ST. LOUIS — St. Louis’ biggest day of giving is back!
On Thursday, May 5, thousands of area nonprofits are participating in Give STL Day, sponsored by the St. Louis Community Foundation.
For years, 5 On Your Side has been a big supporter of Give STL Day, and we want you to help too!
To donate, visit the St. Louis Community Foundation’s website and select your favorite nonprofit.
St. Louis is one of the most generous cities in the country. So do a little good today and donate now!
We got to know some of the organizations involved in Give STL Day. Let's meet the people taking your donations and making a difference in the community.
President and CEO Cheryl Jones tells 5 On Your Side that their mission is to inspire girls and young women to be strong, smart and bold! Cheryl spoke to us about how the program helped one participant succeed.
"Let’s take Deja, Deja is a student that was with us for 14 years here in St Louis. She continued, she is at UMKC and now she is about to finish with a chemistry degree," Jones said.
Cheryl told 5 On Your Side that non-profits like Girls Incorporated need help all year but here’s what she had to say about the importance of public support during Give STL Day.
"We are a non-profit and like most non-profits we need help all year. So with that day being focused on non-profits, if we could raise a whole lot of money early in the year, that would help our mission," Jones said.
Girls Incorporated focuses on STEM and other educational programs but since the start of the pandemic, they have been able to pivot some of their focus to the mental and emotional support of program participants.
We talked to PreventEd Executive Director Nicole Dawsey who told us what they do and how important your support is to them.
Nicole says that PreventEd educates school-age children on the dangers associated with the misuse of drugs and alcohol. But with increased substance abuse since the pandemic, there are people from various ages and walks of life asking for help.
Nicole also says that the ultimate goal of PreventEd is to get to the point where non-profits like theirs are not needed anymore but she says they are a long way from that dream.
Humanitri is a transformational housing program that does more than provide homeless families a place to live.
Executive Director Lourie Holtgreive is hopeful about the ability to affect change across St. Louis.
"We are truly focused on transformation and that includes familial transformation, community transformation and city transformation," she said. "We are working to build a stronger St. Louis one family at a time."
Lorie tells us that Humanitri has also provided technology and training for families that had to work and go to school online during the pandemic.
Officer Tamarris Bohannon was killed in the line of duty on August 30, 2020. His wife, Alexis, is helping support St. Louis students pursuing degrees that will lead to careers in law enforcement, criminal justice, social work, human services, firefighting, or Emergency Medical Services.
2022 marks 50 years that the Crime Victim Center has been assisting victims of crime.
Its mission is to empower those affected by crime to move from crisis to resiliency.
Executive Director Katie Dolton spoke to 5 On Your Side about what her non-profit does for the community.
“So, we work a lot victims of intimate partner violence, general crimes such as gun violence and then we also work a lot with victims of homicide," Dolton said.
Their staff of just 17 people works with nearly 5,000 victims of crime every year.
They also hold an annual Vigil of Remembrance for victims of violent crime and their families.
Got Your Six Support Dogs places PTSD service dogs with veterans and first responders. They train the dogs and arrange placements at no cost.
Executive Director Nicole Lanahan also told us that the pandemic has shut down many non-profits similar to Got Your Six Support Dogs and they rely on support from the public and corporations.
She says despite the struggles, the help they can give to those in need and the positive feedback they get makes it all worth it.
Kenneth Yearout received one of the dogs from the program.
"He just makes me feel like a human and I’m not judged and that the only thing I really needed," Yearout said.
Got Your Six is based in Illinois.
What is Project 5?
Project 5 formed in 2018 from a discussion with a diverse group of panelists who told 5 On Your Side about some of their needs.
The goal of Project 5 is to empower motivated, passionate people by helping them take action and make a positive impact on our community.
Each year, Project 5 funds five projects that improve lives. You can learn more by visiting ksdk.com/project5.