The Ambassadors of Lake Saint Louis is a community service organization that truly cares about the City of Lake Saint Louis and its people. Our not-for-profit club is dedicated to promoting civic, cultural, and educational growth of our city; and we strive to make it a better place to live, work, and play. Membership is open to all individuals who want to see Lake Saint Louis prosper, want to learn more about our community, and want to stay in the mainstream of local happenings. The Ambassadors meet every Friday morning from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Community Association Clubhouse. Please join us for breakfast and a pertinent presentation on a topic of community interest. To support the club's activities, quarterly dues of $75 are received. The Ambassadors take part in numerous activities designed to provide support for community organizations and local charities. Many of these activities are described on other pages of our website. If you care about Lake Saint Louis, you need to be an Ambassador!
Most Recent Speakers
Max Calfo, Historian Our guest speaker for your November 1 meeting was our own members, Mr Max Calfo. Max has a true gift with teaching World History. He is very factual with a tone of humor to keep all involved and interested. Max is a great historian.
The End of the Roman Republic, History of the World Part 2. Augustus 27BC-14AD
The Roman Republic became the Roman Empire in 27 BC when Ceasar’s adopted son, best known as Augustus, became the ruler of Rome. Augustus established an autocratic form of government. It was a system of monarchy where the emperor held the power of life and made all the important decisions. He maintained an outward appearance of a republic while consolidating power in his own hands. The Senate granted Augustus a lifetime tenure as the Commander-in-Chief. Augustus was considered the “First Citizen” of Rome, establishing a regime knows as the Principate. He cultivated image though patronage of the arts and infrastructure projects, presenting himself as a leader who restored stability to Rome.
Jesus of Nazarene(4BC-30AD) was a Jewish preacher and religious leader who lived in the 1st. Century. Jesus was born in Bethlehem and was referred to Jesus of Nazarene because that is where he lived with his mother, Mary.
The Roman Empire generally viewed Jesus as a troublemaker who deserved his fate. However, Christians considered Jesus a martyr. In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine issued the edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity. Years later, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Romans were considered to be very wealthy and educated. They had running water and restrooms, but sanitation was limited and disease was prevalent. The water was used for many purposes, including public baths, latrines, fountains and for private household use.
The Colosseum was used for entertainment, mostly gladiator fights, for almost 400 years. The victims of these brutal games were mostly marginalized people or people that were look down upon by the upper class. An estimated half million people died in the Colosseum, along with one million animals.
Mohammed 570-632, Mohammed was very violent and murdered every man and child. Mohammed married a 6-year-old girl. Unexpectedly, Aisha’s apostle came to the girl and handed her over to him. It was authentically narrated in the Books of Hadith, on the authority of Aisha, “I use to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet and I had friends who use to play with me.” The marriage was consummated for the girl at the young age of 9.
In 1206, Genghis Khan united nomadic tribes in the Mongol heartland to establish the Mongol Empire. It became the largest continuous land empire in history. Genghis was declared the ruler of all the Mongols. As the empire grew it stretched from the Pacific Ocean to the Danube River to the Persian Gulf. After Genghis Khan died, the empire split due to the disputes over succession.
The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that connected in Asia, the Middle East and Europe from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. It was a major conduit for exchange of goods, ideas, religions and cultures between the East and West.
The Black Death was a pandemic of the bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid 1300’s. The Black Death killed more than 25 million people which was 2/3 ‘s of Europe’s population at that time. It had a profound impact on European society. It took 150 years for Europe to recover from that plague.
In 1453, the Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, ending that empire and marking the beginning of the Ottoman Empire’s domination of the region.
The end of the Middle Ages according to some historians was the fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Middle Ages.
Max will be back in Spring 2025 with Part III.
Jessica Davis, Assistant Director, SCC Workforce Development On October 25, 2024, the Lake St. Louis Ambassadors were honored to host Jessica Davis, Workforce Development Asst. Director as our Friday morning speaker.
Jessica gave us an overview of the roles of the Job Center. This agency provides the necessary skills and knowledge that the individual needs to obtain employment. This might include proper training, education and career counseling. At the business level, they support companies to find qualified employees, and maintain employed retention.
The success rate shows the effectiveness of this program.
Jessica gave an extensive overview of this program. Thank you Jessica.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Nick Guccione, Mayor of Wentzville, MO Wentzville Mayer, Nick Guccione was the speaker at the October 18, 2024 meeting of the Lake St. Louis Ambassadors.
Mayor Guccione has served as the mayor of Wentzville since 2012, making him the longest serving mayor in Wentzville’s history. Prior to being elected as the mayor of Wentzville, he served as an alderman and President of the Board of Aldermen for 5 years. Previous to that Mr. Guccione served as Director at Large on the board on St. Charles County Municipal League, liaison of Wentzville Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and a member of the Wentzville Planning and Zoning Commission.
In 2012 when Mr. Guccione was elected as the mayor of Wentzville, the population was 31,415. 2024 brags of a population of 48,343. Many reasons have caused the growth of Wentzville. Economic development has caused thousands of people to move to Wentzville. Rated as a fourth-class city in March 1972, the following decades brought steady growth in agriculture, small services and retail to Wentzville. In 1980, General Motors Corporation began construction of the largest, most modern auto assembly plant to Wentzville providing jobs to more than 6,000 people. Today Wentzville offers residents a rural feeling where most residents own their own homes. With the leadership of Mayor Guccione, Wentzville can brag about many things. Over his tenure, Mayor Guccione launched Power Engagement to facilitate improved customer service for the police department and added Axon Fleet to integrate technology giving officers 8 times more plate reads increasing safety for the community. The mayor has encouraged community development, welcomed 75 new businesses in Wentzville and economic development in progress.
Wentzville was recognized in 2023 for many different achievements. The city was deemed a National Top Performer by placing in the top 10% of all cities recognized with ETC’s Leading “ The Way Award”. They received the Top Workplace designation from the St. Louis Post Dispatch for the third time since 2019. The stormwater team received the Urban Conservation award.
Wentzville Park and Recreation has exceeded expectation. They currently have 6,968 active pass holders. 2,393 active passes were purchased in 2023. Firemen’s Park got a face-lift and has 4 new pickleball courts. It is all the rage.
