Members of the Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce gathered at the MaryLou Center in Truesdale on the evening of Jan. 31 for the chamber’s annual banquet and awards ceremony. 

The chamber recognized its volunteer of the year, emergency service person of the year, educator of the year, person of the year and business of the year. 

Nominees were named before the awards were distributed with the exception of the Allan Dreyer Award, which does not include nominees and is awarded to “a chamber member who has gone the extra mile to make the Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce a success and our community a better place to live,” according to the chamber. 

“Tonight we’re here to honor outstanding individuals and businesses in our community. The honorees were nominated by the community and then the chamber board evaluated, scored and voted to determine the winners, which was not an easy task,” said Truesdale Alderman Mike Thomas, who served as master of ceremonies for the evening. 

Volunteer of the Year

Truesdale Mayor Jerry Cannon was recognized as the chamber’s Volunteer of the Year for his efforts conducting a clothing drive for homeless veterans, work he has done for the past year as a teacher at Wentzville Middle School. 

“Jerry believes that while one person cannot do everything forever, teaching kids to serve can create future generations who care for those in need,” said Thomas. 

Cannon was quick to thank others for their help and donations with the clothing drive, especially the residents of Truesdale and his students. Through the drive they were able to collect over 8,000 pounds of clothing and personal care items. 

“It’s been a labor of love over the years to serve homeless veterans and to get so many different kids involved,” said Cannon. “I just like to say that I facilitate, I help lead them into what they should do, and they just follow along, and they just do such a great job every year.”

The other nominees for the award were Elaine Auch and 12th Judicial Circuit Associate Judge Katie Joyce. 

Emergency Service Person of the Year

Scott Taylor, school resource officer at Rebecca Boone Elementary School, was named the Emergency Service Person of the Year. Aside from his daily efforts with the Truesdale Police Department and Rebecca Boone, Taylor was also recognized for his work organizing the annual Shop with a Cop event in Warrenton. 

“Scott is at heart a genuine, caring person who’s been protecting our community for over 20 years,” said Thomas. 

Taylor has been serving as the student resource officer at Rebecca Boone since last fall and is also heavily involved with the Warren County Backstoppers along with the Knights of Columbus and the Holy Rosary School Board. 

He thanked God, his wife Katie Taylor and Truesdale Police Chief Casey Doyle after receiving the award. 

The other nominees for Emergency Service Person of the Year were Fire Marshal Scott Determan and Amy Leach, director at the Warren County Emergency Communications Center. 

Educator of the Year

Debbie Toebben of Black Hawk Middle School was recognized as the chamber’s Educator of the Year. 

“She’s known for going above and beyond to support staff and students, especially with technology. Debbie is not just a colleague but a friend of many, and her contributions make her stand out,” said Thomas. 

Toebben serves as the department chair of encore classes, and on the leadership and technology committees along with the superintendent’s advisory committee. Thomas also noted that she can often be found volunteering at sporting events, driving school buses or organizing the Big Red Boosters’ annual golf tournament. 

“I’m totally surprised, and very honored to support our district. As a graduate and someone that still works in our district, I support us 110%, thank you very much,” said Toebben. 

Other nominees included Holy Rosary Catholic School fourth grade teacher Amanda Muckerman, Rebecca Boone Elementary Assistant Principal Kathleen Carra, Black Hawk Middle School eighth grade teacher Meghan Blattel, Daniel Boone Elementary special education teacher Jacie Meador and Warrenton High School counselor Tonya McDaniel. 

Person of the Year

Jeremiah Koch was recognized as Person of the Year, for his efforts with his gym, K4 Fitness, and the Warrenton Athletic Resource Program. Last summer, Koch was riding his bike near Hermann when he was hit by a car and launched 22 feet from a bridge. He was found 13 hours later with significant injuries and has since made a complete recovery. 

His work with WAR involves providing area youths with the opportunities and resources they need to participate in sports, even when the families may not be able to afford it. 

“Jeremiah is indeed a remarkable individual. His dedication to a healthy lifestyle and his community has made him a stand up figure. During his recovery the love and respect he garnered from his community were evident,” said Thomas. 

Koch was quick to direct praise to the other members of the community who were able to help him following his accident saying it was a “community award.”

“The reason why I say that is I’ve had multiple individuals in here, in my gym, out of my gym, in my hapkido program, out of my hapkido program, and all that, it has allowed us to facilitate our businesses to a point to where we can actually start giving a ton back to the community,” said Koch. 

He also announced he will be able to add an additional 65 kids to the WAR program this year and joked that his accident was partly responsible. 

“I may have fell off a bridge, but I’m just kind of using it a little bit as some gas to go ahead and get some eyes on this thing, and this can be something very big and huge for our community,” said Koch. 

Joyce was also nominated for the award. 

Business of the Year

First State Community Bank was named as the chamber’s Business of the Year for their efforts in the community both through various charities and their own First Savers program, which teaches younger customers about the values of saving money. 

“One of First State Community Bank’s core values is service,” said Thomas. “Their mission is all about taking actions and showing their passion for helping others succeed.”

He went on to say that the bank works with a number of local charities and organizations including the Warren County Pathfinders, Turning Point Advocacy Services and the Wright City Food Pantry, among others. 

“The staff are dedicated to giving back to the community through various initiatives and helping clients achieve financial success,” said Thomas. 

Emily Wagster, of First State Community Bank in Warrenton, spoke about the business’ dedication to the community and thanked the chamber for their efforts. 

“We are very honored to receive the visitor of the year award, truly just a testament of the dedication of our work that the team has towards the community,” said Wagster. 

The other businesses nominated for the award were Goin’ Postal, Logipops, Therapeou Wellness and the City of Truesdale. 

Allan Dreyer Ambassador of the Year

Katie Joyce was named the Allan Dreyer Ambassador of the Year for her efforts as 12th Judicial Circuit Associate Judge as well as her volunteer efforts in the community. 

The ambassador of the year award is chosen by chamber members and there are no nominees. 

“This award is presented to the chamber member who exemplifies that spirit of dedication to the mission of the chamber through their time and actions,” said Thomas. 

He noted that Joyce was nominated in two other categories of awards that evening for her exceptional service to the community. 

“From a young age, this person fell in love with community service, first as an eager participant, then as a leader,” said Thomas. “Even as a leader, this person continues to work shoulder to shoulder with their peers, leading by example and not by words.” 

Joyce thanked the community and chamber members for the award. 

“The ability to serve this community has been wonderful my entire life,” said Joyce. “I am excited for the ways I continue to find to serve our community going forward.”