News
Texas-size cowboy hats shared the spotlight with rhinestones and sequin gowns to light up the night as Assistance League of St. Louis celebrated a Rhinestone Cowboy Gala at the Doubletree by Hilton, Chesterfield. Cocktails in hand, guests bid on spectacular "something-for-everyone" silent auction items, a wine pull and First Choice Live Auction Item (chances) before entering the "rhinestone-studded" ballroom. Surrounded by whimsical tables adorned with genuine flower-filled old cowboy boots, the atmosphere was set for laughter, plenty of fun and some very refined fancy cuisine.
The 229 members and guests, all with Texas-size hearts were welcomed by President Denise McKibben and encouraged to raise their paddles to ensure that Assistance League of St. Louis continues to be inspired by "...the boundless spirit of compassion and unity that defines our mission."
Pictured: Lynne Turley, Rene Knott, and Sue Graham
Gala Chairs Lynne Turley and Sue Graham, along with a Texas-size team of tireless volunteers spent a year planning and executing Assistance League of St. Louis' largest annual fundraising event. For the first time, the Imagine! Program included ads that contributed substantially to the night's financial success, along with an impressive list of Sponsors.
Pictured left to right: Terri Spink, STEPS chair; Denise McKibben, ALSTL president; Janie Burse, a Ferguson-Florissant Students in Transition Social Worker
With school back in session, the Assistance League of St. Louis STEPS to Success program is off to a strong start. By mid-November Assistance League volunteers will have measured and delivered brand new athletic shoes and socks to nearly 4,000 students in 43 schools throughout the Metro St. Louis region, including schools in St. Louis City, Jennings, Hazelwood, Pattonville, Ritenour and Ferguson-Florissant.
In addition, because of a generous New Balance donation of 850 pairs of new athletic shoes, the nonprofit organization has increased its impact within other partner organizations in the community. Assistance League member Kris Lewis and Assistance League president Denise McKibben worked with New Balance consultant Paris Thompson to facilitate the donation.
The New Balance donation also enabled Assistance League to significantly expand its partnership with the Ferguson-Florissant School District, which serves more than 9,000 students. The district received 625 pairs of the New Balance shoes.
View the article in Town & style.
Pictured on the cover: Gwendolyn Diggs, ED.D., President Denise McKibben, and Author Michael Anderson with students from Iveland Elementary School.
Pete the Cat and other storybook characters, all costumed volunteers from Assistance League of St. Louis, paraded through America’s Center on Saturday, August 5 to kick off the Books from Friends program for the 2023-24 school year. Following the parade, volunteers hosted a booth at the Urban League Back-to-School Expo. Aspiring young readers who visited the booth received age-appropriate books to take home, with more than 6,200 books being distributed dur-ing the Expo. Visitors to the booth also had a chance to meet local guest author Micheal Anderson, whose Zoey Lyndon series is a favorite with middle grade students. Ms. Anderson autographed 300 copies of Zoey books and personalized them for the children. All of the books teach life lessons, and the author says she wrote the books so that children who look like her will see characters they can relate to in the books they read.
”We hope the parade and books will help these young people know how much fun reading can be” said Assistance League of St. Louis president Denise McKibben. “Last year, as our volunteers visited and read with children at Head Start programs and other early childhood settings, we distributed more than 18,000 books through Books from Friends to encourage a love of reading.”
Assistance League's Action Week is an opportunity for us to come together and make a difference in the lives of those we serve. With 120 chapters nationwide, Assistance League is committed to providing support and resources to families in need.
During the month of August, our St. Louis chapter will be raising awareness and funds to help us continue our mission. We hope you'll join us and be a part of this important initiative.
Your donation, whether it's monetary or in-kind, can make a real difference in the life of a family experiencing urgent need in time of crisis. Your in-kind donation will provide much needed items for families through our Outreach program. Your monetary donation will help fund our five community programs.
Thank you for helping us make a positive impact in the St. Louis community.
CREATING CONNECTIONS - BUILDING BRIDGES TOGETHER
Retired Corporate Manager Embodies Optimism & Pragmatic Problem-solving Skills
In 2019, when Denise McKibben joined Assistance League of St. Louis, she quickly stepped up to become co-chair of the Outreach program. Drawn by the Outreach focus on children and families in need, she never suspected that the Covid pandemic would soon complicate this new volunteer mission. Faced with challenges, Denise explains: " I immediately look at what our options are. I do not give up. I am very pragmatic and linear in my approach to problem-solving." Chairs Denise and Terri Spink managed 40 Outreach volunteers helping an unprecedented number of families during unprecedented circumstances. Requests for unmet needs assistance rose 250% during Covid and ALSTL Outreach volunteers worked over 2500 hours to assist 4604 individuals.
With her leadership skills proven during the pandemic, it's no surprise that Denise was elected President for 2023-2024. She believes in optimism in the face of difficulties and emphasizes positive feedback: "I always try to catch people doing good."
Denise has several major goals this year. She believes that ALSTL leaders "should continue to be more visible in the St. Louis community." She also hopes to begin development of a young professionals group within the St. Louis chapter. She plans to encourage the 443 members to become more involved and to take on leadershiip roles. Denise has proven that courage in the face of challenges and a positive attitude make a difference. Assistance League of St. Louis has met challenges in this community for 35 years. Denise has determined to Create Connections and Build Bridges Together as we begin the next 35 years.
