CRAINVILLE (WSIL) -- A Williamson County woman has been recognized for her role in big projects honoring veterans and her community.
Julie Aue has been very busy since she retired from JCPenney after 25 years. Aue is on the Board of Trustees for the Village of Crainville and is halfway through her second term. Many in the village said they appreciate her work recognizing all veterans, past and present, from the community.
On the Wall of Honor, located inside City Hall, are the names of 119 men and women who have served or are currently serving. When she started, Julie said she had four plaques. She put the call out looking for names in a newsletter and talked to people on Facebook, and the names came pouring in. Four of the names on the wall belong to her daughter, two grand-daughters, and a grandson.
The mother of three daughters is responsible for many programs, honors, and receptions that have been held in Crainville, including the dedication of the Veteran Memorial Overpass across Route 13. Crainville Mayor Ron Mitchell said Julie played a key role in the renaming of that interchange.
"She is a woman who knows how to get stuff done. She is non-stop. She is amazing. She has a heart as big as all outdoors. She has loads of initiative and on top of that, she is enormously nice," said Mitchell.
Aue said she believes in neighbors helping neighbors and recognizing those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. She said this was her promise to the community and she leads by example.
"I've lived in my house for 43 years here in Crainville, and I said, if I did get elected, I wanted to give back to the community and get them involved. That's been my goal," said Aue.
Aue just started the Sharing Cabinet, which is a book exchange located outside of City Hall. She also looks after the elderly who live in federal housing by making sure they have food to eat. Right now, she's preparing for a big food distribution after making connections with the St. Louis Area Food Bank.
The first food distribution will be this Friday, July 31 at 10 a.m. at Love and Truth Church in Crainville. It will be a drive-thru service to maintain social distancing guidelines.
The next food giveaways will be August 28 and October 2. Volunteers are also needed to help. For more information, click .
On August 1, Julie and her husband will celebrate 50 years of marriage, and many in the community said they are happy to recognize this dedicated woman.
