1. family and parenting
2. children

Around the
Neighborhood
SPRING 2015
Art & Soul IV
Using art to break down barriers
From left to right: Dr. Rena Beckerly and Kyle Schnurbusch; Jim and Sheila Schnurbusch, Art & Soul IV Chairs; and
Sarah and Cory Schnurbusch.
Sandy Montgomery looking on as Ms. Gundia Lock-Clay, Neighborhood Houses’ Resident Artist, completes her
Art-in-Motion piece.
O
n November 8, 2014, nearly 200 guests joined
Neighborhood Houses at Plush to celebrate art,
children, and community at Art & Soul IV. Guests enjoyed
cocktails, fabulous food, music by the Oikos Ensemble, as
well as silent and live auctions. Thanks to the generosity
of friends, Art & Soul IV raised more than $42,000 (net) to
support Neighborhood Houses’ programs.
Art & Soul is a celebration of Neighborhood Houses and
how art reaches across boundaries such as poverty and
challenging urban neighborhoods to help strengthen
children and youth. The evening featured many unique
works of art including many pieces created by the children
in Neighborhood Houses’ School Age Services Program.
Ms. Gundia Lock-Clay, Neighborhood Houses’ Artist in
Residence, and Ms. Stajah Curry, Neighborhood Houses’
Artist Assistant, donated their time and talent through an
art-in-motion piece. Both artists created beautiful works
of art throughout the evening that were included in the
From left to right: Walter and Christine Smith, Dr. Karen Siebert-Boyd, and Bob Boyd.
silent and
live auctions.
Guests enjoyed
watching their
creativity come
to life! Another
highlight of the
evening was the
collaborative
piece done
by students
Neighborhood Houses President and CEO, Darlene Sowell
with Board Member Charlotte Nenninger.
at Meramec
Elementary School and local artist, Cbabi Bayoc.
Thank you to the Art & Soul IV sponsors (see listing) for their
support and so many generous auction donors. A special
thanks to the event Chairs, Sheila and Jim Schnurbusch,
and the Host Committee Chairs, Tara Ricci and Mark
Leadlove whose dedication and hard work made Art &
Soul IV a fabulous success!
BENEFACTOR SPONSORS
Deaconess Foundation
Edward Jones
Carol and Ward Klein
ADVOCATE SPONSOR
BJC Healthcare
Bryan Cave, LLP
FRIEND SPONSORS
B.R. Bacon Consulting, LLC
Brown Smith Wallace
Tara Ricci and Mark Leadlove
Susan and Steven Lipstein
Lockton Companies, LLC
Sheila and Jim Schnurbusch
Florence Simonson
Christine and Walter Smith
TIAA-Direct
Krishna and Jerry Walker
Letter from the
President & CEO
Dear Friends,
L
ooking back at the
highlights from last year, it’s
gratifying to think about all of our
accomplishments and humbling to
consider the many friends and community partners who
helped us along the way.
After a great pilot program with one site in the summer of
2013, Neighborhood Houses was able to expand summer
camp to three sites in 2014 serving a total of 90 children!
We were proud to partner with three wonderful churches—
Hope UCC, St. John’s UCC (St. Louis), and Pilgrim UCC—
creating a new service model with great potential for
expansion in future years.
In summer 2015, thanks to a St. Louis County Children’s
Service Fund contract, we will expand summer camp
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Co-Chairs
Mark Leadlove, Esq.
Christine Smith
Vice Chair
Charlotte Nenninger
Secretary
Rev. Steve Westbrook
Treasurer
Ronke Faleti
President & CEO
Darlene Y. Sowell
Members
Ken Bentlage
Leisha Gordon
Alyssa Harper
Rev. Donna Kendrick-Philips
Ron Long
Caprice Moore
Mary Mosqueda
Jane Schmittgens
Leon Sharpe
Edward Sutton, Jr.
Krishna Walker
Elisa Wang
Richard White, M.D.
Mission Statement: The mission of Neighborhood Houses is to inspire children
and families to reach their magnificent potential through transformative,
educational and empowering experiences anchored in faith, hope and love.
Around the Neighborhood is published semi-annually to advance the
mission of Neighborhood Houses. If you have any questions or corrections,
please contact the Development Department at 314-383-1733 or e-mail
[email protected].
Around the Neighborhood contributors: Kathy McCadden, Ellen Reed-Fox,
and Darlene Sowell. Photography: Neighborhood Houses’ staff, Katrina
Shannon, and Ray Wandling.
services to North County with the help of host congregations
Immanuel UCC (Ferguson), St. Peter’s UCC, and Christ the
King UCC. The community unrest in Ferguson following the
Michael Brown shooting last summer, and the subsequent
grand jury announcement last fall, highlighted significant
community needs in North County. Neighborhood Houses
has stepped up to help neighbors in need for more than 100
years, and we are proud to take that step again in 2015,
providing a safe, enriching summer camp experience to
105 children in a hurting community.
