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Mt. Pleasant Chamber celebrates community achievements at annual banquet
Chamber honors Pat White with Citizen of the Year, Kim Davis with Ambassador of the Year, RAGBRAI Volunteers with Volunteer of the Year, and Festival of Lights with Community Impact award
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MT. PLEASANT — A spirit of gratitude and celebration filled Airport Road Winery Thursday evening, March 27, as the Mt. Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce Alliance hosted its 83rd Annual Banquet, recognizing the hard work, collaboration, and impact of community leaders and volunteers throughout 2024.
“We gather with hope,” Court Fisher of First United Methodist Church said during an invocation kicking off the evening. “We gather with joy. We gather among friends. We gather among people who care about this community.”
Following dinner, Chamber Director of Membership Erica Martin began the recognition of key individuals and groups in the community throughout the year. Martin named Kim Davis of Access Energy this year’s Chamber Ambassador of the Year for her enthusiasm, community presence, and support of local businesses.
According to Martin, Davis “consistently shows energy, kindness and a real commitment to making Mt. Pleasant a better place.”
The Volunteer of the Year award was presented collectively to the Mt. Pleasant RAGBRAI volunteers, who helped welcome more than 20,000 visitors to the city during the July 26 event.
“This past year, our community had a laser focus on July 26,” Chamber Executive Vice President Rachel Lindeen said. “Lots of hard work, planning, tears and celebration as we worked to roll out the red carpet and welcomed 20,000+ visitors to our community for Mt. Pleasant RAGBRAI. It took everyone here tonight to make it possible. With lots of smiles and hard work, we were officially renamed ‘Mt. Terrific’. Tonight we name all Mount Pleasant RAGBRAI volunteers the Volunteer of the Year.”
Attendees were invited to stand if they helped in any way — from volunteering in orange shirts to hosting riders, cleaning streets, or sponsoring events.
A special recognition was specifically given to the RAGBRAI Executive Committee, whose members met weekly to ensure the success of the event. They included Lisa Oetken, Erica Martin, Shelbi Swinscoe, Rich McNamee, Lyle Murray, Walt Jackson, Dan McCabe, Mackenzie Barton, Lois Roth, Melinda Huisinga, Ashley Lohman, Lisa and Jason Goody, Terry McWilliams, Adam Moehle, Mikayla Yaley, and John Henrikson.
While Lindeen recognized each of these individuals for their “specialty lenses” that made RAGBRAI a success, Oetken made sure the first person she thanked in acceptance for the group was Lindeen.
“We had a big hurdle to overcome,” Oetken said as she accepted the award with the rest of the Executive Committee. “We did not do well before. We were known as Mt. Unpleasant. So, we went from Mt. Unpleasant to Mt. Terrific.”
Melinda Huisinga then accepted the Community Impact Award on behalf of The Festival of Lights, a Midwest Old Threshers event. The drive-thru holiday light display drew visitors from 66 Iowa counties and 36 states in its 12th year. With 174 unique displays, the all-volunteer event included the efforts of 124 different individuals and was supported by 229 sponsors.
“Travel Iowa describes this event as ‘a light display like no other,’” Lindeen said. “It takes a year to plan, months to set up, and only minutes to bring that Christmas spirit to life.”
Well-known community member and unofficial local historian Pat White received the evening’s most prestigious honor, Citizen of the Year thanks to her many years volunteering and advocating for historic preservation. Although White was unable to attend in person due to a prior family commitment, she was celebrated in a video presentation.
A dedicated contributor to numerous local organizations, White serves or has served with the Henry County Heritage Trust & Museum, Henry County Historic Preservation, Mt. Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission, and the Henry County Pioneer Cemetery Commission, among others. Her financial acumen and passion for history have made her a key leader in projects such as the Iowa Wesleyan Archives, the Union Block renovation, and museum-quality exhibits at the former Saunders School.
“I am honored. I love what I do,” White said in her recorded remarks. “I think people that know me know I do love what I do, and I get great satisfaction in doing it.”
The night concluded with final thanks to event sponsors — including Access Energy Cooperative, Fracto, Henry County Health Center, and Two Rivers Bank & Trust — and a special recognition of those who helped organize the event, including Erica Martin and the staff of Airport Road Winery.
“I challenge all of us to contribute in your own way,” 2025 Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Blaire Barton said as this banquet marked the beginning of another year serving the Mt. Pleasant Community.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
