On the Road to a Stronger Child Care System for Missouri
This grant is an opportunity to engage and cultivate more parent leaders in our efforts to build a child care system that works better for all Missouri kids and families.
SLOCA Says ‘You Are Not Alone’ to Women with Ovarian Cancer
September is nationally recognized as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Yet it remains a very lonely disease, says Susan Robben, Executive Director of St. Louis Ovarian Cancer Awareness (SLOCA). “If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer, you often will find many others that have gone through it or that know someone who has. Ovarian cancer is unique and patients can feel very alone,” she says. The fact is ovarian cancer is one-tenth as common as breast cancer, but three times as lethal.
YouthBridge Continues Impact Investing
YouthBridge has made a second round of investment in Justine Petersen in the amount of $300,000, as part of our ongoing commitment to invest more of our endowment in projects that strengthen the St. Louis community.
YouthBridge Endowment Funds: Parkway Alumni Association
PAA, entering its 30th year, has been doing its part to recognize the special impact of teachers and school staff through a number of grant and recognition programs. “The association was initially started because the school district wanted to do a better job of tracking alumni,” says Riutcel. “Over the last three decades, we’ve grown into so much more, fostering programs that acknowledge those who make a difference in our schools and that encourage educational opportunities for Parkway students.”
YouthBridge Welcomes Tom Gatti to Board of Directors
“You can’t stay inside your own ‘zone’ if you’re going to learn and grow as a human being,” says Tom Gatti. It’s a principle that he and his wife have lived by and passed on to their now-adult children. Gatti, partner at Black Twig Marketing and Communications, is the newest addition to the YouthBridge Board of Directors.
Caritas Fostering Loving Care for Every Child
Caritas has the largest adoption and foster care programs in Southern Illinois, supporting nearly 2,400 foster children and their families in 2021, and is ranked one of the highest performing foster agencies in Illinois. It also operates the St. John Bosco Children’s Center, a home for children who are too traumatized to succeed in foster care.
YEP Grant Recipient: CHADS Coalition for Mental Health
When Marian and Larry McCord’s teenage son, Chad, took his life in 2004, they mourned his passing but also worried about the next family to experience “a living hell,” says Marian. “Actually, at first, I wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out, but eventually I realized that the things I’d learned through all of it had the potential to help someone else.”
YEP! STL Recognized for Innovation in Philanthropy
The YEP (Youth Engaged in Philanthropy) STL!, a partnership between YouthBridge and First Bank, was recently recognized with an Innovation in Philanthropy award by the St. Louis Business Journal.
YouthBridge Endowment Funds: Stray Rescue of St. Louis
“An endowment fund provides a reliable source of revenue in perpetuity, Barbara explained to me, and relieves the stress of short-term, sometimes unrealistic fundraising goals,” says Dearsley.
Crisis Nursery, Always There
“Supporting overwhelmed parents is a key intervention for preventing child abuse,” say Mueller. “The COVID crisis made an already challenging life ten times harder for many of our families, and I am so grateful to the angels – my staff, our volunteers and donors – that made it possible for us to continue to be there for them.”
Merger Creates Continuum of Support for Those with Developmental Disabilities
In June, Pony Bird will finalize its merger with Next Step for Life, creating a “continuum of support across the lifespan of those with developmental disabilities that currently does not exist.”
YouthBridge Connections: Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri
“It’s amazing to think that we have this incredible benefactor and we don’t know who it is – that they care this much but don’t care about the recognition,” says Bonnie Barczykowski, Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. Recently, the organization received a multi-year gift from an anonymous donor that was connected through YouthBridge.
YouthBridge Endowment Funds: Jefferson County Library
The Jefferson County Library has big plans. After the disruption of COVID, the library district is back on track with its growth strategies including the opening of a fourth branch later this year, the development of programs and services for users from preschoolers to older adults, and its reliance on technology to elevate its impact on the community.
WEPOWER Thinking Bigger for Kids
When WEPOWER was awarded a $150,000 Think Big for Kids grant by YouthBridge in 2020, it was an investment in change. Change led by communities of color for communities of color in the system disparities that are limiting their potential to thrive. “The funding has been transformational,” says Charli Cooksey, WEPOWER Founder and CEO. “At the same time, YouthBridge has proven themselves more than a funder, but a real champion of our work.”
YouthBridge Connections: College Bound
Making meaningful connections is a specialty of YouthBridge. “When I first shared the vision of College Bound with YouthBridge, they loved the concept. At the same time, they were honest about the grants and funders in their portfolio that they thought would and would not … More →
First Capacity Building Grants Awarded
In 2022, we have selected the first recipients of our Organizational Capacity Building grant: HOME WORKS! and Springboard to Learning. Through these one-time matching grants, YouthBridge will cover 75% – or up to $7,500 – of costs related to projects intended to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of nonprofit organizations.
Lift For Life Academy Empowers, Uplifts & Educates
Lift For Life Academy had a good problem to solve. A donor expressed the desire to establish an Endowment Fund for the school, but “the problem was, we had no idea how to set one up,” says Marshall Cohen, Lift For Life Executive Director and Co-Founder. Cohen says the Finance Committee of the Board decided to send out requests for proposals to three potential managers, including YouthBridge.
Annie’s Hope: ‘Grief is Normal, Natural’
To honor our mission of partnering with donors around the sustainability of nonprofits, YouthBridge awards two Heritage Grants each year to child and youth serving organizations that are regularly supported by our clients. Heritage Grants provide $75,000 in unrestricted support over three years. This month, we highlight 2021 Heritage Grant recipient, Annie’s Hope.
St. Louis Area Diaper Bank Making a Basic Need More Accessible
2020 was a pivotal year in a lot of ways. For the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, it marked six years of serving the region, more than six million diapers distributed through 60 partner agencies, and the launch of a new initiative to expand resources for low-income women.
Veterans Find the Lives they Deserve through FOCUS
We honor our veterans this month and salute the organizations dedicated to helping them live productive and rewarding lives after service, such as FOCUS Marines Foundation. YouthBridge partner Wayne C. Kaufmann Foundation has faithfully funded FOCUS since 2016, helping the organization to continue its mission of serving our nation’s veterans in their transition to civilian life.