Mayor Guccione is managing growth as he and his team supervise 20 capital improvement projects, begin construction of the new Public Works Facility and complete the Wastewater Treatment Plant. This community was included in hosting the MODOT regional “Improvement 1-70” public meeting, acquired over 160 acres of parkland and lowered personal property tax. Transportation projects started in 2023 will improve the Wentzville Parkway South and West Pearce Boulevard. The 2024 projects will improve the David Hoekel Parkway, Hwy Z at Interstate Drive and Wentzville Parkway S. The 2024 Project Design Plan will continue phase 3 of the David Hoekel Parkway, Hwy 61 outer road and Hwy Z widening.
Wentzville’s vision is welcoming community and as an innovational regional leader. They want exceptional service and a vibrant quality of life for residents and businesses. They want to provide long-term community value and responsible financial management. Wentzville is committed to economic prosperity through partnerships, development opportunities, and a versatile and skilled workforce. Wentzville is a safe and an engaged community. They provide industry leading services that enhance the quality of life for residents and businesses by creating customer experiences and responsible stewardship.
Mayor Guccione is and has been leading Wentzville to its current economic position.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Cindy Mense, CEO of Trailnet The Lake St. Louis Ambassadors were honored to have Cindy Mense from Trailnet as our presenter on October 11th.
Cindy is the Chief Executive Officer of Trailnet. She is Your local advocate for better biking, walking and transit. Trailnet's mission is to lead in fostering healthy, active and vibrant communities where walking, bicycling and the use of public transit are a way of life. “We uniquely occupy a place at the table to foster change at local, state, and federal levels making walking and biking better for everyone”.
Trailnet works within the St. Louis region and across the state to respond to the demand for improved walking and biking networks that attract and retain talent, strengthen our economy, and connect people to the places they love."
Trailnet is Located in Louderman Lofts, 317 N 11th St #302, St. Louis, MO 63101 Check them out here: https://trailnet.org/
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Jocelyn Evans and Lauren Sapenaro SCC Emergency Coordinators What do you do when things start hitting fans? Jocelyn Evans and Lauren Sapenaro can tell you—it’s their job to ruminate on such things. They double-teamed the Ambassadors this morning and advised us to think about the unthinkable: tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, outbreaks of disease…zombie apocalypses. It’s best to consider these things before they happen. And they will happen.
First, a little housekeeping. Jocelyn and Lauren work for the Department of Public Health on their emergency preparedness team and they coordinate with the Regional Emergency Management team to promote unified planning and coordination of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery before, during, and after a disaster.
Yes, government will help. The closer, the better. Local governments will help faster than the Federal government. That’s simple logistics. Closer yet, is YOU!
Think about these things in advance. Don’t wait until the fans spin to make plans. Where will I go? What do I need? What will I eat? Where is my hemorrhoid cream? Make a plan, Stan.
Luckily, these emergency coordinators have a three-step process to enable you survive until help comes. Create a plan: Be sure your plan includes both evacuation and staying in place. Also, be sure your loved ones know about your plan. Prepare a kit: Have food and water for at least three days. Don’t forget to include a NOAA radio, flashlight, first aid kit, prescription meds, cash. Also have a kit for you your car which should also include a sleeping bag. Listen for info: Have a radio with extra batteries. Hand crank radios are excellent. Sign up for text alerts. Although phone service might not be available, texting might still work.
Finally, everything has an expiration date: Plans, food, ointments. Make sure you keep these things up to date and renew them periodically.
PS: Even the best plans seem solid until they confront reality. To quote Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men, Gang aft agley”. Stay nimble, my friends.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Mandy Nolan and Gail Higginbotham, Family Advocacy and Community Training (F.A.C.T.)
On Sep 20th, Mandy Nolan and Gail Higginbotham visited and informed us of the FACT organization and what it does to support families and children with disabilities.
Mandy spent 20+ years in the banking industry where she excelled in management, training and strategic planning. She then changed careers to become an advocate, primarily to help a disabled family member. FACT was founded in 1987 by two parents who had children with disabilities. It started with a $2000 grant to provide educational advocacy for children on IEPs, and now is a $3M organization serving 6 counties and the City of St. Louis.
Everyone who works for FACT has a family member with a disability. They provide support to the family, not the child, which helps them identify barriers and solutions to get services that the family and the child need to improve outcomes in their life. To be eligible for these services, the individual must have a diagnosis of a suspected developmental disability or a suspected behavioral disability. If no diagnosis exists, FACT can also help families find out how to approach getting one. FACT provides advocates that support the family locate and take advantage of the services and organizations available for them. They also help the family locate the services they think they need.
Families can contact FACT’s office directly at 636-949-2425. Families are referred to FACT by other families, doctors, therapies, school personnel and State Agency personnel.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Randall Levesque, Levesque Estate Planning and Elder Care
Navigating the Complexities of Estate Planning and Elder Law: Insights from Randall Levesque
Estate planning and elder law can seem overwhelming, but understanding the basics can make a significant difference. Recently, attorney Randall Levesque shared his insights at an Ambassadors Club event, offering practical advice on these essential topics.
Levesque emphasized that the first step in estate planning is establishing a health care power of attorney. In Missouri, spouses or children do not automatically have the right to make health care decisions for a family member. A legally binding health care power of attorney is necessary. Similarly, financial decision-making can become problematic without a durable financial power of attorney, as accounts like 401(k)s may be frozen if someone becomes incapacitated.
Levesque also explained that a will is like a “letter to the judge,” expressing a person’s wishes. However, a will does not control all assets, particularly those governed by “Transfer on Death” (TOD) designations or placed in a revocable trust. A revocable trust helps manage assets and reduces complications, especially if assets are left out of the trust.
Advance directives or living wills are crucial in making end-of-life decisions clear, providing a “roadmap” for loved ones to follow. HIPAA waivers, particularly in blended families, ensure transparency in sharing medical information.
Planning for long-term care, especially in cases involving existing health conditions like Parkinson’s, often involves setting up irrevocable trusts. These can help individuals qualify for Medicaid while protecting family assets. For families with special needs beneficiaries, supplemental needs trusts safeguard inheritances without affecting government benefits.
