December 2019 Newsletter

Changing the Future of Nonprofits and Changing the Lives of Women

The annual SOS Holiday Coffee, generously hosted by Susan Block, was full of love, laughter and reconnecting with friends old and new.

But the big surprise came when Karen Kirk , CEO and president of Lydia’s House, announced that Lydia’s Pies would now be distributed all the way south to Memphis and west to Kansas City !

Lydia’s Ladle was the first recipient of a multi-year grant from the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund. Karen spoke poignantly of how this grant took them to the next level:

“We started making pies…And I thought to myself, what have we gotten into? This is way too big for us to handle, financially being number one – but we kept trekking, people kept helping.

And then SOS came along…

It changed the lives of our women. And it changed the life of Lydia’s Ladle.

The three-year, multi-year grant was a godsend. We were at the point where we were probably doing about $30,000 in business with Straub’s, Schnucks, Dierbergs and City Greens Market…but then we were at a little bit of a standstill.

What do we do now? This is not my background, I don’t know how to go to the grocery store with product. But more and more women were getting their resumes built, they were getting these great culinary job skills. They were being successful after leaving us — and I thought we can’t stop.

So that’s when SOS came in…

We worked so hard knowing that we were financially stable with this multi-year grant. The multi-year grant is so important because it gives that long-term outlook as to what you can do…So we started talking to a lot of food distributors across the country….

Through connections we made over the years, we got connected to Fox River Dairy. Just last week we sat down with the investor at Fox River Dairy, Dogtown Pizza and everyone there who is part of the Confluence Group and they’ve agreed to take on our product now and will handle all of our distribution.

If we had not had three years to do this, we would never be sitting here where we’re at today.”

Congratulations to Karen and all of the women at Lydia’s Ladle. And thank you to all of the women of SOS who invest in the belief that together we can make a difference.

Because we can – and we did.

Welcome New Members to SOS!

Welcome new members to the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund!

A big SOS welcome to you all!

New Members

Marilyn Ingaliata

Erin Torney

Marcella Stevens

Eriko Pope

Karen Smoller

Members Engage at Scholarship Foundation Event

Thirty-six members attended the Nov. 14 event, 100 Years of Making Post-Secondary Education Possible, at the Scholarship Foundation.

Nine staff members from the Scholarship Foundation introduced attendees to the work this organization does in the community, some of which includes: awarding interest-free loans and grants, advising students throughout the post-secondary educational process, and teaching students how to advocate for changes to current educational policies.

Students who had received interest free loans and/or grants from the Scholarship Foundation shared personal stories about their journeys to post-secondary education. The stories were intimate and inspiring

The evening was even made more special thanks to SOS member Crista Carr Shatz catering. The food was as delicious as it was beautiful, complimenting the informative, and heartfelt presentation of the evening.

Demystifying Nonprofit Tax Statements

Date: January 13, 2020
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Buckingham Asset Management, 8 182 Maryland Ave Suite 500, Clayton, MO 63105
Info: Understand how to evaluate an agency’s Form 990 as well as further your expertise as a philanthropist by understanding how a nonprofit is financially performing.Recommended for site visit team members, especially those new to the process. Learn about the important line items that give a clear picture of a nonprofit organization’s financial health.

SOS Book Club – January

Date: Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Where: Rise Collaborative, 8820 Ladue Rd #203, St. Louis, MO 63124

Info: The book selection is Moment of Lift – How Empowering Women Changes the World.

Melinda Gates’ new book is a timely and necessary call to action for women’s empowerment. For the last twenty years, Melinda Gates has been on a mission to find solutions for people with the most urgent needs, wherever they live. Throughout this journey, one thing has become increasingly clear to her: if you want to lift a society up, invest in women.

Registration and invitation to come.

GRANT COMMITTEE UPDATE

SIGN UP FOR SITE VISIT TEAMS

By participating in the Grant Evaluation process, YOU get to learn about the work of small nonprofits in the greater St. Louis area and get to know your fellow SOS members better.

Sign Up by December 31 to join a Site Visit team.

You must sign up every year, even if you served on a Site Visit Team in the past

To join a Site Visit Team, Please go to http://www.spiritstlwomensfund.org/

Under “Member” tab click “Membership Login”
Click “Member Menu” and then “Join Committees”
Select the checkbox next to Site Visit

SOCIAL MEDIA CORNER

If you have questions about SOS Social Media, please contact Communications/Marketing Co-Chairs, Anne Volland at anne.volland@nursesfornewborns.org or Gretta Forester-Gaffney at g4sterg@gmail.com