ST. LOUIS —
Dream Builders 4 Equity is a St. Louis organization working on many fronts to make a difference in the community.
Dream Builders Chief Executive Officer Michael Woods characterized one of their latest projects, House of Vision. He described it as an entrepreneur collective and training site.
“We wanted it to be a space where people from Lafayette, from Creve Coeur, all of these different places can come in north city, feel safe, feel heard, feel seen, and realize how special and amazing that this community is,” Woods said.
For House of Vision, the organization partners with young entrepreneurs who can use the provided embroidery machine and screen printer to make products, free of charge.
Woods says House of Vision allows young people to jump into entrepreneurship with a safety net. He was asked what media attention means for the project and the neighborhood.
“For a young organization,” said Woods, “especially a Black-led organization, we're doing anything and everything that makes sure that we're building that credibility and being able to be in front of as many people as possible. We know that if people see our work, have a real opportunity to engage with us that they're going to support. You're not going to walk out of House of Vision and not want to support. You’re not going to walk through one of our rehab sites and not say that this is an amazing thing.”
Dream Builders 4 Equity received a $10,000 TEGNA Foundation grant last year to fund a playground and daycare in the Hyde Park neighborhood. TEGNA is the parent company of KSDK 5 On Your Side.
House of Vision is on 14th Street near Crown Candy Kitchen. Woods says Dream Builders is trying to leverage their story to raise additional capital for a neighborhood daycare. While he says the TEGNA Foundation grant was “huge,” they still need more than $300,000 toward that project.
Woods says Dream Builders 4 Equity serves as many as 150 young people, ages 16-25.