Key takeaways from Levesque’s talk include the importance of regularly updating your estate plan, preparing for unexpected scenarios, keeping clear records, understanding beneficiary designations, and considering charitable giving.
In conclusion, Levesque’s insights underscore the need for a proactive, well-thought-out approach to estate planning and elder law, helping to protect loved ones and preserve legacies.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Dan Oberle, Lake St. Louis Board of Directors
On September 6, 2024, the LSL Ambassadors were honored to have Dan Oberle talk to us about Environmental Protection through our water sources.
Dan is a recognized leader and resident of LSL spanning 30 years. He has a degree in Biology and minor in Chemistry and has a long career in environmental and small business consulting.
In 1999 he joined Webster University as adjunct professor where he developed and taught graduate level environmental management, emphasizing the critical role of technical communications. Now in business with his wife, Liz, they provide entrepreneurial business consulting, and strategic communication for communities, associations, and commercial industries.
In 2014 Dan founded the Lake St. Louis Homeowners for Responsible Sewer Renovation (LSLHRSR) to reverse a misguided, PWSD, under-lake sewer decommissioning agenda. The key threat was loss of gravity sewers in favor of 30+ lift stations right on the lakes, which threatened 700 acres of private lakes, unwarranted capital spending, and Millions in homeowner property value erosion.
The LSLHRSR community actions resulted in restructuring of the utility’s leadership, engineering, and master plan, and restored proper electoral oversight on the Board of Directors through proper elections. We saved PWSD2 rate payers a reported $100M. All of this accomplished over a 7 year window of time
Dan’s enthusiasm applying his knowledge came through with his presentation. It is because of his concern for our water protection that he is referred to as Mr. Lake St. Louis! We are blessed to have citizens like Dan in our community. Thank you Dan Oberle.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Andy Tuerck, Area Engineer, St Charles County
At the August 24, 2024, meeting of the Lake St Louis Ambassadors, Mr Andrew Tuerck, area engineer gave an update on the St Charles County Construction projects, 2024-2025.
The “Improve I-70 Project 2 Overview” Warrenton to Wentzville was his topic. Warrenton, Wright City, Foristell and Wentzville were the focus of his presentation. Part of the project is to widen I-70 Warrenton to Wentzville. The project includes the interchange and outer road improvements in Wright City, the bridge over I-70 to be replaced in Foristell, Wentzville will have I-70 realignment of the railroad bridge and interchange improvements at I-70/I-64/Route 61. I-64 will be widened making 3 lanes eastbound and westbound I-64, between I-70 and Route K.
This aggressive timeline of MoDOT is scheduled to be completed by 2028! MoDOT had issued a Request for Proposal in July 2024 to three pre-qualified teams. The department will submit the winning contract to one of the three companies in the Fall of 2024. Construction is to start in the spring of 2025.
March 22, 1913, the Missouri Legislature created the Missouri Highway Department. Immediately, the construction began across the state to link adjoining county seats with paved and maintained roadways. The intent was to “Get Missouri out of the Mud”.
In Missouri, there are 4,800 miles of railroad tracks, 1,379 miles of interstate, 125 public-use airports and 15 public ports. The “Show me State” will retain its position as the “Crossroads of the United States”. MoDOT will lead the nation in innovation, efficiency and customer service.
Ladies and Gentlemen, MoDOT is planning for the future and our tax dollars are at work!
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Dan Keen, Director, SCC Department of Corrections
Daniel Keen, Director of St Charles County Department of Corrections spoke at the July 26 meeting of the Lake St Louis Ambassadors. His expertise is improving correctional facilities operations by implementing new programs, policies and professional development of the staff.
Dan came to the SCCDOC with over 23 years of corrections experience in Pennsylvania serving in many correctional capacities. Mr Keen recently was appointed as the co-chairman of Standards & Training Committee for the Missouri Sheriff’s Association. In 2015, he received the Thomas A Fulcomer President’s award for individuals that go above and beyond with character, service and commitment to corrections. Dan Keen carries out the vision of SCCDOC to achieve excellence all areas of correctional practices, offering evidence-based programs, rehabilitation strategies and ensure the department is equipped with resources aimed at improving community safety to move the corrections department forward.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Pastors Krumsieg, Agovino McFarland, Jubilee Church
On July 19th Jubilee Church ministries visited the LSL Ambassadors and described their activities in North St Louis. They are dedicated to bringing treatment, hope, purpose, and restoration to the homeless, mentally ill, addicted, and unemployable men and women of North St Louis. Pastor Andy was born in North St Louis, but moved to Iowa, Philadelphia, then to Cabrini Green in South Chicago, before returning to St Louis in 1998. He has two retired volunteers’ leaders assisting him to lead this effort; Steve, a retired CEO of a manufacturing company, and Frank, a retired patent attorney. They have planned a model community centered on a large church, Jubilee Community Church, which is led by Dr Bryan Moore. Jubilee Ministries has recovery houses for recovering addicts, served by a clinic and partners who provide personal development training for skills and accountability and employment so that people can grow into contributing members of the North St Louis community. A wellness center is also on site, located in Eliot School, which was recently purchased from St Louis School District. For more information or to provide support see jubileeministriesstlouis.com.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Kyle Watson, Adam Dunston, Brody Allen Exteriors
Kyle and his trusty sidekick, Adam Dunston, were at the Ambassador meeting on July 12th and they talked about roofing and storm restoration. As you might imagine, they’ve been quite busy this year, so they were happy to get out of the sun and eat some breakfast.
Have you ever heard of Brody Allen? They are a local roofing and storm restoration company headquartered in the Lake St. Louis area and I’ve noticed their yard signs sprouting in the front yards of many damaged roofs like mushrooms after a summer rain. Unlike many of the other “fly by night” contractors, they don’t follow storms from state to state. They are anchored here. They live here. They raise their families here.
They must be doing something right. In 2021 they had $300k in sales. In 2023 they had $8.4MM in sales and are projected to have $17MM in sales in 2024. This growth does not happen by accident, but is a result of their corporate culture and their values: B-R-O-D-Y. I won’t spoil the whole thing for you, but words like Reliability and Discipline are included. They are even willing to work on (gasp!) sloped roofs.
