OWATONNA When Cheri Krejcis name was called, she was speechless.

As she made her way from her table where her family and friends were seated in the soft lighting of Jefts Library on the Pillsbury College Prep and Camp Friday evening those in attendance stood in applause.

Well, I dont even know what to say, Krejci said, garnering chuckles from the audience. There are great women up for this award and I dont feel that I should be the one picked, but thank you to everybody.

Krejci, a longtime Blooming Prairie resident and community advocate, was named the Owatonna Business Womens 45th annual Woman of Achievement in the presence of more than 100 individuals at the organizations scholarship awards and fundraiser celebration.

She was chosen from five finalists who live or work in Steele County and exemplify the groups mission to promote personal empowerment, professional development and political awareness who were announced in February.

Other nominees for the award were Linda Hoffman, manager of Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute and Penny George Institute for Health and Healing at Owatonna Hospital, part of Allina Health; Kim Schaufenbuel, executive director of United Way of Steele County; Amy LaDue, director of teaching and learning for Owatonna Public Schools; and Kellyanna Moore, a family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology physician and surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System Owatonna.

Tonight not only do we celebrate the success and achievements of five wonderful women of what we see of the tip of the iceberg, but more importantly, we celebrate everything below the surface: their stories, why they give, the sacrifices they have made, their dedication to their careers, their families, their communities, the countless hours of speaking, donating, fundraising, baking and all the other things that they do because this is what truly makes them all women of achievement, said Katie Glaser, Owatonna Business Women president.

Krejci, who has been the office manager at Krejci Ford in Blooming Prairie for more than 30 years, is responsible for managing payroll, accounting, titles and inventory control, attended Faribault Technical School and continued her education through the Ford Accounting School in office management.

But probably most notable, if youve met Krejci, is the work she does outside of the confines of her dealership office. Thats because there is plenty.

Krejci, a seven-year breast cancer survivor, has been a member of the Blooming Prairie Cancer Group since 2005. The organization was started in 2000 to raise money for the annual Eagles Cancer Telethon in Rochester that funds research, and in 2010, the group started the community fund to provide assistance to individuals and their families and they go through cancer treatment.

As a cancer survivor, Cheri is always willing to lend a hand, her heart, her time or a shoulder to cry on, Glaser said.

She has also served as a 4-H leader, Girl Scouts leader, volunteer at the Homestead Hospice House and the stewardship secretary and volunteer at First Lutheran Church of Blooming Prairie. However, Krejci has been pitched in to help with fundraising efforts for the Boys and Girls Club of Blooming Prairie and the Stix of Fury, a Blooming Prairie-based drumline and color guard. She was the founding member of the Blooming Prairie Education Foundation and the Blooming Prairie Quarterback Club.

Krejci has previously been recognized as the 2007 Blooming Prairie Citizen of the Year, 2014 Boys and Girls Club Awesome Advocator and the 2013 Minnesota Twins Honorary Bat Girl, where she had the honor to throw the first pitch at a Mothers Day game.

The judges, three women from out of town who met with the candidates Feb. 25 for one-on-one interviews, described Krejci as a silent leader who people want to follow and a kind and gentle servant.

Also honored Friday were four scholarship recipients and the Owatonna Business Womens Young Careerists and Pioneer Woman.

This years scholarship recipients, funded in part by ticket sales and silent auction of the evenings event, were Ashley Gilbertson and Britta Gantert, who were this years senior scholarship recipients, and Michelle Miller and Vikki Ebenhoh, who received the aspiring woman scholarships. All four women were praised for their impressive involvement in the community.

The Young Careerists, up-and-coming young business women selected for their accomplishments so far in their careers and to highlight their future promise, are Ryan Gillespie, a mortgage loan officer at Bremer Bank; Kate Harthan, operations director at Corporate Recognition; and Janie Rolloff, accounting management at Federated Insurance, who were announced by Steele County District Court Judge Karen Duncan, who is also 2009 Woman of Achievement.

The Pioneer Woman, which is presented to a Steele County woman over 60 years old who has carved footprints in the community and world at large, is Marlys Mickelson.

Over the last several decades, she has impressively cultivated a flexibility to respond to an ever-changing environment for women, juggling a family and motherhood, professional work and civic stewardship, said Jennifer Frazier, who introduced Mickelson.

Mickelson moved to Owatonna in the mid-1960s, where she and her husband, Phil, raised two sons. Since then, shes been a friend of the Owatonna Arts Center and Steele County Historical Society and actively volunteers at the Steele County Food Shelf, delivers Meals on Wheels and recruits and works countless hours to care for the Homestead Hospice House grounds, provided support as an Owatonna Aquatic Center steering committee member, volunteers for the hospital auxiliary and Trinity Lutheran Church.

Repeatedly, Marlys shares her talents within our community and has become an essential ingredient, Frazier said.

On behalf of women, Mickelson advocates the message that issues matter regardless of whether it is city, state or national. She was employed by Lyle Mehrkens, a former Republican Minnesota senator, worked to elect Cal Ludeman, a former Republican Minnesota representative, to the state governorship and Congress. She continues to advocate and support Democratic candidates and current issues today, and serves as an election judge.

I am pleased and grateful for this honor. Grateful to the person who nominated me. Grateful to the selection committee and the [Owatonna Business Women] organization who enrich our community with honors and scholarships, Mickelson said. I am also grateful that I live in Owatonna. There are many opportunities to become involved in our community and I encourage you to do so.

Krejcis award was announced at the end of the event, which consisted of appetizers, a silent auction and a program, where she was introduced by last years Woman of Achievement and this years keynote speaker Carol Belmore, a social worker at Owatonna Junior High School.

I believe each one of us has the ability to make a difference in the lives of others, to inspire others to do great things and to help others discover and appreciate the gifts they have been given, Belmore said during her keynote speech.

Reach reporter Ashley Stewart at 444-2378 or follow her on Twitter.com @OPPashley

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Krejci named 2017 Woman of Achievement - Southernminn.com