SOS member Shawntelle Fisher has been named one of 2020’s Most Influential Business Women in St. Louis by the St. Louis Business Journal. She earned this recognition as Founder and CEO of The Soulfisher Ministries (TSM) — an organization that provides pre-release and post-release services to incarcerated women, as well as services and support for their children. In a recent interview, Shawntelle talked about how her organization has pivoted and responded to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the long-term impact it has had on her business and clients.

Navigating a Charity Through Uncertain Times

“Flexibility, resilience, adaptation.”
These are key ingredients Shawntelle highlighted when describing how she led her organization through the coronavirus-related shut downs earlier this year. She not only had to keep TSM going, but also had to maintain programming and support for her clients and their children. The closure of schools presented a particularly difficult set of challenges, and prompted serious conversations about how to proceed.

TSM operates out of the Riverview Garden school district. When it closed along with so many other districts, Shawntelle had to make a tough decision about whether or not to continue TSM’s after school programs.
Instead of cancelling all together, she turned to technology. Learning on the fly, Shawntelle distributed Wacom tablets to young students, and used Zoom to keep them connected. With these two technologies, Shawntelle was able to stitch together a virtual after-school program, keeping the kids in TSM’s programs learning and engaged.

Coming Together

But there was little time to celebrate, because Shawntelle was facing an even more concerning prospect: with schools closed, the district’s free and reduced lunch program was also in peril. Her clients’ children would not be getting fed. Pivoting again, TSM reached out to the St. Louis community and found support from Saint Louis Food Bank, Operation Food Search and the River Garden School district. Together, they found a way to supply and distribute meals not only for the children of Shawntelle’s clients, but also for the children’s families.

The community was coming together, and that spirit continued when Shawntelle connected with Eriko Pope, through the SOS Women’s Fund. Pope brought TSM’s work to the attention of NISA charitable fund, who agreed to support TSM’s efforts during the pandemic. With a $36,000 investment from NISA, TSM was able to fully support its expanded meal and summer education programming.

There have been challenges for the incarcerated moms that TSM serves as well. With prison visits suspended, TSM was unable to run its classes and programs in person. Shawntelle worked with the Department of Corrections to bring in new technology that allows them to continue their Substance Abuse and Life Skills pre-release classes remotely. This collaboration continues to date.

Love for St. Louis

When Shawntelle reflects on the stresses that school closures, suspended social programs, and physical distancing placed on The Soulfisher Ministries, she acknowledges it was a daunting time for the organization.

“We stretched our capacity in ways I didn’t think were possible,” she said.

Much of keeping her organization alive rested not only on her personal creative and flexible thinking, but also on fostering a positive mindset in the TSM community.

“I had to avoid listening to negative news and social media,” she said, “I had to encourage, motivate, and empower all the people who TMS serves.”

Thankfully, there was no lack of support from the community in her efforts.

“St. Louisans love St. Louis” she said, “I knew it in my head, but during this pandemic I have seen it in action.”

Shawntelle recalls the huge turnout of volunteers who helped serve meals every week with the TSM teams. Their meal distribution volunteers even included the National Guard. For Shawntelle, the ability of people to come together in times of great uncertainty showed her the real strength of St. Louis’ communities.

“It was a beautiful thing,” she said.

New Beginnings

Now, as Missouri tentatively begins to re-open, Shawntelle is being contacted by businesses that want to help women with criminal records find stable employment opportunities. This inspires hope for TSM, given that employment is going to be more important than ever as society emerges, post-pandemic.

TMS itself has emerged stronger, and has expanded its staff in order to accommodate physical distancing requirements. TMS has also added a social worker and clinician to their in-house staff, whose efforts will help to better serve their post-incarceration clients.

Throughout the pandemic, Shawntelle has been both surprised and humbled by how much people rely on TMS and her leadership. And while she may not have felt like she was in control the whole time, she chalks it up as just another one of life’s curve balls.

“I am still able to do what I need to do in order to get the job done and to make sure that people feel safe,” she said.

Moving forward, Shawntelle feels that she can take what she has learned, both about herself and her business, and use The Soulfisher Ministries as a model for after school and re-entry programs for women everywhere, in St Louis and beyond.

During these unprecedented times the grants committee has taken the time to keep tabs on our current grantees. Listed below is a compilation of their achievements, their needs and how you as an SOS member can support them. Thanks in advance for all the efforts you make individually as well as collectively for these very hard working and deserving organizations.

St. Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective
Susan Colangelo, President
susanc@storystitchers.org

The Lewis Prize for Music:

• Story Stitchers is the recipient of a $25,000 grant from The Lewis Prize for Music’s COVID-19 Community Response Fund! This is Story Stitchers’ first national grant.

