In this issue: Big IDEA awards honor former CEO’s legacy; Youth In Need rallies for annual United Way campaign; and new Board members join Youth In Need.

Whose Big IDEA Is This?

After Youth In Need’s beloved former CEO passed away in 2017, a group of staff and Board volunteers decided to recognize Jim’s life of service with an annual award for staff who exemplify Jim’s attributes of Innovation, Dedication, Excellence and Advocacy. This year’s James A. Braun Big IDEA Award honorees are Debbie Gittemeier, a Family Advocate in the Early Learning Program; Tyra Grose, Staffing and Administration Manager for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs; Sarah Henry, Family Educator in the Early Learning Program; and Salam Saeed, Facilities Supervisor. Congratulations to the honorees and to the 16 other staff who were nominated this year!

Debbie Gittemeier, Early Learning Program Family Advocate: Debbie’s nominator said she is “an absolutely integral part of Lincoln County ELP.” Fueled by compassion and always giving 100 percent, what stands out about Debbie is her ability to build relationships with co-workers, clients and local organizations. One parent said, “I would not have made it the last six months without Debbie’s support.  I lost the people closest to me, my entire support system. She made it clear that I had support . . . she sat in silence with me when that’s what I needed, and we talked when I was ready.”

Tyra Grose, Runaway and Homeless Youth Staffing and Administration Manager: Tyra began her career as a Youth Care Worker at the Emergency Shelter right before the pandemic, and she’s already been promoted twice! Always striving for excellence, she embraces learning and holds herself and other to high standards. Her nominator said, “Tyra is a current and future leader at YIN and exemplifies the ideas of Jim in all she does. In ordinary times, Tyra deserves this award and in these hard times, she is stronger still. Residential programs would literally not operate without very dedicated, quiet doers—they don’t ask for much attention. Tyra is one of those people who just keeping getting the job done!”

Sarah Henry, Early Learning Program Family Educator: A true partner and advocate for families, Sarah helps parents problem solve and find resources all while building trust and rapport and giving encouragement and support. Always one to go above and beyond, Sarah literally helped one of her families escape Afghanistan and return to safety in the U.S. last year. Her nominator said Sarah is a “treasure” to her teammates and managers, always making others feel comfortable and included. “I believe her positive attitude naturally invites people to bring their whole self into any space that she is in.”

Salam Saeed, Facilities Facility Supervisor: Going above and beyond is just how Salam tackles his job. Every day, he ensures our facilities are well-functioning, safe, comfortable and inviting for our clients and staff. In addition to his many responsibilities, Salam has been highly involved with the Academy School renovation where he’s been on site daily to work with contractors. If the alarm goes off in the middle of the night, Salam responds. When the building flooded this summer, Salam quickly responded to salvage equipment and mitigate damage. Always smiling, quickly fixing problems, and coming up with ideas to make things better, Salam is widely loved and a huge asset to Youth In Need.

United Way Rallies for Annual Campaign

This month, the United Way of Greater St. Louis will wrap up its annual fundraising campaign, which supports 164 organizations in the St. Louis region including Youth In Need. For 100 years, the United Way has been helping people to create a stronger, healthier and more equitable region for all. With a continued focus on creating a strong safety net of nonprofits that can meet the vast needs of our community, the United Way’s vital funding helps us provide critical and direct services to children and families in the St. Louis region. And the best part of the United Way’s funding is that is flexible, allowing us to apply funds where they are most needed each year. Youth In Need is also holding its own internal United Way fundraising campaign this month, and our staff has already donated more than $12,000 to the campaign! Learn more about the United Way’s century of helping at helpingpeople.org.

New Board Members

Youth In Need has elected three new members to our Board of Directors. Welcome!

Ryan Arnold is the Vice President of Division Operations at Ameren Missouri.

Jasmin Marshall is a Child and Family Development Assistant Professor at St. Louis Community College.

Candace Runions is an Early Childhood Special Education Teacher in the Hazelwood School District.

