By Andra Bryan Stefanoni

news@joplinglobe.com

PITTSBURG, Kan. — When the new year begins, a picture of a smiling Barbara Rhodes will greet some residents each day in January.

The co-owner of Ron’s Supermarket is one of 12 women the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce is honoring as “Women of Distinction.”

About 100 residents gathered last week to pay tribute to the women at a reception at Pittsburg State University.

“They’ve contributed so much to our community that it’s made our community a better place to live,” said Steve Beykirch, chairman of the chamber board.

This is the third year for the calendar project, an idea that chamber president Blake Benson and his wife, Christel, brought from Arkansas.

“In Southeast Kansas, any notable project or activity usually had a strong woman behind it, and they are women who don’t seek out pats on the back,” Benson said. “We also wanted to have a calendar that would be a resource that listed all area events. We decided to tie those two things together and honor them in this way.”

The chamber published its first Women of Distinction calendar in 2007, accepting nominations from the community.

Those recognized for 2009 are as follows.

n Barbara Rhodes and her family developed a small local grocery store into a business that now puts $1.5 million in annual payroll into the local economy. She also is involved in numerous organizations, including the Pittsburg Public Library, the Salvation Army, the Mount Carmel Foundation and the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas.

n Lynda Wilkinson has long been affiliated with not-for-profit organizations, including 13 years as president of the chamber and several years as the president of SEK Inc. Currently a developer of special projects at Pitsco Education, she also volunteers on the foundation boards for the Pittsburg Public Library and Pittsburg State University, and is a founding trustee for the Community Foundation of Southeast Kansas.

n Deena Hallacy is a champion for housing for those less fortunate. As Pittsburg’s community development specialist, she manages the city’s Section 8 program, and has written several successful grants that helped to put into place the Choices Emergency Shelter and Early Childhood Center. She also serves on boards for United Way of Crawford County and the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas.

n Mandy Commons used her experience with her autistic son as a catalyst to make a difference. She is president of the Kansas chapter of the National Autism Association, organized the first Kansas Autism Conference in 2007, and advises Pittsburg schools on ways to accommodate the growing number of autistic children.

n Dawn McNay has helped manage some of the largest construction projects in the history of Mount Carmel Regional Medical Center, most recently the $16.5 million outpatient services expansion, and currently the $2.6 million Cardiac Step-Down Unit. She has served 12 years as a member of the Pittsburg school board and on the board of the Family Resource Center.