HSS Honors Community Partners at Celebration Banquet
Over the years, our annual celebration event has evolved from a dinner with clients, families and staff to this year’s full banquet and program at The Falls Reception & Conference Center in Columbia.
We were honored to host a crowd of more than 250 people on Oct. 17, 2018 as we celebrated our clients, staff and community supporters, and recognize some of our most devoted community partners, volunteers and sponsors.
Guests dined together on a delicious meal of fried chicken before watching an evening of videos, short speeches and presentations celebrating the dedication of five local community partners, the 2019 Shine Your Light Gala chairs and the HSS volunteer of the year.
HSS client Jeremy took part presenting the award to Cafe on the Abbey, a community partner that employs three clients through the community supported employment program. Danny Bell, co-owner and executive chef said, “the opportunity needs to be put in place where people with any disabilities, mentally or physically, can be given the opportunity to work. Everybody deserves a chance to work and be part of society.”
HSS Executive Director Anne Riley offered a heartfelt speech before presenting the award to Monroe-Randolph Regional Superintendent of Schools Kelton Davis. Riley acknowledged Davis as a champion for the HSS Building Futures programs that is funded by the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities.
Davis stated, “One of the most important lessons learned is to remember that we are in the business of people and this is more important than any magic solution in a box that proposes to solve all the world’s problems.”
HSS client Mike Kuhlman was overjoyed to give an award to Scott Horner, athletic director, Columbia High School. Horner gave Coach Mike the opportunity to be an assistant football coach for Columbia High School this past season.
“We compete hard, we play hard but at the end of the day it’s got to be about more than football,” said Coach Horner.
Joe Koppeis, president of Admiral Parkway Inc., was honored with a Community Partner Award for his assistance in opening a second HSS location in Columbia. He believes, “A town that’s not growing is dying. And this is wonderful, strong growth.”
The final Community Partner Award went to Don Schrader, president of the Monroe County Fair Association. Schrader was instrumental in developing a relationship with HSS which led to a contract for HSS to provide clean up services during the 2019 Monroe County Fair.
Jan and Gary Crawford, co-chairs of the 2019 Shine Your Light Gala, led the charge in bringing the auction portion of the event online for the first time. The event raised more than $75,000 for HSS this year!
During the Gala and throughout the year, these two support the mission of HSS in many ways and give countless hours of their time.
At the Celebration Banquet, we also honor our Volunteer of the Year. This year, Lisa Hodge was our chosen honoree. Hodge coordinated the summer lunch program that served over 4,500 meals to community members, contributed decorations for the Shine Your Light Gala and continuously goes above and beyond for the mission of HSS.
On behalf of all staff and clients of HSS we’d like to give a big thank you to our sponsors.
Platinum Sponsors include First National Bank of Waterloo, Gateway Food Products, HSS Foundation, Monroe County Electric Co-Op, Timothy Maguire, Michael Muehlberg, St. Paul UCC-Columbia, Gary Schenkel and Diana Gerou.
Our Gold Sponsors were Jan & Gary Crawford, George Obernagel and Quality Collision.
Silver sponsors including Columbia Rotary, Monroe County Democrats, Waterloo Lodge No. 27 I.O.O.F. and the Doris Weber Family.
Bronze sponsors were Camp Wartburg, Chip and Patty Bieber, Harrisonville Telephone Company, House of Neighborly Service, Rug Buster LLC, Stonetree Fabrications, Inc., Wayne and Lisa Taake.
Client sponsors included Pat Baker, Christine Campo, Wayne and Kathleen Collmeyer, Columbia Gymnastics Association, Melanie Cornish, Stan and Linda Darter, the Dean Family, Margaret and Jerry DeBonis, Otto J. Faulbaum, Lawyer, Linda and Tim Gutknecht, Richard and Wendy Juenger, K&D Printing Inc., Stephen and JoAnn Krebel, Bonnie Kuergeleis and Steve Thom, Glen and Sherry Lutz, McDonald’s of Waterloo/Columbia, Mr. and Mrs. Lowell K Powell, Reliable Sanitation, Lewis P Schuchardt, Ed and Rita Schwager, State Bank of Waterloo and Darline Weihl.
Special thanks to generous donations from David Conrad, William Groennert, Kenneth Valentine Auto Body, Inc., Republic Times Group LLC, St. John’s UCC Women’s Fellowship, Linda Whelan and Lyle Wilson-The Wilson Family.
Thank you to everyone mentioned above and everyone who supports HSS throughout the year in ways big and small. It is humbling and gratifying to have the support of the communities we serve.