The Shelter Project:

• Story Stitchers is partnering with the Wellston Loop Community Development Corporation on a youth-driven collaborative project that uses the creation of an ADA compliant bus stop shelter and fence mural to drive public engagement about gun violence, race, trauma, gangs, food insecurity, addiction.
• The project also incorporates a rainwater collection system for nearby vegetable gardens, a hygiene cupboard for sharing free soap and cleaning products, and a community bulletin board.

How SOS can help:

• Follow StitchCast Studio podcasts and musical recordings at https://storystitchers.org.

Almost Home
Reona Wise, Executive Director
rwise@almosthome.stl.org
Almost Home welcomes healthy volunteers who feel comfortable coming to their location with proper PPE or creating videos or streaming live with classes.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Childcare
• Cooking with moms
• English and math tutoring
• Life skills classes
• Donor thank you calls
• Database info updates for donors
• Human resource filing and employee handbook updates

How SOS can help:

• Contact Almost Home volunteer coordinator who has necessary documents needed to track volunteer hours.

Angels’ Arms
Bess Wilfong, Executive Director
bess@angelsarms.org
Families at home all day (6-7 kids per house) need basic home supplies such as laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, grocery gift cards, snack foods, dish detergent, trash bags and twin sheets.

How SOS can help:

• Items can be delivered to Angels’ Arms headquarters at: 12128A Tesson Ferry Road, Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm. Call first: 314-842-8400.
• Link to Amazon WishList for direct delivery: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/MM03I3IICUFB?&sort=default

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, STL Chapter
Chris Martinez, Executive Director
cmartinez@aafastl.org

• Over 500 masks distributed to clients.
• RESCUE school program has open enrollment coming up in August; new processes being implemented due to COVID.
• Hired new Rescue Coordinator.
• Trivia Night is November 14.
• Currently featured as one of the charities in the GO! St. Louis Summer Passport Challenge.
• Partnering with the State of Missouri to get COVID-19 Back to School Asthma Kits sent out across Missouri.
• Also working on building Diagnosis Kits that will go to families that are newly diagnosed with asthma or extreme food allergies.

How SOS can help:

• Volunteers needed to help assemble 500 asthma kits for area schools. May be assembled with materials picked up or dropped off to do at your home.

Eye Thrive
Kate McKearn, Executive Director
katemckearn@eyethrive.org
The Eye Thrive Mobile Vision Clinic resumed back to school health and vision screenings in early July at the Lewis and Clark Branch of the St. Louis County Library. Screenings will take place over seven weeks.
Need for public relations and a publicity plan are big concerns.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Working with children to assist vision screenings (background check required); must be healthy and able to work outside in the heat; following strict health protocols (PPE can be provided); Wednesday, Thursday and Fridays, 8:30am – 2:00 pm
• Prep work, restocking, deep cleaning, general office work and data entry (Mondays)

How SOS can help:

• Because of COVID, Eye Thrive is limited in staffing and everyone is working to get the children vision screenings. Consistent and healthy volunteers needed.
• Help with PR for press coverage on resuming vision screenings.

Home Sweet Home
Betsy Reznicek, Executive Director
betsy@homesweethomestl.org

• Currently the only group volunteer activity available is to unpack boxes of Ashley Furniture at an off-site third party location that accommodates social distancing and hand washing facilities. 6-20 healthy volunteers wearing proper PPE are needed. Project involves opening boxes of furniture, separating materials that can be recycled and getting the furniture ready for pick up for client use. Timeframe is about two hours.
• Build a dresser for Home Sweet Home clients: Limited stock of IKEA dressers in stock and ready to buildHold a Pillow Drive: Think you would be good at getting your friends and family to purchase and donate new pillows? The most that one group has been able to collect was about 140 pillows!

How SOS can help:

• For information on specific volunteer roles: https://homesweethomestl.org/volunteer/
• To purchase an IKEA dresser for $65 and arrange pick up to build a dresser at home and return, contact Home Sweet Home.
• Link to Amazon WishList for household items for clients: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3O7OH3X2TXN6C?ref_=wl_share
• Now able to accept donations of furniture and household goods at the warehouse on Thursdays and Fridays between 9am and 2pm ONLY. It is extremely important to include only items clients can use, so please review list of items that can and cannot be accepted. https://homesweethomestl.org/accepted-items-to-donate/

Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project
Jessica Mayo, Co-Director
jessicamayo@mica-project.org

• Work continues much as before. While the Immigration Court is closed, most filing deadlines must still be met. The immigration agencies continue to function, so many cases are moving forward in that way.
• MICA is very excited about the recent DACA Supreme Court decision and the possibilities that open up for people who came to the United States as children. It’s only a temporary fix, but it’s still a bright spot of hope.
• MICA annual fundraising event – a trivia night – has been moved to an online platform. Sponsorships are being solicited.