Kyle stressed changes in the insurance industry since hurricane Katrina. Many got insurance money and simply left. The goal is to make you “whole” not to make you money. Contractors, nowadays, work with insurance companies and both are accountable to each other for “work done”.
As it should be.
Hey, if you need a new roof or some grooming for your show pony, contact: https://brodyallenexteriors.com/ —————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Louis and Charles Wray, Vine Wealth Management
Vine presented information on the current trends in the market. They used S&P 500 data as it is the best representation of market trends and better identifies current status and future trends.
Top sectors in terms of earnings are all growth leaning stocks. These are communications, consumer discretionary and tech stocks.
Business is growing some momentum, but consumer spending is slowing. Growth stocks have high valuations now and are a hard buy, tech stocks may slow, then value stocks could become attractive to buyers.
Normally the S&P 500 is used as a guide to broad market data and when buying its index, one thinks of getting a good representative mix of stocks. However, the Large cap stocks have so dominated that it is not really as representative as once thought. Now you must be aware that you are probably only buying based on 7-10 stocks, and one therefore has to be more alert to this and more careful.
Other things to be aware of are that the tax laws have drastic changes coming in 2025 and that the Estate tax will be changed considerably. The estate value which is taxable changes from 13.1 million to 5.6 million in 2026. This includes all assets including home, 401k and life insurance. Louis left our new graduate guests with an important message about 401k savings plans. He pointed out that one should start contributing to such a plan as soon as one is employed. He showed the potential growth one could expect over just a 20 year period, pointing out that one certainly would not want to miss such an opportunity.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the LSL Community Association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Max Calfo, Historian
Max Calfo is a resident of Lake St Louis and a member of the Lake St Louis Ambassadors. Max graduated from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut with an undergraduate degree in history and a graduate degree in teaching.
Max was born in New York City and daily saw the Twin Towers that were destroyed in the attack on September 11, 2002.
Between college and graduate school, he worked for Jim Jordon of Ohio, now a U.S. Congressman.
Max has taught history in grades 6, 11 and 12. His tenure includes schools in New Jersey, Connecticut and Wentzville, Mo.
Max received 800 out of 800 on the SAT on both world history and US history and was a national champion in the Academic World Quest competition on knowledge of historical and world affairs.
Just ask Max to give you one thing that happened every year from 1800 to 2024. He can do it! When I ask how it was possible to remember so many facts in history, he commented “I have a picture in my head of every fact I know and know the turning points of history and how it has affected our lives today."
Max is running for the Missouri State House of Representatives. —————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the LSL Community Association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Bridget Lolli, Dir. Health and Wellness, Columbia Public Schools
Ms. Lolli visited the Ambassadors this Friday to tell us about the connection between health, learning and achievement for the kiddos in our schools. As the Director of Health and Wellness, she knows that kids need to have their basic needs met before any learning can happen.
Maybe, you know about Maslow’s hierarchy of need: from scratching a basic existence of food, water, shelter at the bottom, to living your best life at the top. Bridget also introduced us to Bloom’s taxonomy. These are the goals of learning—from simple remembering, to applying, analyzing and creating. Nothing in the Bloom hierarchy can happen if you’re hungry, tired or cold. OK, here’s the adage: You need to Maslow before you can Bloom. Catchy, huh?
Bridge (yep, you can call her Bridge) emphasized seventy-three important items impeding student learning. Boiled down to the top four are these:
Nutrition—12% of kids don’t get proper nutrition. This is related to poor attendance and poor grades. Health—Mostly due to sleep, vision and dental. 73% of H.S. students don’t get enough sleep. Physical—25% of kids don’t get enough exercise. Here’s an important quote: “Hey! Go outside and play—(Mom).” Behavioral—20% of kids have behavioral problems (97.2% of 3 yr. olds—ed.). The effects of our response to COVID, pressures of sports, influence of social media and drugs are hurting our kids. BOLO.
Also, staff wellness is important. Teacher well-being has a downstream effect on our lovely cherubs. Many teachers suffer from burnout and depression which causes many of our most experienced and effective teachers to leave the profession early. What to do?
Ms. Lolli advocates for a Whole Community approach. This includes not only the bottom-line nutritional, physical and emotional needs of kids, but also to get the community involved in the success of our children and the support of our teachers.. She challenged various local groups, including the LSL Ambassadors, to get more involved in the success of the next generation.
Let’s do that!
Bridget Lolli is a passionate advocate for the next generation. For this we should all be glad.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Josh Rivers and Lori Gale of the Environmental Compliance Division, SCCMO
Josh and Lori visited LSL Ambassadors. to provide information about their role in St Charles County Government. Josh Rivers is the Program Coordinator for the Development Review Division of St. Charles County Government.
Josh has a degree in Environmental Biology from Lindenwood University and has been with the County for almost 4 years. Josh leads the Neighborhood Improvement District program, Emergency Sewer Repair program, and the County’s Stormwater Program. These deal with older developed neighborhoods. He primarily Informs and educates the public about these programs, identifying which areas can apply for funding to help residents pay for repairs, establish NIDs to add utility improvements and to control Stormwater runoff.
Lori Gale is the Environmental Compliance Inspector for St. Charles County. She previously worked with MoDNR where she worked in water pollution, later adding wastewater, stormwater and drinking water to her expertise. Now, she works for St. Charles County as the Environmental Compliance Inspector. She spends her time helping the community by investigating stormwater concerns and educating the public and businesses on how stormwater pollution happens and what can be done to reduce it.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the LSL Community Association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
David Schimweg, Community Service Coordinator for Aging Ahead
When Mr. Schimweg came to speak to us, many (ok…just me) figured he would talk exclusively about Meals on Wheels. Yup, Aging Ahead does MOW…but they do a bunch more. Under the auspices of the Older Adult Americans Act, Aging Ahead serves the codger community in a myriad of ways.
They operate and manage Senior Centers near you. These centers give people the opportunity to get out of the house and connect/reconnect with friends. Yes, you can play Bingo…and dominoes. They also have line dancing, exercise classes, crafts, three-card monte and parasailing. Ok, some of those are untrue.
