SEMO liaison wins Zonta Woman of Achievement Award

Tameka Kyles, a college-access coordinator at Southeast Missouri State University, was the recipient of the 2013 Woman of Achievement Award at the Zonta Women of Achievement Celebration and Luncheon on Friday.

The luncheon at Ray's Plaza Conference Center attracted nearly 450 people who came to celebrate the achievements of Kyles and five other women nominated for the award.

"I don't think this award is about me," Kyles said. "It's also about the women of yesterday, which includes my mom."

Kyles, who received her master's degree in public administration from Southeast, serves as a liaison between the university, the Cape Girardeau Public School district and students and their families while helping underserved first-generation students meet their educational goals.

She also served as assistant women's basketball coach at Southeast and with the Missouri Mentoring Partnership and Alternative Opportunities before becoming college-access coordinator in 2009. Kyles volunteers on the Gibson Recovery Center board of directors, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee at Southeast and Cape Central High School's A+ Advisory Board. In 2013, she co-founded the Sisters' Professional Network.

"I want to give the honor to God for giving me the ability to touch young people," Kyles said.

Other nominees for the 2013 Woman of Achievement Award were Candice Davis, medical specialist with the Missouri Department of Conservation and a U.S. Navy veteran; Dawn Dauer, community bank president for The Bank of Missouri; Frances Gould, field support manager for the Southeast Region of the Missouri Children's Division; Julie Metzger, director of case management and social services at Southeast Hospital and a breast-cancer survivor; and Linda McKinnis, owner and designer of Design Executives LLC of Cape Girardeau and a leader in the fight against sex trafficking.

"All six nominees for the Woman of Achievement award are deserving," said Shannon Daniels, president of the Zonta Club of Cape Girardeau. "They were nominated by Cape Zonta members, but to keep things impartial the Zonta Club of Jefferson City [Mo.] picked the winner. No favorites are being played."

Angel Woodruff

The Zonta Club also awarded Angel Woodruff of the Cape Girardeau County Prosecutor's office with its Celebration Award.

Woodruff, who serves as first assistant prosecuting attorney, earned a degree in English from Southeast and attended law school at the University of Missouri at Columbia. Woodruff joined the prosecutor's office in 1998 and was promoted to her current position in 2003. She has served as special prosecutor for several Missouri counties and cowritten an article about prosecuting and defending domestic violence that was published in the Journal of the Missouri Bar. Woodruff's caseload consists mostly of homicides and other violent crimes, drug offenses, domestic violence cases and sex offenses. She is passionate about cases that involve women, children and abuse situations.

"If I were speaking to a woman in a domestic violence situation, I'd tell her to get out," Woodruff said. "You might think that he won't hurt you, but you can be wrong."

Dolly Jewel

Dolly Jewel, a community volunteer, received the Zonta Club's Lifetime Achievement award.

"I want to work as hard as I can to help other people," Jewel said. "I don't see any need to stop. Volunteering is my thing."

Jewel has been active in the community since moving to Cape Girardeau in 1965. Jewel has volunteered at Southeast Hospital since 1978, completing more than 6,000 service hours, and has been active in Church Women United, Girl Scouts, Read to Succeed, the Philanthropic Educational Organization and Tri-Psi. Jewel is a member of First General Baptist Church, where she has taught Sunday school for more than 50 years and has served in every office of the Women's Ministry department and on many church committees.

In 2012, Jewel received Church Women United's Human Rights Award for humanitarian involvement in her community. In 2007, she was awarded the Woman's Impact Award from the Girl Scout's Otahki Council.

Jewel's focus has been the Alzheimer's Association in Southeast Missouri. She leads a monthly support group at the Lutheran Home and was on the first Southeast Missouri Area Advisory Committee for Alzheimer's disease. Jewel has helped coordinate the annual Walk To End Alzheimer's, and she received the Missouri Public Service Award for her 20 years of service with the association in 2008.

"My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the early 1990s," she said. "He passed away in 1997. I wanted to make people more aware of Alzheimer's disease."

Jewel ended her acceptance speech with a simple message.

"God has a plan for each of you. Be prepared."

The Southeast Missourian was a sponsor of the event.

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address: 3257 William St., Cape Girardeau, MO