10 Most-Beautiful Finalist: Monica Gilardi

Age: 40

Occupation: Gilardis Inc, and Succetti Inc.

Background: Monica has lived in Springfield all her life except for a 20-month stay in Los Angeles. She is married to Nicola Gilardi and has three sons, J.R., Nic and Tomaso.

Tell us why you love 417-land.

Family, my entire family lives here except for one sister who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The people are nice and it is a great place to raise a family. The seasons are perfect except winter has gotten a little strange! To have watched Springfield grow has been exciting. I love to tell my kids what wasn't there before like Battlefield when it was a field and South National and Primrose it was a field and a 4 way stop. I like to see the people move a way for a length of time and return with there families to raise them here that should tell us how great 417 land is. There are alot of places to live but people seem to gravitate back here because it is a great town to live in with lots of new and exciting family activities and also for the adults too. I grew up on Table Rock , spending my summers there and it is so close and easy to get to, that in itself is why I like living in Springfield.

Tell us about your community involvement and volunteering. (Please tell us what organizations you're involved in, what you do to participate and how long you've been doing it.)

We own a restaurant, so we are asked to donate a lot, so I feel like I give to all of them. I might not work directly within the organization, but I love the fact my husband and I are with in a business that can help raise money for these charities. Donating dinners is fun, and I enjoy choosing what charities I feel are dear to my heart, that would really need that extra boost financially. It’s priceless to know that you are going to get a dinner for 10 to 12 or sometimes even more together for good food and good wine and great times with friends and at the same time raise money for a worthy cause.

One charity that I have passion for is the Parenting Life Skill Center. Educating young parents is so important, and that is their goal. I feel it is a charity that is not recognized enough. I served on the board for three years then had a baby, so I have not gotten to participate as much as I would like to.

Just in 2007 and 2008, Nicola and I have donated private and on-site cooking for the American Heart Association, The Kitchen, Inc., DCO, Lost and Found, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Springfield Catholic Schools, Junior Leagues Crisis Nursery, Parenting Life Skills Center, Ozarks Food Harvest and Springfield Ballet, raising close to $50,000.

What makes your community involvement worthwhile?

The smiles on the people’s faces and the thank-you letters we get for helping these organizations keep going. There are some small, and there are some big, but they all count to us. Most of all the children's charities are the most gratifying. If I know that Nicola and I helped a child in need, that's good enough more me. When I look at my own children and think how much I love them and how many children are out there in not-so-good situations (such as children with parents who don't how to parent, or a child who needs a heart transplant or someone to make a child know that they do count in this world). That's why I want to do what I can.

Hobbies (Go ahead; list them all! And tell us why you love them.)

My kids. Cooking, believe or not! Tennis, hiking when we travel to Italy. And I love Pilates and little trips with my husband! Going out to dinner, shopping for bargains, hanging out with my sisters

What's something that might surprise us about you? (Or a story you love to tell.)

I always wanted to be an actress and a dancer. I did Springfield Little Theater some when I was younger. I played Velma in West Side Story and got to share a dressing room with Kim Crosby. She was one of the nicest people I ever met. I was only 13, so I was thrilled. She didn't live here at the time, so that was very exciting to me.

I have so many. Look who I am married to! A page is not long enough. Okay, I have one cute story. The first time I went to Italy to meet Nicola's family, he conveniently forgot to tell his mother that I was not Catholic until the second day we were there. Now imagine that one. (I am Catholic now).