The primary goal of Aging Ahead is the delivery of nutritional services. The biggest part of this program is lunch. They serve hot lunches at their Senior Centers daily and deliver hot meals to the homes of those who can’t get out and about. Let’s be honest: Bloody Mary’s and canned sardines are not conducive to long-term nutritional health.
Clearly, David is devoted to serving the senior community. Some of his favorite programs are:
Family caregiver support program—assists with caregiver burnout and the stress of dealing with 24/7 responsibilities.
Respite program—can vary from adult day care to in-house respite to allow caregivers time to breathe, read, or pursue basement woodworking projects.
Transportation services—limited, based on availability.
Medical supplies—nutritional supplements, incontinence supplies, durable medical equipment.
Legal services—trusts, living wills, medical directives.
Senior information helpline—they receive 35k calls per year.
Aging ahead is always seeking to improve and innovate. They currently have a test program for Adult Protective Services which guards against elder abuse, but also assists with hoarding and infestation.
Yikes…so much more: Medicare bootcamps, friendly callers, financial advisors, *help with opening jars (*maybe).
Nearly all of their services have no income limits and are available to all seniors.
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the LSL Community Association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Ryan Tilley, SCC Director of Environmental Health
As the Director of Environmental Health, Ryan has a lot of sticks in the fire. His division not only inspects all food establishments (including food trucks) they also monitor tanning salons, tattoo parlors, childcare centers, and pools. Ryan’s division also runs the recycling centers and the mosquito control program. They oversee air quality and the countywide smoking ban in enclosed establishments. Ryan also personally reads all letters to Santa.
This day, Director Tilley spoke primarily on the food inspection program for restaurants in St. Charles County. Right after breakfast, he showed us several nasty pictures of dirty food prep areas: dirty knives, grease-coated equipment, and pest breeding grounds. Nice. As a father of three, Ryan is unfazed by unsanitary conditions.
His staff of six perform around 2,500 inspections per year and rank each facility on a 100-point scale. All of these inspections are available online. In fact, every restaurant has a sticker with a QR code on the window or door which links to the inspection reports. Maybe you want to know…maybe, you don’t.
The CDC reports that there are 48 million cases of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. each year. Thanks to Ryan Tilley and his staff for keeping these numbers to a minimum in St. Charles County. See more here: https://www.sccmo.org/760/Environmental-Division
—————-- We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast, listen to great guest speakers and learn new stuff.
Kendall Ponder, Voice of the Martyrs
Right in the middle of Missouri is a town of 300 hundred families called Iberia. Kendall’s passion is working for an organization called Voice of the Martyrs.
He shared a few stories about religious prisoners from all over the world. It was very touching - and makes you appreciate living in the best and freest country in the world - the U.S.A
He gave us maps and ideas on how we can help. The website for Voice of the Martyrs is https://www.persecution.com. I encourage you to check it out and sign up for their free magazine.
Kendall worked for Emerson Electric in St. Louis for 3 years. He served in the Army Rangers for 4 years. He taught High School Math and Physics for 20 years in Missouri. He currently lives in Lake St. Louis and works from home as a Computer Programmer. He has 3 step-daughters and 10 grandkids.
Kendall is a good man doing good work. He gave an excellent presentation spreading the word on how we can help the Voice of the Martyrs! —————— We encourage you to visit us, Ambassadors of Lake St. Louis, any Friday morning at 7:00 at the community association to have breakfast and listen to great guest speakers, Like Kendall Ponder.
Ms Ann Dorn IPTM-Institute of Police Technology
On April 5, 2024 Ms. Ann Dorn was the speaker for the Lake St. Louis Ambassadors Association. Ann is a retired sergeant from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Her husband David Dorn, a retired police office captain with the St. Louis Metropolitan Department and retired chief of Moline Acres police department was murdered on June 2, 2020 during the BLM riots in St. Louis, Mo. Ann is an avid supporter of law enforcement and remains active in teaching field training officers, management and officer wellness. Ann’s strength of human spirit helps her to support the question, “Who takes care of those who take care of us”. Ann’s mission is to help the less fortunate and to inform the public about first responders and to make it known what a tremendous, sometimes thankless job that they do every day. During her service she received 2 awards of excellence and 2 chief’s letters of commendation. Ann was a member of the major case squad and regularly worded with the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. Ms Dorn remains an advocate for Offer Wellness, first responders, survivors and their families. She is a passionate public speaker. Ann is an ambassador for “We Back Blue”. She currently hosts “Hidden Heros with Ann Dorn” every Sunday at 8PM on Real Talk Radio Network.
Pastor Andrew Floyd, First Baptist, LSL Pastor Keith Spaugh, Chapel of the Lake Msgr. Ted L. Wojcicki, Pastor, Immaculate Conception Parish Pastor Steve Cauley, Living Lord Lutheran Four local Pastors came by the Ambassadors on Good Friday to participate in our traditional Ambassador Good Friday program. The theme was: The Meaning of Good Friday. This annual tradition was started many years ago by Ambassador Emeritus George Humphries who wondered, “Why do we call it good?” Why is Good Friday good? It is, after all, a remembrance of the excruciating death of Jesus. A truly innocent man who was put to death on a cross, while others mocked and scoffed Him. In many ways the cross has been domesticated. It’s so ubiquitous that we sometimes forget about its meaning, which is the sacrifice and the remission of sins for all who believe and confess. The only reason that Good Friday is good is because Sunday is coming. Without the resurrection, it would all be meaningless. But, it had to be done. It was all prophesied well in advance. The work that Jesus had come to do had been completed. Tetelestai. It is finished.
Steve Ehlmann, Saint Charles County Executive Saint Charles County Executive, Steve Ehlmann, spoke to the Ambassadors on March 22nd to give his annual Report to the Community. Mr. Ehlmann was also joined by Lake St. Louis Mayor, Jason Law, and Lake St. Louis City Administrator, George Ertle.
Mr. Ehlmann, who is in his fifth and final term as County Executive, began his talk with a discussion of Proposition K, which is on the ballot April 2nd. He stressed that this is not a tax increase, but merely continues the 0.25% sales tax which was first approved in 1991. It’s not about growing government…it’s about continuing existing services for a growing number of residents.