After 15 years at the Delmar location, our administrative
office moved last August. Our staff are thrilled to be in
a new space that better serves our needs. Our deepest
thanks again to Simmons Bank and Applied Logic, two
generous friends who donated thousands of dollars’ worth
of office furniture to Neighborhood Houses after our move!
Happy New Year from Neighborhood Houses! May 2015
bring happiness, health, and new opportunities for us all to
serve children and families, helping each person reach their
own magnificent potential!
Darlene Y. Sowell
Please visit our new web site! The address is the same, neighborhoodhouses.org,
but we have more information about the impact of our programs, stories of children
reaching their magnificent potential, and easy ways for you to connect with us!
Thanks to Jim and Kyle Schnurbusch at OrgStory (orgstory.org) for their vision and
technical expertise in creating the new web site!
President & CEO
You can also connect with Neighborhood Houses on
Yours in service,
2
New Web Site!
Facebook and
LinkedIn.
Lou Huber
Leadership
Society
A long-time Executive Director of Neighborhood
Houses, Rev. Lou Huber was a unique individual
Thank You to these extraordinarily generous friends
who have made an unrestricted gift of $1,000 or more
to help Neighborhood Houses expand our reach in the
communities where we have been called to serve.
CHAMPION ($10,000+)
Albert Schaefer*
PIONEERS ($2,500-$4,999)
Carrie and Thomas Carter, M.D.
Elisa and Randy Wang
dedicated to enriching the St. Louis community. His
passion for believing in every child, every family,
regardless of circumstances, is an inspiration to many,
and a guiding force to Neighborhood Houses’ staff,
board, and volunteers.
The Lou Huber Leadership Society is a group of
individuals who share in Rev. Huber’s vision and belief
in each person’s capacity to grow, thrive, and reach
their own magnificent potential.
NEIGHBORS ($1,000-$2,499)
Carolyn S. Bopp
Robert Boyd and Dr. Karen Seibert
Ross Briggs and Susan Rowe Briggs
Rev. Cynthia Bumb
Jennifer and Keith Cooper
Margaret Engelsdorfer
Erica and Ken Gregory
Peggy and Robert Heinsius
Janet and Clifton Hungerford
Rev. Robert and Norma Keller
Lucy Ann Mehl
Jack Mueller
Carl Philips and
Rev. Donna Kendrick-Philips
Peggy Rausendorf
Mary Lin and Robert Siever
Christine and Walter Smith
Darlene Sowell
Bonnie and Keith Taylor
Diane Walker
*Posthumous recognition
To learn more about the impact you can make as a member of the Lou
Huber Leadership Society, please contact Ellen Reed-Fox at 314-561-3339
or [email protected].
3
Wish List
for Neighborhood Houses’
Programs
Gift cards:
(Target, Walmart, K-mart, Schnucks, Shop & Save,
Save-A-Lot, Home Depot, Lowes)
Paint for arts & crafts
Gently used children’s clothing up to size 6
New underwear (for children up to size 6)
New socks (for children for up to 6 years)
Medical quality exam gloves
Kitchen towels
Lysol spray
School supplies:
(Glue, Construction Paper, Paint, Pencils, Markers,
Crayons, Colored pencils, Loose leaf paper,
Notebooks, Child safety scissors)
Electric pencil sharpener
Mini dictionaries
Mini thesauruses
#2 paint brushes
Drop cloths
Butcher paper
Hand sanitizer
Clorox wipes
Paper towels
Tissue boxes
Soap refill
Digital Cameras
Enfamil Lipil formula
Diapers & wipes
Potty training seats
Soft books (for babies)
Outlet covers
Spray bottles (30)
High-quality thermometer
Plastic containers – shoe box size (20)
White board
Cart with wheels
Crocheting hooks
Yarn for crocheting
Plastic clothes baskets
Fabric for sewing
To arrange for delivery or pickup
of donated items, please contact
Kathy McCadden at kmcadden@
neighborhoodhouses.org
or 314-561-3337.
4
A STRONG MOTHER WHO
WON’T GIVE UP
S
arah has learned that all of life’s challenges
can be even a little harder for a single mother,
but as a strong and ambitious woman, she faces
them head on, especially with the support of
Neighborhood Houses.
