TERRE HAUTE — Rising stars, champions, educators and volunteers were inducted into the Junior Achievement of the Wabash Valley Hall of Fame on Tuesday night.
JA, a not-for-profit youth economic education organization, honored several community leaders and Wabash Valley students at its eighth annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Ohio Building downtown.
“It’s a great honor,” said South Vermillion High School senior Patrick Harpenau, who was one of three high school students to receive JA’s “Conceive it. Believe it. Achieve it” scholarship. The other winners were South Vermillion sophomores Alex Thomas and Casey Gossett.
JA’s businessman of the year award was given to Thomas Dever of Dever Distributing. The businesswoman of the year honor was given to Mary Caye Pfister of Pfister & Company of Terre Haute.
“Terre Haute is such a wonderful community,” said Pfister, owner of Pfister & Company, when receiving her award.
The Junior Achievement educators of the year were Mary Ellen Kearns, a third-grade teacher at Hoosier Prairie, and Joseph Minnis, a member of the Vigo County School Corporation board of trustees.
“For she’s a golly good fellow,” sang Mrs. Kearns’ third-graders in a short video shown during the dinner. Minnis also received a video greeting from grandchildren in Texas.
Junior Achievement of the Wabash Valley also honored its volunteers of the year Tuesday night. Todd Newman, founder and owner of Newman Company Inc., was named male volunteer of the year, while Suzie Thorlton of Clabber Girl was named female volunteer of the year.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with the kids,” Newman said while accepting his award. JA “is a great organization. I really appreciate being involved with it.”
Junior Achievement places volunteer instructors in Wabash Valley schools to help kids understand personal finance, economics and how businesses work. The organization recruited hundreds of volunteers to reach more than 6,000 Wabash Valley students last year.
JA also named Rich Dunkin of Howard Clare Insurance and Stephanie Boyd of Hallie Hound Barkery and Time Warner Media Sales as this year’s male and female “Rising Star Entrepreneurs.”
“This is a wonderful community to start a business,” said Boyd, whose business specializes in homemade dog treats, while accepting her award.
Finally, JA honored Union Hospital’s Jim Bertoli with its Community Champion Award. Bertoli, formerly director of the United Way of the Wabash Valley and a successful collegiate-level volleyball coach, was hired in 2008 to lead the hospital’s $8 million capital campaign.
For more information about Junior Achievement of the Wabash Valley, see the organization’s Web site, jawv.ja.org.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
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