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North County Community Supports Valley Industries at Shamrock Ball
2017 marks 10th Anniversary of Mayors’ Shamrock Ball
The North County community came together in a big way to show support for Valley Industries Sheltered Workshop at this year’s 10th Annual Mayors’ Shamrock Ball on Saturday, March 4th. The event was held at Garden Villas North Retirement and Assisted Living Community in Black Jack. Nearly 500 guests attended this milestone affair which celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Balland coincided with Valley Industries’ 50th anniversary.
KSDK-TV, NewsChannel 5’s chief meteorologist Craig Moeller headlined the event as the program emcee and kept everyone entertained throughout the evening.
Event organizers believe their charity gala Saturday night was the biggest and best one yet. All proceeds generated through event sponsorships, ticket sales and raffle prize drawings benefits Valley Industries helps to defray its operating expenses. Over 61 local businesses, organizations, municipalities and food vendors purchased generous sponsorship packages at the following levels:
Event Sponsors ($5,000) – The Delmar Gardens Family and The Rotary Club of Florissant;
Emerald Sponsors ($2,500) – Ameren Missouri and Karen McKay;
Pot of Gold Sponsors ($1,000) – 24;
Leprechaun Sponsors ($600) – 12;
and
Shamrock Sponsors ($300) – 21;
Individual tickets, valued at $125 each, were purchased by the public online, by mail and in-person at Valley Industries until they were sold out.
“Over the past decade our Mayors’ Shamrock Ball has evolved into an upscale affair where community leaders and others attend this premier green tie event of North County,” 2017 Mayors’ Shamrock Ball chairman and Hazelwood City Manager Matthew Zimmerman said. “They come dressed up to enjoy an evening of great food, open bar, super raffle prize drawings, and fun dancing to the sounds of Bob Kuban’s Band.”
Mayor Norman McCourt of Black Jack, Mayor Tom Schneider of Florissant, Mayor Matthew Robinson of Hazelwood, Mayor James Knowles of Ferguson, and Mayor Robert Doerr of Bellefontaine Neighbors are hosts of this yearly fund-raiser. This year, all five of them came together and presented a proclamation, congratulating Valley Industries on its 50thanniversary celebration and the 10th anniversary of the Shamrock Ball.
“I was totally surprised when Craig Moeller and the mayors asked me and our Valley Industries’ Board President Don Ceresia to come up front for a presentation. They presented us with a joint proclamation signed by each of them with their city logos printed on it as well,” Valley Industries Executive Director Jim Guyre said. “I believe this is the first-of-its-kind proclamation that has been issued jointly by five neighboring communities. I want to thank the city clerks of each municipality as well as the mayors for this treasured gift, to be display at Valley Industries.”
State Rep. Gretchen Bangert, Dist. 69, presented Valley Industries officials with a House Resolution commemorating the organization’s 50th anniversary. Valley Industries had been notified that Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was sending an official proclamation from his Office and State Senator Gina Walsh, Dist. 13, is sending a Senate Resolution
For the past 10 years, Valley Industries has crowned a King and Queen of the Mayors’ Shamrock Ball as a way of recognizing their best employees. They select both a male and female Worker of the Year from a pool of Employee of the Month candidates chosen during the previous year.
This year’s honorees were Ricky Perron as King and Rosemary Barker as Queen. These individuals were decked out as royalty with a green cape, sash, and crown. Ricky received a boutonniere and Rosemary was given a bouquet of flowers.
Since Valley Industries is celebrating 50 years of being in business, they gave special recognition to one employee who has been working there since the very beginning. Pat Leffler is the only staff member who has known and met every worker and staff member that has worked for Valley Industries since it first opened on March 13, 1967. She was presented with a bouquet of flowers a standing ovation followed.
Super Raffle Winners Announced
The Super Raffle Prizes were offered again this year to give everyone, even those who weren’t able to attend the event, a chance to win fabulous prizes by purchasing raffle tickets. As a result, this created another revenue stream for Valley Industries. Tickets were $10 each or 3 for $25. People could purchase them online with a major credit card prior to the event or buy them at the event itself. They were allowed to purchase as many tickets as they wanted and place them all for one prize or for multiple prizes. In addition to the Super Raffle Prizes, event organizers added a Treasure Chest of Happiness which was a large trunk filled with more than $300 worth of bottled spirits and other adult-style beverages donated by local stores and distributors. John Shaw was the lucky winner of the Treasure Chest.
Two other prizes were offered exclusively to guests who attended the Mayors’ Shamrock Ball.
One of them was a 32-inch flat screen TV, donated by The Delmar Gardens Family which owns Garden Villas North and has allowed the event to be held at their North County facility for the past seven years. Guests were required to go around to each of the food stations and have all the holes punched on their card and turn it in. The winner chosen for this prize was Sarah Donato.
The other prize was a beautiful, sparkling emerald ring donated by Don Henefer Jewelers of Florissant. Only guests at the event were allowed to purchase raffle tickets for this prize drawing. The winner of this glamorous prize was Denise Miller.
Here are the winners of the 2017 Super Raffle Prizes:
Super Raffle Package 1 – Cardinals & Blues Tickets Plus (Winner: Thomas Dodson)
Super Raffle Package 2 – A Summer of Golf Outings (Winner: Steven Mann)
Super Raffle Package 3 – St. Louis Around Town (Winner: Karen Uhlenbeck)
Super Raffle Package 4 – 65-Inch Vizio 4K Ultra HDTV (Winner: Mark Schmitt)
Super Raffle Package 5 – $1,000 Lottery Tickets (Winner: Rob Chabot)
Denise Miller of Waldbart & Sons Nursery won a sparkling emerald ring donated by Don Henefer Jewelers of Florissant.
Sarah Donato won 32-inch Flat screen TV donated by The Delmar Gardens Family, which owns Garden Villas North.
Fifty years ago this month, Valley Industries first opened its doors for business under the name of Florissant Valley Sheltered Workshop with only 15 employees. Today, the workshop provides dignified and meaningful employment for over 200 adults with developmental disabilities in a 63,000 square-foot production facility in Hazelwood.
