20 Who Count

By Cameron Montemayor Doug and Carol Walter live by the saying ‘Bloom where you’re planted.” Doug, the minister at Ashland United Methodist Church, and Carol, a retired nurse, have firmly planted their roots in the community after relocating here eight years ago to follow Doug’s ministry work. Married for 43 years, the Walters have exemplified

By Kendra Simpson Annie Bramlage knew exactly the person she wanted to be by the age of 10. Today, she’s not only living out her dreams but also teaching hundreds of students to live out their own. Bramlage has lived a life dedicated to theatre. Her father passed on his passion of theatre to Bramlage,

By Kendra Simpson For nearly a decade, Rich and Tami Claycomb have worked tirelessly to not only build temporary shelters for stray cats during the winter months, but go the extra mile to find families for as many as possible. “It started with a house down on South Ninth Street that somebody told us about

By Kirsten Stokes Striving to do everything for the glory of God, Karon Milbourn doesn’t see her acts of service as her own, but as a ministry to bring light and encouragement to others. Spreading sunshine to nursing homes since May, Milbourn is a part of the “Sunshine Ladies.” Once a month, the group goes

By Jenna Wilson Meghan Casias spends countless hours working alongside the St. Joseph Animal Shelter, even fostering pets herself to help with the influx. Casias started her career working for an animal shelter in St. Louis where she grew up. That passion led her to kickstart a nonprofit dog rescue called ‘Is Today My Day

By Kirsten Stokes Through the years, the Hubbards have watched each other thrive through teaching and coaching. Brad and Rita Hubbard have a combined 38 years of service working in the St. Joseph School District. The pair constantly strive to make a positive impact on the South Side. “There can be a tendency to focus

By Jenna Wilson Sheri Gray never fails to give her time and talent to lift up Special Olympics athletes in Northwest Missouri. Gray graduated with a Physical Education major not realizing this would be the gateway to her journey as a coach for Special Olympics Missouri. Gray now juggles a busy schedule coaching multiple sports

By Kirsten Stokes In the eyes of Robert and Kim Sigrist, educating youth and motivating them to serve is the reason they’ve dedicated so much of their lives to education. Robert has dedicated 31 years to education, holding positions like assistant principal at Central for 13 years, science teacher at Cameron and currently assistant superintendent

By Kirsten Stokes After four hours of sleep each day, Debb “Dog Lady” Allen has no time to rest when rehabilitating dogs in need. Since 2004, Allen has put all of her energy into building a credible and safe space for dogs through her nonprofit “Against All Odds Animal ResQ, Inc.” (AAO). Her journey toward

By Jenna Wilson If you don’t recognize Ron Auxier by his name, you certainly may have seen his composition around the city of St. Joseph. A retired architect, Auxier spends his time delivering mobile meals through InterServ and currently sits on the InterServ Board of Directors. Over the course of a successful career, Auxier carried

By Kendra Simpson For Isaac “Ike” McDonald, football is more than just a game. He considers his youth football program to be a family and himself as the players “coach for life.” Growing up, McDonald learned much from his uncle, who he considered to be a great leader and role model. Today, he emulates his

By Cameron Montemayor It‘s the fond memories of a sprawling Downtown that Christy George remembers, much like her grandparents before her, that drive her to create the same experience for residents and families through a variety of roles. “I think downtowns are the heart of every city,” said George, president of Main Street Downtown St.

By Kirsten Stokes Ever since she was young, Trina Earl has advocated for animals. Her passion ultimately lead to the creation of a new rescue in Doniphan County. In 2020, Earl held meetings throughout Doniphan County in hopes of getting a pet rescue. There wasn’t one at the time and that meant countless animals were

By Jenna Wilson Even through the hardest parts of being a special education teacher, Deirdra “Deedie” Killgore finds joy in empowering students, even in retirement. Killgore spent the majority of her life working as a special education teacher for the St. Joseph School District and several other areas – educating infants to young adults. “There

By Cameron Montemayor It’s hard to imagine where Mosaic Life Care’s anesthesiology department would be without the leadership of Moe Matthias over nearly four decades. Matthias has been integral in numerous processes and plans to improve perioperative and anesthetic care within the hospital system to the benefit of countless patients. “Anesthesiology was a lot riskier

By Cameron Montemayor In an age of podcasts, streaming and cell phones, Bob Ford is always seeking new ways to adapt and spark a passion for St. Joseph’s history and the lessons it can provide. Each week is a new adventure and opportunity to educate for the St. Joseph native and author, who spends his

By Kendra Simpson Everyone wants to know their family members are receiving the best possible treatment when dealing with an illness as scary as cancer. Those who have had the honor of meeting Dana McDaniel knew they would receive that very treatment. “I get to see people at their most vulnerable states which is something

By Jenna Wilson While her original life journey didn’t include advocating for abused children, Carrie Watkins had a change of heart and felt the need to be a voice for so many in St. Joseph. Watkins graduated from Missouri Western in 2003 with a bachelor’s in social work and a minor in gerontology, with an

By Kendra Simpson Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean Paul Mundungu experienced first hand the privilege of clean water, which is why he’s dedicated so much time, effort and money to helping others across the world. In 2011, after being drafted into the Diversity Visa Lottery, Mundungu moved to St. Joseph with

By Cameron Montemayor Over the last 14 years, longtime Central High School history teacher Jeff Carter has helped turn the school’s Scholar Bowl program into a state powerhouse while mentoring countless students to academic success along the way. A desire to coach ultimately led Carter, a former Central alum, to start the Scholar Bowl program

By Cameron Montemayor Whether it’s arriving early or staying late for her fellow nurses or patients, going above and beyond for others is simply in Christie Amos’ nature. As a patient care representative with Mosaic Life Care’s Cardiac Cath Lab, Amos offers a calming voice for patients through prep and recovery for various procedures like

By Kirsten Stokes To have a giving heart like Christie Amos takes experiences that make you appreciate life and others. Amos, a patient care representative in the cardiac cath lab at Mosaic Life Care, routinely receives shout-outs from patients for her outstanding care. For her service, in September Amos received the highest honor any health