Wayne Kaufman named 2025 Creve Coeur Citizen of the Year

(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.