Assistance League recently honored Jason Jester of Kwik Kopy for his continued support and genuine concern for our chapter. He consistently goes “above and beyond,” working overtime and on weekends to meet our deadlines. Jester is always patient with our members and offers creative and innovative solutions for all our printing needs.
It is significant that in Assistance League’s 35-year history, this is only the second time we have given the ALSTL Business Award. Jason has shown through his actions over the years his support for our vision and mission and is well deserving of this honor.
The need for a helping hand is astonishingly in high demand these days; the recurring query on the lips of many is where does one go for help? The Assistance League is proud to be an efficient resource for meeting these needs. Our Outreach Program chairs are constantly bombarded with requests from social workers seeking resolutions for serving the community.
“The Assistance League Outreach Committee always exceeds expectations.” This is what the committee has heard from several social workers involved. They are pleased with Assistance League because they know that Outreach will do its best to fulfill needs, and if it can’t, referrals to some other organizations that may be of help are given.
The chairs confirm that the number of cases is rapidly increasing. They say that they’ve already supplied 102 beds for the first half of this fiscal year, compared to a total of 82 that was supplied all of the last fiscal year. It seems that part of the reason for the uptick in cases is the flooding of 2022. People have lost their homes and possessions, are searching for new places to live, and need all of the necessities.
“Feedback from our clients is always positive toward AL,” say the social workers. These clients constantly express how grateful they are and how much help Assistance League has been to them. (One of the clients even said it was like having an angel land on their front porch when their items were delivered.)
To the Outreach committee, we say: Continue your mission; your assistance is invaluable.
Assistance League of St. Louis announces the addition of three new members to its Advisory Council. They are Dr. Gwendolyn Diggs, VP of Headstart at Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, LaVicki Hart, Senior VP Citibank Retired, Realtor and Relocation Specialist Coldwell Banker Gundaker and Chris Krehmeyer, CEO and President of Beyond Housing.
Gwendolyn Wilson Diggs, Ed.D is Vice President - Urban League Metropolitan Saint Louis Head Start/Early Head Start where she implements and promotes initiatives for academic success, community and parent involvement, and staff development for leadership development, manages two federal grants and multiple partnership grants. Dr. Diggs served as Assistant Superintendent in the Jennings and Ferguson-Florissant School Districts where she was responsible for overseeing district operations and opening one of the two Hope Houses. She completed the Saint Louis Business Diversity Initiative Fellows Program in 2018. She serves on the board for Building Futures, Magic House. She is the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis, 2022 Salute to Women in Leadership Awardee and received the St. Louis American Foundation Salute to Excellence in Education 2021 Stellar Performer in Education Award.
LaVicki Foxwell Hart is a Realtor & Relocation Specialist and recently retired from Citi as Director - Retail Operations & Performance Management. She received her MBA/Finance from St. Louis University. A Focus Leadership Class of 2012-2013 alumni, she is a member of the United Way's Women in Leadership Society and the non-profit agency's Charmaine Chapman Society. She recently became Corporate Engagement Co-Chair for the St. Louis Alzheimer's Association. She served as Chair of the Mathews Dickey Boys' & Girls' Club Board of Directors and led their challenging combination strategy in 2020. She has also served on the board of Junior Achievement, YWCA, and the Professional Organization of Women.
Chris Krehmeyer is President and CEO of Beyond Housing since 1993. Under his leadership the organization created a comprehensive community development initiative representing 24 municipalities in the Normandy school district who share one vision for successful children, engaged families and a strong community. He is a graduate of Washington University with a degree in Urban Studies and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from both his alma mater and the University of Missouri – St. Louis. He serves on the boards of Midwest Bank Centre, Community Builders Network of St. Louis, and University of Missouri’s Not-For-Profit programs. He is board chair of the national Home Matters movement and is the former chair of the National NeighborWorks Association Board.
The January 30 Everyday section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch featured an article, "Care closet equips students with necessities," in the KidNews section. The story featured a Chicago public school program providing students in need with clothing and personal items. Julie Hundmann of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) in St. Louis responded on February 4 to the story in the From Our Readers Opinion section about the NCJW Kids Community Closet Program.
Monroe Elementary School children in AL's closet
Assistance League of St. Louis Operation School Bell (OSB) program developed AL's closets five years ago, and this year, we have given 22,000 new items of clothing, including pants, shirts, underwear, socks, fleece jackets, hats, gloves, belts and over 1000 coats. Operation School Bell volunteer liaisons stock AL's closets in 24 elementary and middle schools in St. Louis Public Schools, several county school districts, and five district closets for students in transition. We work cooperatively with the NCJW to stock several of these closets. Additionally, we provide school nurses with hygiene and personal care items. Our unique STEPS program provides athletic shoes to the OSB schools plus schools in the Pattonville, Ritenour, and Ferguson/Florissant school districts.
The schoolchildren in this community have ongoing needs. Assistance League of St. Louis has 99 attentive volunteer liaisons who respond quickly and keep AL's Closets ready to answer those needs. We are very proud of the significant contribution we make to our St. Louis community. For 35 years, Assistance League of St. Louis has put CARE into ACTION.
