JBN in the Community

Our Commitment to the Community

As a philanthropic organization, Jeffco Business Network is always looking for areas to "apply our collective ability to enrich our community."

Heaven's Closet Fund Raiser

The genesis of Heaven’s Closet includes a host of heavenly intervention. In the beginning, Doug and Donna Duvall made a decision to join their church on a mission trip to Costa Rica to aid indigent citizens of the Central American country. After much prayer, they came away with a conviction to serve their community by opening a free store. According to Doug, he and Donna were looking for a building in the Festus area and praying for something to open up for them when a friend called requesting assistance for after-hours removal of shelving units from a facility undergoing renovations in Sunset Hills. With the blessing of The Old Navy store, all of the shelving units were painstakingly dismantled and housed for future use. Then, within days of completion of that project, another phone call proved God’s intervention into the Duvall project when a building was offered at 304 Locust Street in Hillsboro. As Doug explains it, he couldn’t have asked for a better location. Heaven’s Closet is a free store serving those in the community with clothing, linens, shoes, and a number of household items. As a non-denominational, non-profit ministry, their doors are open to all. For the first year, operating expenses were covered by money raised in selling off part of the shelving units removed from Old Navy, while volunteers staffing the store kept it open Tuesday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Clothing and other household items continued to pour in through corporate and community donations, but money was beginning to get scarce to cover the utilities and rent.

Meanwhile Jeffco Business Network, a philanthropic organization whose primary purpose is to increase business for each of its members using word-of-mouth referrals and networking techniques, was looking for a quarterly project to fulfill its mission. The website: http://www.jeffcobusinessnetwork.org/ states, “Jeffco Business Network is always looking for areas to ‘apply our collective ability to enrich our community.’” Recent JBN outreach recipients include Habitat for Humanity, The Youth Group of Vandover Baptist Church, Pony Bird, The American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Jefferson County Rescue Mission, and Toys for Tots.

There can be no other explanation than Divine intervention, as the two needs met when the current marketing coordinator of JBN had a chance meeting with Doug Duvall. As their first quarter 2008 project, JBN voted to hold a trivia Night on March 15th with all proceeds to benefit Heaven’s Closet. Elks Lodge No. 1721 donated the use of their hall for the event. Additionally, donations from the community, included items from Master’s Touch Christian Bookstore, Lowe’s, Cecil Whittaker’s Pizzeria, Tire Bargains, Cracker Barrel, Oiltime, A Visual Impact Hair Studio, Petit Paree Restaurant and Bar, Fixxtion Salon, Sherwin Williams, Dylan’s Sports Bar and Grill, Plaza Tire Service, King Automotive, Oooo Ahhh Massage, Jody Kort’s-Mary Kay Cosmetics, Mike Elfrank of PrePaid Legal, Inc. and Dianne Quitmeyer of Gershman Reverse Mortgage.

Table Sponsors included Billy Portis from King Automotive in DeSoto, Traci Hardin Massage Therapy of Festus, First State Community Bank of DeSoto, Superior Mortgage Solutions of Festus, Insulating & Supplies Corp. of St. Louis, Home Maintenance and Contracting of Arnold, JTTA, Inc. dba Midwest Recycling Center of Festus, and Oooo Ahhh Massage of DeSoto.

You are invited to visit Heaven’s Closet. It is a picture of the community helping the community. They freely receive and freely give everything that crosses their store’s threshold, yet they could use more volunteers to staff the counter, pray with those willing to receive prayer, and sort and hang clothing on the store’s racks. Interested parties should contact the store during operating hours at 636-789-4460. “We could open on Monday’s and Saturday’s,” says Doug, “If enough Men and Women would volunteer to staff the store.”

Support Our Troops

JBN's 4th Quarter 2005 activities were centered primarily around providing support for our troops. In particular, for the Festus-based 220th Engineering Unit of the U.S. Army Reserve, who currently have many family members deployed overseas. Pictured are members of JBN seen preparing Holiday Cards to be sent and distributed to the troops. Each of the cards were hand stamped, assembled, and signed, conveying all the best of the season!

In addition, JBN purchased and distributed "Thanksgiving Baskets" to several of the 220th's families here at home.

Pony Bird; Family of Special Ones

For the 3rd quarter of 2005 JBN organized Work Parties to lend a helping hand where needed at Pony Bird, a local total care facility for severely disabled children and adults.

Linda Dallas, Pony Bird Executive Director, was genuinely appreciative of the effort put forth by JBN in assisting with final preparations for the Grand Opening of their new center located in De Soto, Missouri.

After completing the assigned tasks of planting multiple landscape features with Mums and Daffodil Bulbs, and repotting many Indoor Potted Plants, we were given a personal tour of the facilities! Very, very impressive, and well thought out!

Jeffco Business Network (JBN) will likely be providing additional support in the future for the great cause served by Pony Bird!

American Cancer Society Relay for Life

For the 2nd quarter of 2005, and again in 2006, JBN formed teams to participate in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life event sponsored by The First Baptist Church of Arnold. Kudos to those who organized these wonderful events!

Vandover Baptist Church Youth Group

For the 1st quarter of 2005, JBN conducted a fundraiser to support the Vandover Baptist Church Youth Group, whose band was in dire need of new equipment.

Several JBN Member companies sponsored events, and/or donated percentages of their daily sales, on behalf of this endeavor. All JBN Members took part in the sale of raffle tickets.

Over $1,000 was raised for the Youth Group, and they have since been able to obtain, and enjoy the equipment they needed.

Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity

As an on-going bannerless effort, our members also assist Jefferson County Habitat for Humanity on a regular basis.