Danny Essner named Volunteer of the Year

Danny Essner of Cape Girardeau was awarded Volunteer of the Year by Missouri Main Street Connection Inc. on Friday, July 28.

Essner, a retired banker, originally from Kelso, Missouri, has served the Cape Girardeau community by volunteering at several organizations and on boards and committees.

He has served as the chairman of the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. During his time, he helped to get a half-cent sales tax passed by voters in 2008, which funded several projects and new equipment at the Parks and Recreation Department. Essner, appointed to the City Council in 2017, represented Ward 6 for eight months after the incumbent left office prior to the end of his term.

When Old Town Cape co-hosted Manifolds on Main Street (a car show sponsored by Essner's car club) almost 12 years ago, Essner became interested in serving on the organization's board. He started off as an Economic Vitality Committee member and "worked his way up the ladder" to become a board member, he said.

"Danny is not just a volunteer; he is an inspiration. He likes to take on projects that are challenging and gets a lot of satisfaction out of finding solutions to problems that seemed unsolvable at first glance," Old Town Cape said in a release.

At Old Town Cape, Essner has been responsible for preserving murals in Cape Girardeau, including the ones on the flood wall.

Almost four years ago, he helped to get the murals cleaned and repainted. He volunteered to plan the installation of 24 lights over the murals on the flood wall. Later on, he worked with the local artist, Craig Thomas, who designed and painted the river side wall murals. Essner eventually won City Council approval to use American Rescue Plan Act funds to implement the project.

"I'm very passionate about the murals," Essner said. "That's a major tourist attraction. Anybody that comes to Cape, the one place they always go is to the river, and while they're there, they almost always walk down the sidewalk reading the murals, because it tells the history of Cape."

He has also been involved in planning and executing other events, such as the Cape Riverfront Market, Riverfront Fall Festival and several fundraising events.

One reason for his interest in volunteering is that it provides him with opportunities to meet other people who are like-minded and also like getting involved, he said.

"Some people, when they retire, they play golf or go fishing, I like to volunteer. That's what I enjoy doing. I'm selective about where I volunteer. I only volunteer for things that I am passionate about. I like to make a difference," Essner added.

Essner said Cape Girardeau is a perfect fit for him.

"I like that it's big enough to have lots of amenities but small enough that you can get anywhere in town in 15 minutes. It's also safe, and people are very friendly. I like the fact that anywhere I go I'm going to see somebody I know," he added.