These existing services include such things as: police, crime lab, vehicles, emergency communications, emergency operations center, County courthouse, jails, judges, parks and even a pet adoption center. Stuff we all want and need.
A few other topics that Mr. Ehlmann addressed were:
Wentzville bottleneck: Congestion, convergence and curves have been a growing problem on I-70 for years. The improvement project has been delayed a bit due to the MO Legislature approving an additional 3rd lane on I-70 from St. Louis to Kansas City. Reasonable people agree that it is best to coordinate these efforts. Improvements are expected to begin in Spring 2025.
Employment and job growth: SCC unemployment is 2.3%, whereas the state average is 4.2%. SCC has experienced a 10% increase in population over the past 10 years and a 23% increase in job growth. Our population and job growth lead the region—that’s good news.
Crime: After peaking in 2020, vehicle thefts are down 50% due partly to the multi-agency crime interdiction task force and to the diligence of police, prosecutors, and the penal system. Keep your doors locked!
Quality of life: Housing prices are up, student test scores are strong, we have a very vigorous park system…and all our children are above average.
We are fortunate to live in St. Charles County, Missouri. Thank you Mr. Ehlmann and God Speed to you in your future endeavors.
Jason Law, Mayor of Lake St. Louis Jason Law, Mayor of Lake St Louis was our speaker at our March 15 meeting.
Mr Law earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Columbia College and his MBA from Lindenwood University. Jason started his career with the St Louis County Police Department in 1998. Jason and his family moved into Lake St Louis in November 2008.
Before being elected as the Mayor of Lake St Louis, he served as Alderman of Ward 3, 2014-2021.
Mayor Law ran his campaign for Mayor on: -Keeping taxes low -Growing business in Lake St Louis -Keeping the city safe
Jason truly believed that these three promises would push Lake St Louis to be: -Business friendly -Fight unnecessary tax increases -Support the police department
To date, Mr. Law in increased the police department by 30% and in 2021, he reduced crime by 50%. Mr. Law plans to run for the position of St Charles County Executive in the next election.
Jason said he has been extremely blessed to serve the City of Lake St Louis and proud to be responsible for preserving our city for future generations.
Mr Jason Law gives credit to the City Administrator of Lake St Louis, George Ertle. George graduated from the University of Kansas with a master’s in public administration. He has a very impressive employment history from 2006 to his current position as the City Administrator of Lake St Louis. The past City Administrator, Paul Markworth commented on his departure that George Ertle understands the complex relationships that occur daily in the city administration office and that George’s experience with communities would serve him well as our City Administration.
Thanks to Mayor Law and Mr. Ertle!
Doug Bouldin, DB2 Regeneration Clinic Doug Bouldin visited the Ambassadors this day to tell us how we can live longer, healthier, and better lives. This is not just “eat some vegetables” and do “some sit-ups”, although diet and exercise are important and part of the comprehensive and personalized plan.
As one of the founding providers of the Ozzie Smith IMAC Regeneration Center in St Louis, Doug helped refine Regenerative Therapies and techniques for delivering (Platelet Rich Plasma) PRP and Cellular Components to joints and soft tissue locations in the human body.
DB2 separates themselves from most corporate providers in that they don’t determine your proper course of treatment based on what insurance you have or what the insurance executives deem you are eligible for. Insurance reimbursement drives most care and introduces bias into treatments. DB2 seeks to develop personal relationships and develop individual plans.
DB2 understands that us humans tend to wear out as we get into our dotage and that many of the corporate health models don’t always address the root causes. Corporate medicine often merely treats the symptoms with pharmaceuticals (sick model). DB2 strives to create a Customized Plan of Care based on a health model.
Regenerative medicine (PRP), Hormone Optimization, Chiropractic Care and Rehab, IV Therapy and Weight Management are among DB2’s core competencies.
If you’re of a certain age, you might notice that things hurt—especially if you’ve had an injury. Joints don’t heal as fast as other parts of yourself because they don’t have as much vascular tissue. Doug explained that DB2 can inject blood stuff (Platelet Rich Plasma—PRP) into your joints which can create regenerative results. Like that shoulder thing that hurts… forever. Think about it.
One other thing is true: additional weight puts additional stress on joints. Don’t do that. DB2 can help. See them at: https://www.db2regeneration.com/
Rachael Meara, SCC Park Ranger At the Lake St. Louis Ambassador meeting, we had the honor of having Park Ranger Rachael Meara from the St. Charles County Parks Department.
Rachael gave us an overview of the many parks and their points of interest in St. Charles county. Her duties as a park ranger is to enforce the rules. With close to 100 parks to maintain, she is quite busy. It encompasses a range of cleaning up litter to leading programs.
The Boys and Girl Scouts utilize our parks and programs along with campers and those who just want to launch their boats at the ramps. There are many hiking trails and now the Blue Way water trail. Along with the trails, you might find rentals of kayaks, canoes, paddleboats and tandems.
I cannot leave out the beautiful nature that you will find in St. Charles County. One more thing, the park department also has a book club; nature related of course.
Thank you Rachael for bringing us this information. I am ready to hit the trails!
Rob Schaff, Superintendent, LSL CA Golf Course Rob spoke to the Ambassadors on February 9th to give us the skinny on the LSL CA golf course. He’s the new Superintendent who took over from Don Humphrey in August 2023. Schaff says the biggest challenge in his new job is golfers (HR: that’s a joke…kinda).
Rob comes to us from St. Albans Country Club where he was the Construction Superintendent. Previously, Rob spent 28 years as Superintendent at The Falls Golf Club in O’Fallon. Clearly, he knows what he’s doing and we’re lucky to have him.
One of the things Rob likes about his new position is that he’s given mostly a “free wheel” to do what he thinks best. Based on his experience, that seems smart. He knows all the stuff: cool season grass/warm season grass, mole control, moisture and percolation rates for greens, top dressing and thatch. Lots of golf course things.
Rob’s annual budget is around $250k to maintain 20 acres of golf course. Nearly all their work is accomplished “in-house”. Usually in the summer. That’s why he spoke to the Ambassadors in the winter…in the summer he’s way too busy.
Schaff is an avid golfer and was ranked 2nd in the state in High School. He’s played our course and says that it’s harder than it looks. That prompted a bunch of golf questions from all the golf people…”bunker on #5…more benches with shade…glow ball”. Rob had all the golf answers. Good for him.
