Heart Of The Community Awards

The recipients of the 2023 Citizens of the Year, Business of the Year, Business Person of the Year, Chamber Champion, Heart of Gold, Outstanding Public Service, Rotarian of the Year, Mason of the Year and Lion of the Year will be honored at the chamber’s annual banquet on Friday, April 26.

Citizens Of The Year

Rock Hill

Allison Aardsma and Leah Rush have been named Citizens of the Year in Rock Hill. The award celebrates the contributions of individuals who have made an exceptional impact within the community. 

The pair is receiving the award for their role in the Hudson Elementary School Playground Project — a project dedicated to creating a safe and inclusive play space for those in the community. 

As co-chairs of the project, Aardsma and Rush helped raise over $20,000 in funds, and worked with the Rock Hill Parks and Recreation Department to secure a $350,000 municipal grant toward the goal. 

Aardsma teaches part time at Webster Hills Preschool. She and her family have lived in Rock Hill for a decade and love being a part of the community. 

Rush and her family moved to Rock Hill in 2017. As a nonprofit professional of more than 25 years, Rush is currently a communications consultant for a variety of nonprofit journalism organizations.

Shrewsbury

Valerie Welch is Citizen of the Year in Shrewsbury. Building on a lifetime of community development, Welch encouraged her wife’s election to the Shrewsbury Board of Aldermen. Then, Welch became board president of the Kenrick Parke Condo Association, promoting community harmony among 226 homes.  

Welch plays trumpet in a jazz band called Fruit Jam. In 2022, she was inducted into the “Hall of Fame” with BandTogether — one of the country’s finest and largest LBGTQIA+ community concert bands with over 200 members. 

She annually honors veterans by playing trumpet in Taps Across America. Welch’s greatest joy is shamelessly promoting the business success and dreams of others — the chamber is her passion.

Webster Groves

Rev. David Denoon, pastor of First Congregational Church of Webster Groves United Church of Christ, has been named Citizen of the Year in Webster Groves.

At the heart of Denoon’s commitment to the gospel is a passion for social justice. His ministry has been characterized by connections with organizations and individuals seeking positive change. 

For many years, he led the planning of the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Webster Groves. He takes part in the Webster Groves Clergy Alliance, and is a founding member of the Alliance for Interracial Dignity.

Last year, Denoon and friend Gayle Bonds Jones persuaded the Webster Groves City Council to establish historic status for her residence, which had been the demonstration home (and the only completed construction) on Marvin Court, a 1956 subdivision conceived by developer Bennie Gordon Jr. and marketed to middle class Blacks.

Denoon and his wife and daughter live in the Tuxedo Park neighborhood.

Business Of The Year

The Webster Groves Garden Café is the Business of the Year.

Owners Mandy and Gary Schoenberger are both lifelong St. Louis residents. Both are musicians and frequently perform in and around the St. Louis area. 

The Schoenbergers opened the Garden Café seven years ago. Since then, the café has become more than they ever hoped. Located at 117 E. Lockwood Ave. in Webster Groves, the café not only draws local musicians, but those from across the country — and sometimes, even farther. With an offering of weekly concerts, the café has become a popular gathering place, drawing music lovers from the community and outside the area. 

In addition to running the café, Mandy Schoenberger works as a radiation therapist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital’s Siteman Cancer Center, and Gary Schoenberger is a retired science teacher. Between them, they have five children and two grandchildren.

Businessperson Of The Year

James Carlton of State Farm Insurance in Webster Groves is the Business Person of the Year. 

Carlton grew up in St. Louis, Wichita and Houston, then attended the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is an avid Tigers and St. Louis Blues fan, and he and his wife, Maggie, have two children.

Carlton has been serving the Webster Groves community and surrounding areas since 2011. He added that he shares the award of Business Person of the Year with team members Bob Sullivan, Barbara Rocchio, Mike Ross, Catherine Baumann, Stephanie Bachelder and Joan Baclawski. 

“I couldn’t have had picked another part of St. Louis to live and work in,” Carlton said. “We adore the charm of Webster Groves, and are honored to be selected Business Person of the Year.”