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Shoes from the Heart for Children

Whether you’re young or young at heart, there’s nothing like a new pair of sneakers to put a smile on your face! And that’s just what Shoes from the Heart recently did for a group of preschoolers. Shoes from the Heart delivered more than 40 pairs of new shoes to children at Youth In Need’s Early Learning Center – Meramec and its childcare partner Hope House. Based in Missouri, Shoes from the Heart provides new tennis shoes to children in need throughout the country. With a focus on Head Start programs, schools and foster care, Shoes from the Heart volunteers deliver shoes and ensure a proper fit for each child.

Longtime Volunteer Honored at COY

Last month’s Celebration of Youth included a surprise honor for longtime volunteer Gene San Filippo. Gene received the first-ever Quiet Hero award for his 30 years of volunteer service to Celebration of Youth and Youth In Need.

Always helping behind the scenes, Gene was famous for going door to door to St. Charles businesses to ask for gift certificates for the Celebration of Youth auction. Gene kept meticulous records and always gave the business owners a chance to increase their donation the following year. For many of those years, Gene’s volunteer partner was his wife Connie. And since her passing, Gene has volunteered at Celebration of Youth’s Wine Pull with daughter Lisa and son-in-law Joe. While the award is called “Quiet Hero,” it’s just in name, because those who know Gene know he’s anything but. Friendly to a fault, Gene always has a smile on his face and likely a good joke to tell. Congratulations, Gene!

From left: Anita Viehmann, Youth In Need Board member and former Annual Fund Director, Gene San Filippo and Gene’s daughter Lisa Hale.

Youth In Need Welcomes New Board Members

Youth In Need has elected three new members to its Board of Directors. Welcome!

Ashley Bloomer is Senior Manager at Grant Thornton, LLP.

David Noble is St. Louis Market President & Director – Community Economic Development at Midland States Bank.

Rusty Putzler is Vice President & COO at Connectria.

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Congratulations, Graduate!

It’s graduation season, and Youth In Need couldn’t be prouder to celebrate a very special graduate.

Natasha’s story, featured in the 2019 United Way campaign video, is one of resilience and determination. And despite the circumstances that led her to Youth In Need, Natasha is so much more than what happened to her. “I am ready to show that to the world,” Natasha said from the stage at Youth In Need’s 2020 Celebration of Youth.

Tragically, Natasha lost her mom when she was only 12, and her subsequent living situations were filled with instability. She immersed herself in school, track and swim to help cope, but became homeless in high school. Fortunately, Natasha found Youth In Need’s Transitional Living Program (TLP), where she discovered the stability, compassion and support she needed to develop her potential. In addition to

support from Youth In Need’s staff, Natasha became connected to Board member Mary Krogmeier along the way. Mary helped Natasha apply for college and has remained a mentor. Resilient and driven, Natasha finished high school while she was at TLP.  She went to college in Ohio on a track scholarship, returning on holidays and summers, and Youth In Need continued to offer support and encouragement from afar.

Natasha completed her classes in December and walked in her college graduation this month. Mary was there to cheer her on. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for Natasha’s future!

Youth In Need Welcomes New Board Members

Since November, Youth In Need has added five new members to its Board of Directors. Welcome!

Kristi Borglum is an Advisor at Moneta, where she monitors changes in the financial industry and determines and communicates the impact of those changes on clients.

Dr. Maggie Johnson Glover, Ph.D., R.N., is Associate Chief Nurse at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, where she supports the hospital’s patient care services operations, focusing on clinical improvement initiatives, leader development and staff recruitment and retention. She also is a retired U.S. Navy captain.

Kim Hager is a Personnel Manager at QuikTrip, where she supervises staff, customer and employee relations, hiring, training, legal, financial and communications operations

Kirsten Malloy is an Interior Designer at eddy Design Group, where she works directly with clients to design spaces that best meet their needs. Kirsten also serves as the Co-Chair of Youth In Need’s Young Professionals Group.

Jason Parrish is an Associate General Manager for Econdisc Contracting Solutions, working with Cigna/Express Scripts, where he is responsible for contract negotiations and supplier relations of more than 5,000 generic drug products.

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