and it grew from 13 care packages to what it is today,” according to the website.
“HEROES is a volunteer organization that receives a great deal of supplies and allows participants to arrive once a week for assistance. They are given items such as diapers, toys, shoes, clothing. These items are donated to H.E.R.O.E.S., with five or so truckloads coming in every week,” said Tuggle. “They have a large warehouse, and I’m impressed every time I walk in there.”
Service awards also were presented to Lindsey Winkler of the Jefferson County Library and Mark Grebe, advertising manager with the Leader.