Thanks Rob for all you do…and watch out for those golfers.
Mike McGuire, ComedySportz STL Mike and his consigliera Heidi spoke to the Ambassadors today about how to be a better person through comedy. Improvisation, to be precise. Mike and Heidi run ComedySportz St. Louis and they have weekly performances that include both regulars and audience members. They keep the thing over in Webster Groves, and you should check it out: https://www.cszstlouis.com/ It’s not exactly a performance; more like a battle royale between opposing teams.
Anyway, Mike uses the concepts of improvisation and integrates them into normal life. He uses these ideas to help businesses and salesmen. What ideas, you may ask? Well, be a better listener. When you’re on the improv stage, you must be actively listening to the other players so you can react appropriately. To be a better listener, you must be fully present and engaged in the situation.
Maybe you’re thinking, “yes, but….” You should be thinking, “yes and…” That’s the key to collaboration. It says that you’ve bought into the basic premise and you’re working to make it even better. Now you’re working together.
Mike walked the Ambassadors through a few exercises to help us to listen more actively, work collaboratively and not worry about mistakes. Fear (of mistakes, ridicule, and other things) hold us back. Be willing to laugh at or (at least) don’t fret about these inevitable small things. Yes, mostly small.
Mike finished his talk with a wee bit about gratitude. “What’s not wrong with your life?” For most of us, that list is pretty long. Be thankful for that.
I don’t know about you, but in my daily life I’m eager to be around (and buy from) people who are active listeners, who “buy in” to my ideas and are truly grateful. I think good salesmen know these things.
Mike left us with this thought: Life is an offer…you can accept it or reject it. What’s your choice?
Cathy Lenihan, Gateway Fiber Cathy Lenihan, Gateway Fiber salesperson for the local area fiber optic internet provider and a member of the Ambassadors, spoke recently of her role with Gateway, her career and background in Sales.
Cathy pointed out that she has always been in sales, she loves it because its about people, and people buy from her because she establishes a relationship with them.
Being in sales has meant she has had to move a lot! While she worked for Pacific Bell she moved 11 times in 5 years. She has lived in 6 states, 6 times in California, 3 times in Missouri, 5 times in Minnesota. Also, she has moved from Ca to Ct, to Mn, to CA, and then back to MO. You’d better be good at packing and unpacking, and willing to live out of a suitcase with your belongs stored in a warehouse.
Products she has represented include Internet, Yellow pages, cell phones, life and health insurance, annuities, fractional horsepower motors, Stouffers food plan and groceries and batteries. She has worked at small companies, say with 15 to 300 employees as well as Fortune 500 companies. She was recruited by Gannett to come to the STL area to sell internet. That didn’t last long and she moved to Spectrum where she was not happy. She moved to Gateway Fiber where she is currently quite content.
Their office is in Wright City and they focus primarily on rural areas, providing broadband services to St Charles, Jefferson, Warren, and Lincoln counties. They pursue government funding, grants, both state and federal, and sell commercial services to local businesses. Their website is www.gatewayfiber.com/. To find out about streaming internet or to discuss jobs in the sales field, Cathy is the one to ask!
Ben Brennecke, Operations Manager, BSA Eagle Scout, Ben Brennecke, spoke to the Ambassadors today and gave us the skinny on the current state of the Scouts. Ben is the Operations Manager for the Greater S. Louis Area Council, of the Boy Scouts of America and is among the top 5%. That’s the ratio of Scouts who eventually attain the rank of Eagle Scout. According to Mr. Brennecke’s bio, he is also Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. A Scout is trustworthy. A Scout tells the truth. He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can depend on him. A Scout is loyal. A Scout is true to his family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and nation. A Scout is helpful. A Scout cares about other people. He willingly volunteers to help others without expecting payment or reward. You get the idea. See all the others here: https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/content/scout_law-1760.asp Wouldn’t you want your friends to have these attributes? Here are some other things: Scouts are more likely than their peers to attain advanced degrees, earn more money, be in leadership positions, be kind to animals, and generally be productive and contributing human beings. They also love their Grandmas. Bottom line: You should be so lucky as to live next door to a Scout. This might be a Yiddish proverb. Scouts are divided into four main categories: Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Venturing and Explorers. Cubs are boys K through 5th grade and stress the good stuff: cooperation, citizenship, and responsibility. Boy Scouts (ages 11 to 17) step it up a bit and focus on high adventure, merit badges, service and leadership. Venturing (ages 14-17) is a co-ed group that is geared toward both high adventure and social interactions. Explorers (ages 14-21) focus on workforce development—especially police, firefighting, medical and increasingly STEM. Thanks to Ben Brennecke for helping to mold the next generation of humans. If you’re a parent or grandparent, consider encouraging your youngster to become a Scout. Find out more here: https://www.scouting.org/
Jeff Sandcork, Associate Circuit Judge
The speaker for our January 5, 2024 meeting of the Lake St Louis Ambassador’s was one of our own members, Jeffrey J. Sandcork, Associate Circuit Judge, Circuit 11, Division 9 St Charles County.
Judge. Sandcork was born in St Louis, Mo. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a BA in Political Science, J.D.. Jeffrey is a member of the Missouri Bar, St Charles County Bar Association, Bar Association of Metropolitan St Louis, Missouri Municipal Judge Association, Missouri Association of Probate & Associate Circuit Judges & Commission.
Prior to Jeffrey’s election to Associate Circuit Judge, he was in private law practice with Robert R. Sandcork, Attorney at Law, John J. Donnelly, Attorney at Law, with Vatterott, Shaffar & Dolan PC as a Managing Attorney of the Sandcork Law Firm, LLC.
Judge Sandcork is a former municipal prosecuting attorney for the City of Dardenne Prairie and municipal judge for several municipalities in the 11th and 17th circuits. Elected into office in 2022 as Associate Circuit Judge of St Charles County, he has been in office for one year. His term will expire December 31, 2026. Jeff is married and has 2 adult children.
When Jeff was asked what his future career goals are, he smiled and commented, “I am very happy where I am right now. I probably should have done this 10 years ago. I feel like I am where I need to be and I want just to do my job and be the best judge I can be.”