Sarah has two children, a 16-year-old honor roll
student, Andrea, and a one-year-old son, Sam,
who is enrolled at Caroline Mission. Being a single
mom, Sarah knew that education was the key to
being able to support her family. She graduated
from Fontbonne University with a major in business
administration
and later earned
a master’s degree
in management
and leadership
from Webster
University.
Sarah has
a solid job
archiving military
records, but
had hoped that
her education
would help more
with career
advancement.
She is searching
for a position that
better reflects her
skill-set, would
provide additional
Sarah and her son, Sam.
support for her
family, and would help pay off her substantial
student loans. Even though she is struggling to
find the right job, she maintains a positive attitude
and says, “It’s just one of those things. You just
have to keep going with the flow.”
Challenges with finding safe and affordable
housing have forced Sarah and her children to
be homeless a few times in 2014. Luckily, a family
member was able to take them in so she was
able to keep her family together. Sarah, anxious
for her family to have their own place again,
rushed into a lease that turned out to be with
a dishonest landlord who didn’t keep up with
repairs. Sarah received a favorable ruling from
a judge to reimburse her deposit, but has yet to
receive anything from the landlord, leaving her
unable to put a deposit on a new apartment.
Sarah is grateful to be able to live with her cousin
again, but their current living situation is stressful
on everyone in the family.
Having Sam at Caroline Mission through all
of these challenges has been comforting to
Sarah, knowing that he is in a safe, nurturing
environment.
Caroline Mission has
also helped Sarah
herself. At first, Sarah
felt like there was a
dark cloud following
her around, so she
kept to herself when
dropping off and
picking up Sam.
Pam Harden, Family
Support Specialist,
reached out to Sarah
and encouraged
her to attend one of
the parent support
groups. She went
a few times then
decided she didn’t
feel comfortable
sharing her personal
situation with people
she didn’t know.
Encouragement from the other Caroline
Mission parents got Sarah to start going to the
meetings on a regular basis. They have been
very beneficial in helping Sarah maintain a
positive attitude and keep looking towards the
future. “You just think you’re on this rollercoaster
ride by yourself, but you realize there are a lot
of people on that same rollercoaster ride with
you.” Neighborhood Houses and Caroline Mission
helped Sarah to find a supportive network, and
she is grateful to the caring staff with their uplifting
attitudes that help to brighten her days.
2014
TRIBUTES
IN HONOR OF REV. JACK AND JOY AREGOOD
Mary E. Beaumont
Old Enterprise Foundation
IN MEMORY OF IGNA BALL
Helen and Michael E. McCadden, Sr., M.D.
IN MEMORY OF FRED BEJOILE
Jameszena R. Bejoile
IN HONOR OF CHARLIE BROWN
Frances V. Brown
IN MEMORY OF REV. HARSH J. BROWN
Frances V. Brown
IN HONOR OF KEN BROWN
Frances V. Brown
IN HONOR OF MIKE BROWN
Frances V. Brown
IN HONOR OF STAN BROWN
Frances V. Brown
IN MEMORY OF MARIAN E. CARTER
Carrie and Thomas Carter, M.D.
Barbara J. and Mark B. Doerhoff
Mary A. and Kevin J. Donovan
Linda and Donald D. Hardin
Cindy and Mike Hetzer
Carolyn Hileman
Marie R. and John D. Hixson
Kappa Phi Sorority
Hollis Kirkpatrick
LaMear & Rapert, L.L.C.
