The Batavia Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that the 2023 Donna Dallesasse Award winner is Kathy Barkei, a real estate broker with Fox Valley Real Estate, Kathy Barkei team. Kathy has been a Batavia Chamber member for 28 years, originally joining in March 1995 as a realtor with Realty Executives.
Every year, the Batavia Chamber holds a fall celebration to gather community members together to celebrate one Chamber member who has displayed an outstanding commitment and dedication to the Chamber’s mission, vision, and values. This member is recognized as the annual Donna Dallesasse Award recipient.
Although the length of Kathy’s membership is noteworthy, more compelling is her commitment to be an active member. She’s served as the head of the philanthropy committee of the Batavia Women in Business (BWIB) Council for years. BWIB’s annual holiday luncheon features tables of raffle baskets to raise money for the Batavia United Way’s Adopt A Family program and the Batavia ACCESS toy drive. Council members ask area businesses for donations toward these baskets.
“I would hazard a guess that Kathy Barkei brought in a good percentage of those (raffle) donations, perhaps most of them,” wrote Shirley Mott of The Write Word Copywriting and Editorial Services in a nomination letter.
Kathy is a valued ambassador for the Batavia Chamber as well, earning Ambassador of the Year honors in 2019. She has a deep kinship to business owners/managers and diligently makes monthly calls on the Chamber’s behalf to fellow Chamber members.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated and dependable person as a member and one of our ambassadors,” commented Margaret Perreault, president and CEO of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. “Kathy is invariably the first person to volunteer when we need help with event registrations or other tasks. Her generosity of time is immeasurable.”
Kathy grew up in Batavia, married her high school sweetheart, Randy, and raised their five children in the community and now has 12 grandchildren. Kathy’s father and grandfather owned businesses in Batavia, Perna’s Shoe Store and the Batavia Meat Market respectively, which likely contributed to her genuine connection to local businesses.
The Batavia Chamber of Commerce is not the only organization that has benefited from Kathy’s dedication and volunteerism. Besides the various schools attended by her children and grandchildren, her church, Holy Cross of Batavia, and the board of realtors have been blessed with her knowledge, commitment, and help. She is now, and always has been dedicated to all things Batavia.
Kathy said that she was humbled to learn that she was named the recipient of the Donna Dallesasse Award. When asked about her dedication to the Batavia Chamber of Commerce, Kathy replied, “I like the camaraderie of the people in the Chamber, being with them and the infusion of different ideas that comes from being an active part of the Chamber.”
It is no doubt that is why the Chamber needn’t ask Kathy to help, she will be there. Kathy Barkei becomes the 17th recipient of the Donna Dallesasse Award at Chamber Cheers on Thursday, Oct. 5. Chamber members and the public are invited to join us as we pop the cork to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce. The event takes place at Enticing Cuisine Banquets, 1117 N. Washington Street (Rte. 25) in Batavia, beginning at 6 p.m.
At Chamber Cheers we will also hand out our Membership Milestone Awards, with four members receiving the 25-Year Award. We are thankful for their commitment to Batavia and in particular, the business community that the Batavia Chamber supports. Those receiving the 25-Year Milestone are Batavia Access Television (BATV), the Batavia ACCESS Committee, Batavia United Way, and Old Second National Bank. Along with applauding our milestone awardees, we’ll congratulate the Georgene Kauth O’Dwyer Ambassador of the Year honoree.
Tickets to Chamber Cheers cost $50 per person, which includes food, music, a drink ticket, and a raffle ticket to win the door prize of $1000 in Batavia Chamber Bucks. A cash bar will be available and casual attire is welcomed. Registration for Chamber Cheers is required. To guarantee your spot, please call (630) 879-7134 or visit https://www.bataviachamber.org/events to register online promptly.
Sponsorships are still available, including an unlimited number of Cheers Sponsorships for $70 each to commemorate 70 years of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce’s unwavering support of local businesses and the Batavia community. Contact Patti Anselme, special events coordinator, for more information. She can be reached at (630) 879-7134, Ext. 3 or email patti@bataviachamber.org.
About Batavia Chamber of Commerce:
A local business-centered organization, the Batavia Chamber of Commerce sponsors or is involved with several annual Batavia events, including the Annual Mayor’s Breakfast, Citizen of the Year/Ole Awards Event, and much more. The president and CEO is Margaret Perreault. Membership and information about upcoming Batavia Chamber and community events are available online at bataviachamber.org or by calling (630) 879-7134.
— Batavia Chamber of Commerce