Carlton is past president of the Rotary Club of Webster Groves, and a current board member of the Webster Groves-Shrewsbury-Rock Hill and Brentwood Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber Champion

Tamera Clair has been named Chamber Champion for 2023.

A native of Kansas, Clair has called Webster Groves home for the past 26 years. She has worked in several different industries including oil and gas, corporate health care, and consulting. She is currently the membership director for the Webster Groves, Shrewsbury, Rock Hill and Brentwood Area Chamber of Commerce.

“I love working with our members, our executive director Jerry Rosen and our board of directors,” Claire said, noting she has a daughter who attends Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri.

“I enjoy being involved in my community, traveling, pet-sitting and gardening,” she added.

Heart Of Gold 

The Heart of Gold award goes to Patrick Murphy of Webster Groves.

Murphy worked in St. Louis radio and television for almost 50 years. Since 1981, Murphy has been known as the “Voice of Channel 9,” producing and narrating such programming as the popular “Living St. Louis” and the nationally distributed “A Time for Champions,” chronicling the Saint Louis University soccer dynasty of the 1960s and ’70s.

He has also worked locally on many of PBS’s national projects such as “The War” and “Facing the Mortgage Crisis,” an effort that was managed by The Nine Network.

Since retiring, Murphy has written and published four books on regional history. He’s also an artist, exhibiting his woodblock prints in local shows and galleries. 

Murphy is a former member of the Webster Arts Commission, and is the current president of Webster Arts and the organizing committee of the Old Webster Jazz and Blues Festival. He and his wife, Anne, are parishioners at Holy Redeemer.

Outstanding Public Service

Rock Hill Mayor Edward Mahan is receiving the award for Outstanding Public Service.

A lifelong resident of Rock Hill, Mayor Mahan started his service to the city as an alderman for Ward 2, a position he held for six years before being elected mayor in 2014. 

Under his leadership, Rock Hill has built a new city hall, police department and fire department and negotiated a successful collective bargaining agreement with the International Fire Fighters Association Local 2665. Additionally, several new businesses have opened in Rock Hill, and there have been continued improvements to the city’s parks and green space areas.

Mayor Mahan’s service also extends outside the city of Rock Hill. He is a member of the Municipal League of Metro St. Louis and currently serves on its board of directors. He is also an active part of his church, serving as one of the trustees and chair of the music committee. He is a board certified funeral director, as well as a human resource manager at Mercy Hospital.

Webster Groves Rotarian Of The Year

Inspired by his father, Robert S. Turner, who was an early member of the Rotary Club of Webster Groves, Steve Turner has been a member of the club for 16 years.

Turner said he enjoys the camaraderie shared by members and the club’s commitment to community, national and world projects. He especially enjoys working the annual Rotary Pancake Festival, which he has chaired several years. 

He also enjoys his committee work for student scholarships and international projects including the Youth Exchange and Shelter Box. Locally, Turner works with several club members planting trees and gardens during the annual Make a Difference Day. He is quick to lend a hand whenever and wherever needed.

Mason Of The Year 

Mike Martin has been named Mason of the Year for his dedication and contributions to the Webster Groves Lodge, where he has served in various leadership roles, assisted with community events and fostered a sense of fraternity among members. 

Additionally, he is a founding member of Fiat Lux Coffee Company, which raises funds for charities through coffee sales, demonstrating his commitment to philanthropy and making a positive impact beyond the Masonic community. 

Martin’s unwavering commitment to both the Webster Groves Lodge and charitable endeavors embodies the spirit of Masonry and makes him a deserving candidate for this prestigious honor.

Webster Groves Lion Of The Year

Sandy Halama is the Lion of the Year for the Webster Groves Lions Club. The award is based on the actions of a member who helped the club’s president be successful, and Halama was that person this year. 

Halama kept the club on track with the work that she did. The president had a family crisis that kept his attention at home, and Halama’s care and concern for the president helped him be able to take care of what he needed to at home, as well as tend to his club duties.  

She was also going through a family crisis, but it did not stop her efforts for the club. She gave the club all she had

The Lions credit Halama with the club having a successful year, and note that enough can’t be said about her perseverance and dedication.

Award bios provided by the Webster Groves-Shrewsbury-Rock Hill and Brentwood Area Chamber of Commerce.