Amy Pryor and the Green Tree Choir
It's been a long standing tradition that the Green Tree Elementary Choir perform for the Ambassadors each Christmas season. This year was no different.
Amy Pryor, who has been teaching music in public schools for 26 years, has been leading the choir at Green Tree Elementary for the past four years.
This year, the choir performed "Pumpkin Spice", "Ugly Sweater" and a traditional Christmas medley that included "Deck the Halls", "Jingle Bells" and "We Wish you a Merry Christmas". As usual, this was one of our best attended meetings and was well appreciated by all..
A heartfelt "Thank you" to Ms. Pryor and the Green Tree Choir. Go Gators!
Valerie Beason, First Access Behavioral Health
The speaker for the Ambassador meeting on December 1st was Valerie Beason, a Licensed Professional Counselor based in Lake St. Louis, MO, who has been helping people since 2015.
She has a Bachelor's degree in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master's degree in Professional Counseling from Lindenwood University.
Valerie has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. Her passion for helping others led her to work with first responders, including firefighters, paramedics, and police officers.
Valerie's unique perspective on first responder culture comes from growing up with a father who served as a volunteer firefighter and was the fire prevention officer at his department. With firsthand knowledge of what it's like to live with and support first responders, Valerie brings empathy and understanding to her practice.
Valerie’s presentation was very engaging and brought reality to the dedication from our community service men and women. I heard so much compassion in Valerie’s presentation.
Thank you Valerie for your involvement in our community.
Henry Heyer, Environmental Protection Specialist, US Army Corps of Engineers
MR HENRY HEYER WITH THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS WAS THE SPEAKER AT THE LAKE ST LOUIS AMBASSADORS MEETING ON NOVEMBER 17, 2023. HENRY GRADUATIONED FROM WEBSTER UNVERSITY WITH A BA IN HISTORY IN 2014. MR HEYER BEGAN WORKING WITH THE CORPS ON ENGINEERS IN 2016 PERFORMING ARCHIVAL WORK ON THE REGULATORY BRANCH’S HISTORICAL FILES. IN SEPTEMBER 2019, HENRY ACCEPTED A FULL TIME POSITION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL & MUNITIONS BRANCH, PERFORMING ARCHIVAL RESEARCH TO AID THE CLEAN UP OF DISTURBED MILITARY SITES AROUND THE COUNTRY. IN MARCH 2020, MR HEYER ACCEPTED AN OFFER TO RETURN TO THE REGUALATORY BRANCH FOR ONE YEAR. DURING THAT ITME HE CONTINUED ARCHIVAL WORK, MANAGED INCOMING PROJECTS, ORDERED SUPPLIES AND WAS ACTIVE IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT. IT WAS DURING THIS SECOND ALLOTED PERIOD OF TIME THAT HENRY BECAME INTERESTED IN PURSUING A POSITION AS A FILL TIME PROJECT MANAGER. IN MARCH OF 2023, HENRY ACCEPTED A POSITION TO BE A PROJECT MANAGER IN THE REGULATORY BRANCH. THE MISSION OF THE ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS REGULATORY PROGRAM IS TO PROTECT THE NATION’S AQUADIC RESOURCES AND NAVIGATABLE CAPACITY WHILE ALLOWING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH FAIR AND BALANCED DECISIONS. MANY WATERBODIES AND WETLANDS IN THE NATION ARE WATERS OF THE US AND ARE SUBJECT TO THE CORP’S REGULATORY AUTHORITY. THE REGULATORY PROGRAM IS COMMITTED TO PROTECT THE NATION’S AQUADIC RESOURCES AND NAVIGATION CAPACITY. MR HEYER FEELS THAT HIS HISTORY DEGREE HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL IN WRITING INTERNAL DOCUMENTATION AND THE DRAFTING OF PERMIT VERIFICATION LETTERS.
Thank you Veterans!
Thanks to the wonderful suggestion from Ambassador Mike LeBlanc, the Lake St. Louis Ambassadors recognized their own this Veterans Day. Ambassador members have served in every war since 1812. Ok, that’s exaggeration, but many Ambassadors, past and present, have served their country in the Armed Services since WW2.
Nancy Redfield, from the Daughters of the American Revolution, gave each Veteran a small, folded American Flag as a token of this nation's appreciation.
The floor was then opened to any Veteran Ambassadors who wanted to share some tales of their time in the service to our country. Some stories had elements of truth, but they all had elements of love of country.
Thank you to all Ambassadors who have served our nation.
Leadership Team - Combined Veterans Solutions This morning part of the leadership team from Combined Veterans Solutions came out and talked to us about their organization.
Combined Veterans Solutions is a 501c3 that focuses on developing veteran owned small businesses. The members of the leadership team that visited us this morning were: Chris Lennington (President), Jeremy Callaway (2nd Vice President) and Ambassador’s own Mike Stagoski (Secretary) and Cliff Branch (Treasurer).
The three veterans were brought together about 12 months ago at a networking event hosted by Ambassador Mike LeBlanc. The group has a 4-part mission- 1) promote veteran owned businesses 2) provide coaching for veteran owned businesses 3) offer coaching services to newly separated veterans who want to start a small business and 4) become a voice for veteran issues at the state level.
The group meets on the 1st Thursday of the month at American Legion Post 323 in Wentzville, MO. They also meet the 3rd Thursday of the month at veteran owned business Fastest Labs in St. Charles, MO. Their meetings start at 0930 and run until 1100. On the 4th Thursday of the month, they host a social at 2 Shamrocks in O’Fallon, MO from 4-7.
At the organization’s meeting, they focus on networking, highlighting one of the group’s businesses, professional development and discussing veteran issues in the local community. The group is actively looking to bring on more members, so if you know of a veteran small business owner who might be interested in the group, please point them in the direction of their Facebook page and/or their website: https://combinedveteranssolutions.org/
Interested in Joining?
It is easy to join our club. Contact a club officer or one of our members to learn more about the club, or just show up for a Friday morning meeting at the Lake Saint Louis Community Association Clubhouse at 7 am. Breakfast is catered each Friday by The Village Cafe. A schedule of speakers at our Friday meetings can be found below.
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