Meet our 2022 Difference Makers

The band Just Enough plays at the 2021 Difference Makers banquet at the Black River Coliseum.

Our communities are filled with more good people doing good works than we can ever realize.

Most of these people don’t want to be recognized for their efforts. Their names are only known to those close enough to see the positive change they have created.

Difference Makers was created to shine a light on these people and the many needed services they support.

The Daily American Republic uses August to thank our area Difference Makers with special recognitions that culminate this year in a banquet on Aug. 18 at the Black River Coliseum.

Today, we’re announcing the 10 finalists for the 2022 Difference Maker of the Year.

These people come from across our region and support programs that serve many needs, including providing support for children in foster care, helping care for abandoned animals, and creating sports programs that help area children thrive.

We hope you will help us celebrate the Difference Makers that are helping build a better Southeast Missouri every day.

The finalists are, in alphabetical order: LuWanna Forister, a volunteer at Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center; Craig Meador, of the Butler County Emergency Response Team and Butler County Severe Weather Storm Spotters; Donna Gause, who provides rescue transportation for animals in need of new homes; Jessica Billings, manager of the Doniphan sheltered workshop; Judy Gregory, an active volunteer with Risen Church in Dexter; Stacey Ritter, who is involved with the Doniphan R-I School District after school program; Linda Martin, who serves the Naylor community in a variety of ways through the school district and her church; Gary and Leisa Pennington, who help children in youth sports at Doniphan; Karen Vallow, a member of a volunteer quilters group that does many projects, including providing handmade blankets to those served by an area women’s shelter; and Amber Tyler, of Missouri Children’s Division, who goes above and beyond to help children in foster care.

We’ll tell you more about each of the finalists in a special magazine that will be released on Aug. 13.

We will then name the Difference Maker of the Year at the banquet on Aug. 18.

The banquet is a free event and open to the public. Tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-serve basis by calling 573-785-1414 or stopping by our office downtown. Tickets will be required to attend.

The banquet will also help raise money this year for Haven House, a local shelter for women impacted by domestic violence.

The doors will open at 5:50 p.m., and the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. Dinner will be catered by the United Gospel Rescue Mission in Poplar Bluff, and the band Just Enough will play throughout the evening.

A silent auction, 50/50 table drawing and a $500 gas giveaway raffle will also be held, with proceeds to benefit Haven House. Tickets for the gas raffle can also be purchased at the DAR.

We would also like to thank everyone who submitted nominations this year. It was our largest group today and selecting 10 finalists was a tough task for our committee.

But we’re incredibly grateful to have so many people doing good works in our region, that it made it a challenge to select just 10!

Sponsors for this event include: Saint Francis Healthcare; Poplar Bluff School District; Kissinger & Kirkman Investment Centre; Productive Staffing; Ozark Federal Credit Union; First Midwest Bank; Three Rivers College; Lisa Reynolds Insurance Agency; The Bank of Missouri; The City of Poplar Bluff; and Pepsi MidAmerica.

Donna Farley is the editor of the Daily American Republic. She can be reached at dfarley.dar@gmail.com.