As important contributors to the St. Louis nonprofit community, WIN Warehouse members all have values that can be found in their respective mission statements. While each and every member is unique, we’d like to highlight one in particular who aims to empower people to transform their lives, families, and neighborhoods. They are known as Mission: St. Louis.
It all begins with a relationship. With the relationship established, Mission: St. Louis walks with their clients through their offered programs, and in turn, breaks the cycle of poverty. Three major programs work hand-in-hand to accomplish major changes not only in an individual, but also in entire families. Those programs include:
Beyond School: for Education
This is a year-round program that takes place outside school hours. The goal is to take under-resourced third- to tenth-grade students, get them on the best path to graduate high school, and give them skills to thrive in college and in gaining employment. Most students entering the program are an average of one and a half grade levels behind in reading. Many students progress two to four months in reading, science and math for every month they attend this program while gaining social-emotional skills in the process.
Beyond Jobs: for Employment
This program equips individuals with Job and Leadership Training (JLT) along with a community of support and employment opportunities that give legal, livable-wage jobs. Mission: St. Louis’ vision definitely got it right. Only 16 percent of men are working when they enter JLT. Two months later, over 60 percent are employed. Five months after that, more that 73 percent are employed. This program contributes more than just income. JLT provides safety, opportunity, and health for a better future.
Beyond Charity: for Community
This broad-spectrum program is in place for the rest of the needs of the community. The program includes:
- Affordable Christmas
- served over 300 St. Louis families in December 2018
- Senior Services
- Healthy Home Repair
- Tax Prep and more
How WIN Has Helped
At the beginning of our relationship, the majority of the donations Mission: St. Louis received was for their Jobs and Leadership Training clients. WIN and Mission: St. Louis worked together to create a voucher system for the clients going to work so that they started off on the right foot. The types of donated products the JLT clients needed were steel-toed shoes or boots and sometimes other necessary items like a tool belt or work jacket.
“WIN has been so good to us in helping to meet concrete needs of our community members,” says Mission: St. Louis’ Nikki Kamp. “One awesome way they’ve helped is by getting things like dress shoes for the men who go through our JLT program, to be used at jobs, interviews, and worn on graduation day. It means so much to be able to provide something as simple but meaningful as a nice pair of shoes. Thank you, WIN!”
The most exciting donations to date were toys to help families in the Affordable Christmas program. WIN received its first toy donation in 2017 and Mission: St. Louis benefited from 14 pallets of assorted toys. In 2018, WIN once again had the opportunity to distribute toys and donated assorted Imperial Toy and PLAYMOBIL® toys to the organization. In total, these toy donations saved Mission: St. Louis more than $43,000 that went back into helping the St. Louis community.
In March of 2019, WIN hosted a Grand Re-opening to show off its newly renovated showroom, conference, and office space as well as celebrate its many nonprofit relationships. WIN was honored to have Mission: St. Louis’ CEO, Josh Wilson speak at the event. Josh spoke passionately about the types of relationships that impact the community, and specifically how WIN’s team took a genuine and active interest in what drives the passion behind Mission: St. Louis’ success.
If you want to learn more about how to become a member and save like Mission: St. Louis, please contact us at (314) 385-3006! In the meantime, read up on all the fantastic work that this nonprofit is doing by visiting them at www.missionstl.org.