2023 is a New Year and I encourage you to Celebrate. Celebrate the special person you are. Celebrate friends and family. Celebrate St. Louis. Celebrate life. Join and Celebrate with the organizations that are hosting special events to benefit programs and initiatives for the St. Louis community as well as scholarships for St. Louis youth and young adults.
Save the Date for the upcoming events listed below. These events are planned by organizations that need your time, talent and/or resources. Support them in 2023. Remember: “Your time, talent and resources are the contributions that you can always give to the lives of those you are called to serve.”
The St. Louis City NAACP 111th Anniversary Celebration and Annual Freedom Fund Dinner will be held on Friday, February 24, at the downtown Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel. Suzanne Sitherwood, President and CEO of Spire, is the Dinner Chair. Adolphus M. Pruitt, II, is President of the St. Louis City NAACP.
The 2023 Dinner theme is “Increasing Youth and Young Adult Engagement and Empowerment.”
The event will recognize and honor several individuals, organizations and business leaders for creating projects and opportunities to increase the empowerment, productivity and community engagement of youth and young adults in the St. Louis community. These projects and opportunities encourage youth and young adults to lead, succeed, inspire and become change-makers as well as highlight the hope, spirit and future of the St. Louis region.
Honorees include: Kathy Osborn, Margaret Bush Wilson Lifetime Achievement Award; Kelvin R. Adams, Ph.D., and Dennis Lower, NAACP Legacy Leadership Award; Lois Conley and Nancy Cross, Ina M. Boon Social Justice Award.
Seven community organizations will receive the Frankie Muse Freeman/Norman R. Seay Commitment to St. Louis Award: Big Brothers and Sisters of Eastern Missouri; Boys and Girls Clubs of Missouri; Girls, Inc.; Student to Student-Newmark Institute -JCRC; Thelma V. Cook Leadership Program at Harris-Stowe State University coordinated by The Links, Incorporated, Gateway Chapter; Youth Leadership-Focus St. Louis and Young Professionals Network- Regional Business Council.
For ticket information, visit the St. Louis City NAACP website: www.stlouisnaacp.org or contact Shirley Brown, sbrown601@aol.com, 314-367-8739.
The 11th Annual Royal Vagabonds Foundation Leadership Awards Luncheon will be held on Saturday, April 22 at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel. Event Co-Chairs are James “Jimmy” Williams, Jr., and Nolan Ruiz. Both men are McDonald’s owners and operators. This year’s Awards Luncheon will recognize and honor several caring, engaged and “gusty” women who are making history in the St. Louis community because of their distinguished leadership.
The Foundation will present awards in the following areas: Dr. Jerome R. Williams, Sr. Leadership Award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion, Corporate Executive Leadership Award, Leadership Award for Excellence in Civic Engagement, Dr. Henry Givens, Jr. Leadership Award for Excellence in Education and the Emerging Young Leader Award. Proceeds from the event will benefit college scholarships for graduating high school seniors.
For ticket information, contact any member of the Royal Vagabonds, Inc. Gene Reece is President of the Royal Vagabonds Foundation, Inc. Herbert L. Buie is Grand Pharaoh of the Royal Vagabonds, Inc.
Watch this column for the date of the next Annual Ida Goodwin Woolfolk Memorial Gospel, Jazz and Blues Brunch, hosted by the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the St. Louis Delta Foundation.
The late Ida Goodwin Woolfolk was a dedicated Delta member of the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter for 57 years. She spent nearly 40 years as a teacher, counselor and administrator with the Saint Louis Public Schools. Ida served as chair of the Delta Brunch from its inception in 2013 until her death in 2016. In 2017, the Brunch was renamed in her honor.
Bernadette White is President of the St. Louis Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Mitchelle Price is Chair of the St. Louis Delta Foundation. Shirley A. Brown serves as Chair of the IGW Gospel, Jazz and Blues Brunch.
Brunch proceeds will provide funds for the Ida Goodwin Woolfolk Scholarship at Harris Stowe State University, benefit community programs for youth and families, and support initiatives and programs focused on improving the quality of life for the St. Louis community.
Calling All Harris-Stowe State University Alumni! Now is the time to renew your membership or become a member of the HSSU Alumni Association. By supporting your Alma Mater, you will ensure that students have the chance to fulfill their educational dreams. One’s pursuit of an education can lift the life of an entire family and impact countless of lives.
Harris-Stowe is taking charge to make the campus a hub of learning and opportunity. One of the best ways to support Harris-Stowe is joining the Alumni Association. 2023 is an election year for alumni association officers. Now is the time to become an officer, committee chair or committee member of the Harris-Stowe State University Alumni Association.
Visit the HSSU Alumni Association website and join today: www.hssuaai.com
Nominate a Doer: To keep readers informed on who’s who in the community, Shirley A. Brown’s column highlights a community “Doer.” A “Doer” is an individual or organization committed to making St. Louis a better place to live and work. Readers are invited to send “Doer” recommendations to Ms. Brown at 367-8739 or sbrown601@aol.com.
