ALTON - Riverbend Head Start & Family Services is pleased to name Lisa Nielsen and Michael Moehn as the 2016 Circle of Care Award Recipients. Dave Braasch, Chairman of the Board of Directors, recently made the awardee announcement at an intimate reception held for the non-profit’s strongest supporters.
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The Circle of Care Award was established in 1994 by Sandy Lauschke and Nancy Ryrie. The two envisioned a way to generate support for Riverbend Head Start & Family Services by recognizing community leaders who exhibit a strong sense of service and philanthropy.
For the past 23 years, the annual tribute has acknowledged the following recipients: Dr. Paul Pierce, Rod & Jane St. Clair, Essic Robinson, Dale & Carol Neudecker, Judge Nicolas Byron & Josephine Beckwith, Jim Goodwin, Buddy Davis, Paul & Sandy Lauschke, Jack & Betty Jacoby, Don Miller, Anna Beach & Andy Simpson, Ron McMullen, Steve & Mary Lou Cousley, Senator William Haine, Tom & Jeana Hutchinson, Bill & Pat Kessler, Diana Enloe, Ed & Nancy Ryrie, Mike & Cindy Lefferson, Dr. Robert & Charlene Hamilton, Ed & Patty Morrissey, Bill & Vicki Schrimpf, Dwight & Cheryl Werts and Steve & Jane Saale. Lisa and Michael are a community conscious and connected couple. They are a merited addition to the list of esteemed awardees.
Nielsen and Moehn were raised in Alton and are still proud to call the beautiful and historical town their home. They have shown tremendous support for the area and Riverbend Head Start & Family Services and have made a huge impact on the community as a whole.
Lisa graduated from Alton High School and received her B.S. degree from University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. For more than 20 years, she practiced law with Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C. at its St. Louis office. She was an officer of the firm and served in various capacities, a few of which include serving as the firm’s Hiring Chair, the Leader of the firm’s Securities Regulation Industry Group, and a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. Lisa has and continues to serve on the Sheldon Foundation Board, the United Way of Greater St. Louis Board, the Ss. Peter and Paul School Board and Ss. Peter and Paul’s Finance Council. She is a past President and former member of the Junior League of Greater Alton.
Michael, President of Ameren Missouri, is a graduate of Marquette High School. He attended Lewis and Clark Community College and went on to receive his B.A. from St. Louis University and M.B.A. from Washington University. He is an Eisenhower Fellow and serves on the Lewis and Clark Community College Foundation Board, the Christian Northeast Hospital Board, the Concordance Academy Board, the Urban League of Greater St. Louis Board and the United Way of Greater St. Louis Board. He is a former member of the Guardian Angel Settlement Association Board and the Marquette Catholic High School Foundation Board, having served as one of its past presidents.
Together, Nielsen and Moehn have served as co-chairs for the Illinois de Tocqueville Society of the United Way and hosted several of its annual events. They have also co-chaired one of the art auctions for the Catholic Children’s Home in Alton and hosted the Junior League Wine and Art event at their home for multiple years.
Lisa and Michael are the proud parents of Patrick and Anna, 8th and 6th graders at Ss. Peter and Paul School in Alton, who are already being introduced at an early age to the importance of community service. To the delight of Riverbend Head Start & Family Services Staff, the Moehn children donated several hours of their Christmas break volunteering at the Essic Robinson Head Start Center in Alton.
The Circle of Care Award Dinner and Auction will be held at the Lewis and Clark Community College Commons on May 19, 2016 at 5:30 in the evening. The event will be planned by a committee of the honorees’ friends and family members.
“A Century of Caring for a Brighter Future,” the dinner’s theme, gives nod to Riverbend Head Start & Family Services’ 100th Anniversary in 2016. The agency was founded in 1916 as the Alton Public Welfare Council. Although the name and programs have changed over the years, the agency has remained unwaveringly dedicated to helping reduce, prevent and reverse the effects of childhood poverty.
Proceeds from the Circle of Care Award Dinner and Auction benefit the mission of Riverbend Head Start & Family Services, a non-profit organization that operates the federal Head Start and Early Head Start programs in Madison County, Illinois. Through its six centers, located in Alton, Bethalto, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Granite City North and Granite City South, the agency provides unduplicated early childhood education and family strengthening services to over 1,000 children, age 5 and under, and their caregivers. Families who qualify for the programs live under the federal poverty line.
For more information, please contact Riverbend Head Start & Family Services Public Relations Director, Heather Hope, at (618) 463-8913 or hhope@riverbendfamilies.org.
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