All posts under Community Conversations
The Empowerment Network (TEN) has provided brotherhood and fellowship to prostate cancer survivors and their loved ones at 6000 West Florissant Ave. in North St. Louis city for nearly 15 years. Although primarily African American men meet there, its virtual reach extends as far as Ireland. TEN exists today because of a promise to God […]
Davorka Marovic-Johnson, MEd, NCC, LPC, had a long history of providing mental health services to refugee clients from around the globe before transitioning into private practice. The horrors of war and the stress of adjusting to a new country can have a lasting effect on mental health and physical health. Personal history Davorka came to […]
Pamela Blair taught her children at an early age about the positive, and often hard-to-find, stories and histories of African Americans. When she noticed how other parents and teachers were struggling to find representation, she decided to open her own multicultural bookstore in University City—no business plan, just a hundred books and a passion. History […]
Beyond Housing is a staple in the Pagedale area. A foreclosure crisis and subsequent decline of a school district left the community struggling to survive. President and CEO Chris Krehmeyer says, “Our job with community folks is to rebuild the fabric of that place. To do that is not just one thing. It has to […]
Widespread research suggests that most girls stop feeling good about themselves by their teens. Girls on the Run (GOTR) works to counteract this through evidence-based programming that marries social and emotional learning with physical activity. The international organization strives to create positive experiences for girls in grades 3-8. While the pronouns “she” and “her” will […]
October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month as well as National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month. It’s also one of the busiest months of the year for Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support. A birth from loss In 1977, Sister Jane Marie Lamb began Share after listening to a bereaved family’s cry […]
Your aging mother has been feeling mistreated at a long-term care facility and you aren’t able to be there. You would like to install a camera in her room. The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program of St. Louis, now known as VOYCE, has volunteers ready to visit with her and advocate for your mother at no […]
Fathers and Families Support Center (FFSC) has helped provide stability to families since its inception in 1997. The last few years have been bittersweet for the organization: it satisfied a dream of a new headquarters in downtown St. Louis and continued successful operations during a pandemic. Yet the loss of founder and CEO Halbert Sullivan […]
The Reverend Shug G. will be the first to tell you subtlety is not one of her gifts. She and her wife Doris never dreamed they would end up in the Midwest, be legally married, and be so accepted in church. Shug currently serves as Deacon at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Ladue. On July […]
At the start of 2020, Melanie K.’s main concern was how her shoulder surgery in July would impact her year. She had no idea the COVID-19 pandemic would threaten even greater limitations. However, Melanie dealt with her obstacles in great form; she provided physical therapy to young clients, coached gymnastics with the Illinois Special Olympics, […]