Giving Good

One in five children in the St. Louis region lives in poverty. Many families struggle to purchase the school supplies children need to thrive. Your Convention/Meeting will help a child go to school feeling prepared and confident by filling backpacks with supplies such as pencils, notebooks, folders and crayons.

Stray Rescue believes that any animal which can endure the horrors of living on the city streets deserves to be medically rehabilitated and found a loving home regardless of cost. They operate two no-kill shelters and save approximately 800-1,000 dogs annually. Stray Rescue has cleared out entire dog packs in many St. Louis and East St. Louis neighborhoods. Stray Rescue’s mission is to lead the way towards making St. Louis a compassionate city where every proceed will go to the care and wellness of companion animals. Stray rescue looks for volunteers to help at the shelters so that funds received can be used directly for the dogs.

Great Rivers Greenway is a regional parks and recreation district created by a vote of the people to connect the St. Louis area. They are making St. Louis an even better place to live by building “The River Ring”, a 600-mile network of greenways and trails throughout the region so people can be active, get around town and enjoy being outside. This project will engage volunteers in stewardship of the Riverfront Trail located in the Mississippi Greenway. This trail offers access and spectacular views of the Mississippi River which is the largest river system in North America. In addition, this greenway provides floodplain habitat and is an important flyway for migratory birds. Volunteer efforts will focus on beautifying and enhancing the ecological value of this greenway. Depending on the season, the District will engage volunteers in litter pickups, graffiti removal, monarch garden maintenance, habitat restoration and flood cleanup.

Making St. Louis a cleaner, greener, better place to live! Brightside St. Louis is the region’s oldest and most comprehensive not-for-profit cleaning and greening group. They enrich and beautify St. Louis by restoring, maintaining and growing the community landscape. They make neighborhoods more livable, downtown more vibrant, the region more sustainable. Their mission is to improve the quality of life in the community by educating, engaging and inspiring people to make the region cleaner, greener and more environmentally sustainable. From Blitz to graffiti removal, Brightside works hard to make St. Louis a cleaner place to live. Cleaner neighborhoods make people feel safer. Mirroring their dedication to cleaning St. Louis, Brightside has the same devotion to making St. Louis a greener, more beautiful place to live. With community gardens sprouting up all around town and flowers and daffodils brightening area thoroughfares and public spaces, they green St. Louis. There are many opportunities to volunteer with Brightside – from downtown plantings to alley clean-ups and neighborhood beautification projects.

www.betterfamilylife.org Established in 1983, Better Family Life, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to building the prosperity and growth of the American family. Their customer base represents individuals who, despite their current situation, strive for economic self-sufficiency and independence by participating in Better Family Life’s enriching programs. Better Family Life provides holistic solutions to issues that commonly threaten the sustainability of the family unit through life-enhancing employment training and placement, education, housing and asset development, community outreach, and youth, family and clinical services. Delegates attending a meeting/convention in St. Louis can get involved in supporting Better Family Life’s mission by engaging in neighborhood beautification, clean up and basic repair along Page Boulevard in North St. Louis.

Since 1997, the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation has existed to mobilize the community’s generosity and to support the amazing educators and students within the St. Louis Public Schools. Over the years, they have provided schools with more than $13 million in resources. The St. Louis Public Schools Foundation is the District’s strategy partner with the unique mission of dedicating 100% of its funds and efforts to District strategy. The Foundation works closely with the St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent, District leadership and schools to ensure that the community’s resources support District priorities. Your donations of basic personal hygiene items can help ensure children are able to maintain good health.

St. Louis Area Foodbank began its service to the community in 1975. Since that time, the organization has grown to become the bi-state region’s largest nonprofit 501(c)(3) food distribution center dedicated to feeding those in need. Through a network of more than 500 partner agencies in 26 counties in Missouri and Illinois, the Foodbank distributes nearly 35 million pounds of food and personal care items annually. More than 392,000 people in the bi-state region rely on the Foodbank for assistance each year. The Foodbank gladly accepts food donations year-round. St. Louis Area Foodbank will deliver rolling barrels with their logo to the meeting/convention site, pick- up the donated food, and distribute to the individual agencies. While almost any non-perishable item is appreciated, there are some items that allow us to best meet the nutritional and household needs of those they serve. The 35 best items to donate are peanut butter, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned fruit, canned beans, bottled jelly, canned soups, canned ravioli, boxed/bagged rice products, boxed/bagged pasta products, condiments/sauces, boxed complete meals, hot cereal, boxed crackers, fruit snacks, canned veggies, bottled juice, boxed juice, canned chili, mac and cheese, instant mashed potatoes, shampoo/conditioner, soap/lotion, tooth brushes, toothpaste, feminine products, baby food and formula, diapers, toilet tissue.

St. Louis has a large number of charities that foster learning, improve health or provide food and shelter to those in need and rely on the generosity of individuals to donate items. The SLCVC’s Convention Services Manager will assist in choosing a charity that will align with the Meeting/Convention’s goals and objectives. Based on the charity selected, the SLCVC will create a campaign with a landing page and e-communications to get the message to your attendees to bring select items to donate to the “Giving Arch” in St. Louis while at the meeting/convention. Examples of donated items may include books, toothpaste, shampoo, toys, diapers, cat and dog beds, mittens, toilet paper, and non-perishable food items. The SLCVC will accept all donations and distribute to the charity. The SLCVC will recognize the meeting/convention’s contributions to the “Giving Arch” on www.explorestlouis.com.

The Kids in Need Foundation mission is to ensure that every child is prepared to learn and succeed by providing school supplies nationally to students most in need.

Children and adults hand-pack meals specifically formulated for malnourished children. They ship to 70 countries around the world