May 2021 Newsletter
SOS Invests More than $216,000 in the
Greater St. Louis Community
On May 18th, SOS members, grant recipients, friends, and families gathered together virtually to celebrate the culmination of our 2020-2021 grant cycle.
In September we received a record 286 letters of inquiry. In January, 38 invited agencies submitted full grant proposals and participated in virtual site visits with 62 SOS volunteers working in small teams. The final ballot was made up of 20 agencies for our members’ voting consideration.
Since the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund was founded in 2006, our members have invested over $2.7 million in the Greater St. Louis community. Today I am honored to announce that SOS is able to award over $216,000 in support of the important missions of ten nonprofits.
I recently read a quotation that resonated with me:
“True power is living the realization that you are your own hero, healer, and leader.”
The 2021 SOS grantees truly embody what it means to be a hero, healer, and leader working tirelessly to make our community a better place to live.
JoAnn Sanditz, SOS Grants Chair
Announcing the SOS 2021-2022 Grant Awards
Casa de Salud: $10,000
Casa de Salud facilitates and delivers high quality clinical and mental health services for uninsured and underinsured patients, focusing on new immigrants and refugees. Specializing in culturally competent care in a patient’s preferred and/or native language, health care services include telehealth sessions, in-clinic appointments, case management and mental health therapy. Over 4,000 patients are served each year.
CHADS Coalition for Mental Health: $10,000
CHADS is an acronym for “Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide”. Partnering with local schools throughout the metro area, CHADS provides suicide prevention education, family support services, and bullying prevention/mentoring services for youth ages 5-25. It is the only agency in the St. Louis metro area to offer a wraparound menu of evidence-based suicide prevention, social-emotional education, and solution-focused counseling.
Dream Builders 4 Equity: $25,000
The Hyde Park Youth-Driven Community 5-Year Development Plan will: offer a summer academy for at-risk youth to develop leadership skills with mentoring on construction skills in rehabilitating properties; and will redevelop the Hyde Park neighborhood to build financial equity within a low-income, distressed community. In the first year of the project, 50 youth will be engaged, 3 vacant homes gut rehabilitated and 5 homes remodeled for senior citizens living in Hyde Park.
Eye Thrive: $25,000
The Eye Thrive Mobile Vision Clinic provides free vision screening, glasses and follow-up services so that no child in our community fails to thrive simply because his or her family cannot afford glasses. By bringing needed services onsite to schools and public libraries, the Mobile Vision Clinic overcomes barriers of cost, transportation, and inflexible parent schedules. Eye Thrive currently maintains relationships with more than 35 school districts and community centers in our region and more than 30 schools are on their waitlist.
Girls in the Know: $25,000
The Girls in the Know Empowerment Workshop Series provides pre-teen girls with fact-based, medically accurate information about physical, social, and emotional development and fosters open communication with trusted adults. The Empowerment Workshop Series will be delivered to 100 girls in St. Louis Public Schools. The series provides needed information to empower girls and increase their confidence in making safe and healthy decisions. The workshops are delivered by experts in the topics addressed.
Join Hands East St. Louis, Inc.: $25,000
The Join Hands Dream Path Program provides programming for children and young adults in East St. Louis that supports a pathway out of poverty based on education, mentorship, the pursuit of academic goals and dreams. Teens attend scheduled group and grade level meetings, training in Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence, and are paired with mentors, developing lifelong friendships. Education Advocates monitor academic progress weekly. Moms have a support care system, including diaper delivery, regular meetings and family outings. Incentives and rewards help motivate both teens and moms; they wish to succeed, escape poverty and follow the Dream Path.
St. Francis Xavier College Church – ID & Birth Certificate Program: $14,000
Through the College Church ID and Birth Certificate Program, trained volunteers are paired with individuals experiencing poverty and homelessness to facilitate access to State IDs and birth certificates at no cost. Without these legal documents, it is difficult to access services needed to transition out of poverty, such as employment, housing, education, social services, childcare, health and financial needs. Over 3,000 individuals are assisted each year.
St. Louis MetroMarket: $24,000
The Collective Thread: $25,000
St. Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective: $33,333
Save the Date
Saturday, June 5 at 10:30 am
Wednesday, June 16 at 3:00 pm
Saturday, July 10 at 9 am
Welcome New Members

Noteworthy








Member Resources
Congrats to SOS Member Justine Craig-Meyer for getting her JD from Washington University!
Grantee Corner

Social Media Corner
Meet Tasha Borglum

ICYMI
Here is a link to the recording of the 2021 Spirit Awards event held on May 18th 2021 https://youtu.be/l9nMFiZw8X8