Mary and James J. Murphy, II
Brian Sparling
Marla and Thomas Wohldmann
IN MEMORY OF MARIE M. COLEMAN
Emily J. and Timothy L. Bailey
Deborah L. Hall
Marigrace A. Hoffman
Emily and Jim Kerr
Judith and Craig Lindquist
Marilyn and Benjamin McDougall
Meredith McMindes
Barb Nahlik
Amy and Steve Robbins
Gail L. and Michael H. Schneider
IN MEMORY OF REV. HENRY AND ESTHER DAM
Marydel and Victor M. Frohne
IN MEMORY OF RUTH AND ROY R. DRESSEL
Karen and T. Dwaine Sell
IN MEMORY OF REV. DEL ENGELSDORFER
Margaret A. Engelsdorfer
IN HONOR OF CONNIE BROWN ESS
Frances V. Brown
IN MEMORY OF JAN GATES
Jack Mueller
IN HONOR OF SHELLEY SHEPHARD
Doris Ditzler
IN MEMORY OF ARTHUR HILBERT
Shirley C. Hilbert
IN HONOR OF REV. BRYAN SICKBERT
Mike Readinger
IN MEMORY OF BRUCE HORTIZ
Jeanne Dill
IN HONOR OF CHRISTINE E. SMITH
Lyn S. Hurst
IN MEMORY OF CHARLES E. KIES
Margaret A. Engelsdorfer
IN HONOR OF DARLENE Y. SOWELL
Tim Fox and Ellen Reed-Fox
Gayle Yamaji
IN MEMORY OF RACHEL KIRCHHOFF
Leila Kirchhoff
IN MEMORY OF EARL W. KRUEGER
Doris Krueger
IN MEMORY OF MELVIN F. LICHTE
Alberta Lichte
IN HONOR OF CAROLE AND JERRY LUX
Margarette and John R. Boley
IN HONOR OF VERNA AND AL NIEHAUS
Rev. Ralph and Verna Faisst
IN HONOR OF ANN AND PETER REXFORD
Steven C. Shepley
Kelly Sullivan
IN MEMORY OF ELLIE SANSTEDT
Joan and Robert Mayer
IN MEMORY OF ALBERT E. SCHAEFER
Judith E. and John R. Buchheit
Terri R. and Scott R. Dankenbring
Jean L. Dudding
Margaret A. Engelsdorfer
Joan and Louis Fricke
Phyllis E. and Donald A. Fuhrig
Joan Giessow
Donald Green and
Majorie Weisenfels-Green
Carolyn Hileman
Janet B. Kies
Eileen D. Lischer
Robert McAdams and Philippina Dohrman
Louise and Jim Miget
Patricia A. and Vernon C. Mueller
Jo Ann Neimeyer
Janet and William R. Philipp
Aline and Owen Reinert
Rev. Thomas J. Ressler and Lorin Cope
Dorothy and Charles M. Schmidt
Mary Lou and Art Schuchardt
Suzanne C. and Phillip M. Skelly
Richard A. Spradling
Shirley Stoecker
Kermine Thies
Betty J. Tope
Leah J. Willson
Charles Wilson
IN HONOR OF CHRISTINE AND
SYLVESTER SOWELL
Darlene Y. Sowell
IN HONOR OF BETTY J. TOPE
Shirley Stoecker
IN MEMORY OF ROBERT A. WESTOBY
Margarette D. and John R. Boley
Leaving a Legacy
Including Neighborhood Houses in your
estate plans is a way to help future
generations of at-risk children and families
in need. For more information about
bequests, gift annuities, and other ways
to connect your legacy to Neighborhood
Houses, please contact Ellen Reed-Fox, Vice
President of Development, at 314-561-3339
or [email protected].
5
BOARD MEMBER
SPOTLIGHT:
Elisa Wang
O
ne of the first things you
learn about Elisa Wang is
her strong focus on social justice
and everyday opportunities to
make a difference.
Elisa has worn a number of career hats over the
years, from attorney to serving on numerous boards
to teaching legal writing to grant writing to church
volunteer leader to academic advisor. Her current
role is advising non-traditional students at Washington
University and she is also very active with her church,
First Congregational UCC in Clayton. Elisa uses her
great breadth of experience, many talents, and
natural ability to connect with people to help make
positive change in our community.
Her desire to connect with Neighborhood Houses was
something that evolved over time as Elisa kept hearing
about the organization’s work from various people. “It
was like Karma or grace or whatever it is that brings
you together,” she said.
Elisa had heard Jim Schnurbusch, a former
Board member, speak passionately about how
Neighborhood Houses had successfully adapted to
meet changing community needs over the years.
She heard about the organization’s work toward
social justice from Rev. Steve Westbrook, a Board
member and former staff member, who knew firsthand the work being done in very challenged urban
neighborhoods. Finally, Elisa heard a presentation at
Washington University by David Carroll, Chief Program
Officer for Neighborhood Houses, about a new social
enterprise program he wanted to start for teens. She
was especially impressed with David’s engagement
with the teens and their input into the kind of programs
that would help them gain valuable skills and work
experience.
After all of these touch points, Elisa knew that
Neighborhood Houses’ mission matched her own
values and she was ready to jump in. “I was delighted
to be asked to serve on the Neighborhood Houses
board,” said Elisa. “This wonderful organization is
making a positive difference in so many ways, and I
really look forward to helping.”
Outside of work and volunteering, Elisa loves to read,
cook, and do anything artistic and crafty. Elisa’s
husband, Randy, is an attorney at Bryan Cave, and
they have three grown daughters: Emily, a graduate
student in Russian literature; Laura, a science teacher
in the Bronx, NY; and Alice, a senior in college studying
art history and education.
Welcome, Elisa!
6
Mural done by the children in Neighborhood Houses’ School Age Services on display at Grand Center’s First Night.