How SOS can help:

• If anyone is associated with a company or firm that is interested in sponsoring trivia night, contact MICA.

Pianos for People
Matt Brinkman, Executive Director
matt@pianosforpeople.org

• Managed to provide all participating students with keyboards in time to have a productive spring semester of online lessons.
• Pianos for People is excited to be partnering with other local organizations to organize summer activities for underserved youth under these difficult circumstances. For example, kids at Gene Slay’s Girls & Boys Club will be participating in some of the online music sessions.

How SOS can help:

• If any SOS members have ideas for other similar organizations to partner with, that would be very helpful.

Urban Harvest
Clare Higgins Siegel, Executive Director
clare@urbanharveststl.org

Seeking volunteers:

• Small groups of up to 4 healthy people wearing proper PPE for general garden maintenance (weeding, watering, planting, harvesting, putting seed packets together, packaging food). Ongoing need.

Wish list items:

• 6 harvest cleaning and drying screens
• 6 seed packet organizers
• Stretchy garden twine
• Number of rain gauges
• 12 refrigerator magnets for farm office organization
• One dry erase board and several markers for farm organization
• Disposable rubber gloves for harvesting
• Rubber bands for bundling harvests for food donation
• Bags for food donation (compostable, brown paper or plastic recyclable)
• Hand sanitizer for use by farm staff, interns and volunteers
• 4 new or gently used laptops for staff working remotely
• New or gently used wireless printer

How SOS can help:

• Register to volunteer online: https://www.urbanharveststl.org/volunteer
• Donate in-person, Monday – Friday, 9 am – noon: FOOD Roof Farm (1335 Convention Plaza, St. Louis, MO 63103)
• Donate by mail: Urban Harvest STL, P.O. Box 56634, St. Louis, MO 63156

Volunteers in Medicine
Mark Renken, Treasurer
markrenken@outlook.com

• The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) has awarded VIM a Gold Standards Rating for 2020. NAFC and its 1,400 member organizations are dedicated to ensuring that medically underserved patients receive quality care. This is the first year that NAFC has made the awards. The awards are based on a member organization’s policies and procedures related to Administrative, Enhanced Access and Continuity of Care, Identifying and Managing Patient Population information, Planning and Managing Care, Providing Self-Care Support and Community Resources, Tracking and Coordinating Care, and Measuring and Improving Performance.
• After careful consideration, VIM’s Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to cancel their Annual Golf Tournament this year. This is their major fund-raising event.
• See related story later in+ discovering our community section of this newsletter.

SAVE THE DATE/ UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday August 19th 5:30-6:15pm
Leap of Reason book discussion Virtual Event – Zoom

Leap of Reason inspires leaders in the social and public sectors to take bold action to create more meaningful, measurable good for those they serve. The book is the product of decades of management insights from philanthropist Mario Morino, McKinsey & Company, and more than a dozen experts and practitioners.

Also honored by the St Louis Business Journals 2020 Most Influential Business Women in St Louis, Diane Drollinger of Network for Strong Communities and SOS’s Facilitator for our current strategic plan.

Congratulations to both Shawntelle and Diane.

GIRLS GIVING IS MAKING A COMEBACK!

After taking a year off, Girls Giving is coming back and we need your help!

Tell your daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and friends that we are looking for young women who want to make a difference in our community. Girls Giving is an inclusive youth initiative of the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund and is a donor fund under the St. Louis Community Foundation. Combining individual donations of $100, young women learn the power of collective and cooperative giving and the best practices in grant making.

Young women enrolled in grades 9 through 12 as of September, learn about grants, participate in financial reviews of non-profits and develop skills needed for site visits to local nonprofits who submit grant proposals to Girls Giving.

Each member of Girls Giving contributes an annual donation of $100. The group combines all donations and awards in the form of a grant to a local nonprofit(s) selected by the group. Through this cooperative giving model, Girls Giving can give more as a group than each member could give individually.

Together, Girls Giving makes a big difference.

If you know any young woman who is interested in forming new friendships while learning about the needs in our community and developing critical thinking skills that will serve them throughout their lifetime, please have them contact Beth Ann Riechman at fashion1st@msn.com or Sharon Abel at sabel.reply@gmail.com.

Remember when we used to gather together to celebrate. Eat, Drink laugh, put our arms around each other, and HUG. Looking forward to reestablishing such traditions in the not too distant future…