United Way of Greater St. Louis (UWGSL) nonprofit partner agencies are important to the stability of the St. Louis region and that is why we are so proud to support them. The funding we provide is crucial to the programs and initiatives they implement to serve our region.
Without UWGSL funding, some organizations would not have the ability to help as many people. This is why the UWGSL Annual Community Campaign is so important – our community’s support means continued funding for more than 160 local agencies.
As our campaign nears, our Campaign Chairs Nina Leigh Krueger and Mike Dierberg, and Vice Chair, SiSi Beltrán Martí got a chance see firsthand some of the partner agencies we help fund and why their support is critical.
The SouthSide Early Childhood Center focuses on the importance of early childhood education and creating equitable and inclusive learning opportunities and support services for children and families.
While visiting SouthSide Early Childhood Center, their staff discussed their mission and vision, history with United Way dating back to 1943, their education and family partnership programs, and more. As they toured the school, the Chairs experienced their classroom settings, infant rooms, and playground.
“We love having people come out and see our facility and see our work. The best way to share what we do at SouthSide is to have people see our work in action, firsthand,” said Cleo Zundel, Development Director of the SouthSide Early Childhood Center. “We love welcoming people here. We loved getting to meet the Chairs and the different United Way staff members, it was a really enjoyable tour.”
That trip set the tone for the entire day; they went on to tour the Eagle’s Nest of St. Clair County – a transitional housing center for homeless male veterans, Gateway Region YMCA, and Affinia Healthcare. Getting to see up close how their contributions to United Way changes lives left a profound impact on them.
“It was great to see all the different types of agencies and to see the communities in which they serve and how they serve them,” said Nina Leigh. “It really opened my mind to the way United Way works and how their agencies interconnect.”
“To see a sample of what United Way does was really impressive,” said Mike. “It really drives home the point of all the work that United Way does to get us to the point where we’re giving to these agencies that need the money and uses the money well and serves the community well.”
Nina Leigh, Mike and SiSi’s primary job during UWGSL’s campaign season will be to engage with potential donors and encourage them to support UWGSL so that we can continue to serve people who need help.
One gift enables UWGSL to provide stable funding that addresses a breadth of needs for our community, including immediate needs such as food, shelter, and transportation as well as long-term support such as youth programming, education, job training, and counseling.
SiSi said her experience during the tour will drive her passion to encourage individuals and businesses to get involved and support UWGSL.
“I’m excited about the stories I’ll get to tell, we got to hear so much about the impact,” said SiSi. “Whether it’s an individual or corporation, I want to paint a picture for them of how what they give can make a difference and help people live their best possible lives.”
The UWGSL fundraising campaign brings together thousands of individuals, companies, unions, and foundations to help make a collective impact on the communities we serve. We hope to continue to unite people behind our efforts to make the St. Louis region a better place for our neighbors to live and thrive. Working together, we can continue to amplify impact and empower our neighbors.
We are more than a fundraising campaign. We are a movement.
“We are so glad that our campaign chairs got to visit our partner agencies and we hope it will bolster their passion for wanting to make this year’s campaign a special one,” said Michelle D. Tucker, President and CEO of United Way of Greater St. Louis. “Getting a chance to see for yourself how important your support of United Way is to our region tends to ignite one’s passion for service to the community. We are excited to see that passion from Nina Leigh, Mike, and SiSi.”
Take action now:
- Take a look at photos from the agency tour.
- Learn more about our 2024 campaign chairs.
- Share this story with family and friends.