Program Updates
SCHOOL AGE SERVICES
• E xpansion of Neighborhood Houses’ art program included a partnership with Craft
Alliance Center of Art and Design at Grand Center where students in our afterschool
programs attended classes in fiber, clay, graphics and metal studios. Thank you to
Craft Alliance for their contribution to the arts program!
• S chool Age Services had a great showing at First Night 2015 with an original threedimensional art sculpture, St. Loumination- created by students in our afterschool
programs. Keep your eyes open for our children’s
artwork in locations throughout the city of St. Louis.
GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT
•N
eighborhood Houses’ teen mom program is in full swing with ongoing recruitment for
a limited number of spaces left.
• P articipants are learning to become engaged members of the St. Louis community
through volunteer work including organizing a project to provide hygiene supplies to
the homeless.
•A
sia Brown of SIDS Resources attended one of the Girls’ Night Out sessions to provide
the girls with information on SIDS as well as providing the mothers information on how
to stay warm and safe throughout the winter months.
•Saint Louis University students with St. Louis Center for Interprofessional Education and
Research shared information about child safety with Girls’ Night Out participants. The
students provided a pre- and post-test with the results showing high retention levels of
safety information.
• In November 2014, two Girls’ Night Out participants, one former participant, and
Darlene Sowell, Neighborhood Houses’ CEO, were all part of an interview about teen
parenting on KPLR 11.
Girls’ Night Out participants being interviewed by Christine Buck on KPLR 11.
Camp MoVal, the highlight of the summer!
Campers at St. John’s UCC (St. Louis) participating in a robotics workshop.
The new mural at Caroline Mission commissioned by the Deaconess Foundation and painted by art apprentices
at St. Louis ArtWorks.
CAROLINE MISSION
• Thanks to funding for parental engagement activities from the St. Louis Mental Health Board, a group of parents were able to enjoy lunch and a production
of Motown at The Fabulous Fox Theatre while their children were cared for at Caroline Mission.
• The children are continuing to learn through gardening with the help of donations from Monsanto and volunteer support from many UCC churches, youth
groups, and confirmation classes. The Monsanto community garden had bountiful weekly harvests last summer and fall!
• Thanks to the Deaconess Foundation, a special mural (pictured above) was dedicated at the Early Childhood Education Center at Caroline Mission
on September 22, 2014. The mural was commissioned by Deaconess in honor of their 125th anniversary, and the talented youth at St. Louis ArtWorks
created the amazing piece. The purpose of the mural is to celebrate the United Church of Christ faith heritage, the spirit of children, and the Deaconess
Foundation’s commitment to the St. Louis region. As a ministry of the United Church of Christ as well as a past Deaconess Impact Partner, Neighborhood
Houses was chosen to host the mural.
SUMMER PROGRAMS
• Neighborhood Houses’ summer programming is back in action! In summer 2014, we increased our capacity from one camp serving 35 students to three
locations serving 105 children. We partnered with ARCHS, Hope UCC, St. John’s UCC (City), and Pilgrim UCC to provide a free, 7-week day camp and one
week of overnight camp for 45 children at Camp MoVal, all free of charge.
• We are excited about the expansion of summer camp in 2015 to North County funded through the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund in addition to
serving children for summer programming in St. Louis City.
7
2
Join us for our 5th Annual
Trivia Night!
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Sunset Hills Community Center
3915 S. Lindbergh Boulevard | St. Louis, MO 63127
Doors open at 6 p.m. | Trivia starts at 7:00 p.m.
Beer, soda, and water provided. | Feel free to bring snacks and other adult beverages.
Round up your smartest friends and join us for a night of fun to support Neighborhood Houses!
Raffles, door prizes, games, prizes for the top 3 teams, and more!
VIP Table of 10—$300, Table of 10—$250, Sponsor a Round—$150
TO REGISTER:
Online: Visit neighborhoodhouses.org and click on the events tab.
By Mail: Send credit card information or check made payable to Neighborhood Houses to
326 S. 21st Street, Suite 301, St. Louis, MO 63103.
By Phone: Call Kathy McCadden at 314-561-3337
SAVE THE DATE!
ART &
SOUL V
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2015
THE CARAMEL ROOM AT BISSINGER’S
HANDCRAFTED CHOCOLATIER
1600 North Broadway
St. Louis, MO 63102
Join us for an evening of art, music, food,
drinks, and a fabulous auction, all to
benefit the programs of Neighborhood
Houses. Sponsorship opportunities available!
Contact Ellen Reed-Fox at ereedfox@
neighborhoodhouses.org or 314-561-3339.
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