(On Dec. 5, I was sent some details on the 2025 Creve Coeur Citizen of the Year for a West Newsmagazine story. I immediately thought of questions to ask, then left a message with the Kaufman Fund. Wayne Kaufman called me the very next morning, I conducted the interview, transcribed my notes, then attended one of his organization's events the very next day. I spoke to nearly 10 people and took a dozen photos. From there, I made a brief stop at the closed office for a couple more pics, then wrote the story and sent it to my editor with six photo choices. Here is the story as I submitted it on Dec. 7. The first pic is from the city of Creve Coeur with the mayor. The rest are mine.)
A formal
annual event was held on Dec. 2 at the Creve Coeur Government Center to honor the
city’s 2025 Citizen of the Year.
"Wayne
Kaufman has dedicated his life to supporting veterans and their families,
ensuring they have access to the care and resources they deserve," said
Mayor Bob Hoffman. "Through the nonprofit he founded over three decades
ago, he has touched countless lives in meaningful, far-reaching ways."
Hoffman
was referring to the Kaufman Fund that serves military veterans in a multitude
of ways.
“I started
it in 1990 in memory of my brother Ralph who was an Air Force veteran for four
years. He was about 12 years older than me, so he was like a father and a
mentor,” Kaufman said.
“When I got out of the Army in 1971, I went
to work for him (mostly in the home improvement industry) until 1990 when he
passed away. He was a very well-liked, generous guy who did a lot of volunteer
work. He helped a lot of people in general; not just veterans, but also
children. He was on many committees and boards. I picked up all that from him as
I was growing up. So, when he passed, me being a Vietnam veteran and he being
an Air Force veteran, I wanted to remember him. So, I started the Kaufman Fund
in 1990 in his memory.”
Kaufman
added that it was a 100% volunteer organization with no official employees
until 2023. Throughout those years, everyone worked from their homes on laptop
computers and cell phones.
They
would also meet from time to time when businesses would allow free use of their
office space. But that was totally sporadic. It led to purchasing a building at
10131 Old Olive Street Road in the northeastern section of Creve Coeur.
“Back in 2023 is when I first hired an Executive
Director. Her name is Shelia Schneider. She’s a military wife, spouse, and she
used to work at St. Patrick’s Center. She’s very familiar with the military,
veterans, and families. She’s really come in and opened up a patio door so to
speak on everything else that we’re doing. So, now we have a couple of
employees, I’m still blessed with over 100 volunteers, and a building that’s our
first real home.
“Every program we have started with a phone
call from a veteran saying, ‘Hey! Can you help me over the Christmas holidays?’
That’s how the free trees started. Then I got a call from a veteran saying ‘Do
you guys do dental? I need dental care.’ So, I started with one dentist friend
of mine. Now we have over 20 dentists, and we’re partnered with the dental
school here in St. Louis, one at SIU, and we give free dental care.”
Kaufman added that he had an impoverished veteran
call years ago requesting for divorce help. That has led to a collection of 150
lawyers helping veterans.
Since mental health issues have become a major
societal issue, the Kaufman Fund now has a mental health collaborative program
with about 10-12 therapists for veterans and their families. They also have a chiropractic
program with about 27 different chiropractic offices around the St. Louis area
giving free chiropractic help.
Starting in March, there will be free tax
prep of veterans through Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) organizations.
“One of the really nice things we do every
other month is give free groceries to veterans in different locations
throughout St. Louis. Our last one was at the VFW Post 3944 on Midland in
Overland. We budgeted for 150 veteran families to come and pick up groceries,
but we kept getting calls and calls and calls. Shelia said, ‘We don’t have more
budget.’ I said, ‘I don’t care. We’ve got to make it work. We got to take care
of these veterans.’ So, we ended up with 210 families that came through to get
free groceries.
“Right now, our #1 goal is to get the Kaufman
Fund name out to the public because the more people who know of us, the more
veterans and their families we’ll be able to help.”
A recent annual Trees for Vets event,
coincidentally held on Pearl Harbor Day, is a perfect example of Kaufman’s
hands-on work desire.
Held from noon to 4 pm at the Manchester
branch of Enterprise Bank, Kaufman was there to greet the driver and family
members of every vehicle that entered the route behind the bank.
Wayne greeting visitors and with Deanna Pfaff, Senior VP of the Enterprise Bank locations.
During the event, each family was offered a
free Christmas tree that was loaded onto their pickup truck or like-sized
vehicle. They also received a free $50 On the Run gas card, a turkey voucher,
sweatshirts and clothes, hot dogs, Cane’s chicken, and the cupcake lady with coffee,
and hot chocolate, too. Their children received brand new backpacks with school
supplies.
In addition to dozens of volunteers on hand, there was Wayne’s daughter Cindy Oberkirsch plus Creve Coeur Council member Nicole Greer (Ward 2) and daughter Sydni. CHAMP Assistance Dogs educational department member Bobbie Wieman was there with her Weimaraner named Opal. And no one can forget one of the organization’s Advisory Board members, Cardinals Hall of Fame pitching great Al Hrabosky, and a Victorian Santa Claus.
The organization’s site, https://www.thekaufmanfund.org/,
features about 20 relatively brief videos explaining precisely what the
organization does.
