December 16, 2015
Local nonprofit gets a boost Recipes
Harness holiday indulging
Community Voices
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By Brenda Mahr
(From left) Stephen Knapp, Senior Development Officer for FSC, Cheri Tillis, Executive Vice President for FSC, Halbert Sullivan, CEO & Founder FSC, and Jackie Yoon, St. Louis Market President, Bank of America at the presentation of $200,000 to Fathers’ Support Center from Bank of America.
Submitted photo
Fathers’ Support Center gets $200,000 from Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program By Sara Hardin Since its founding in 1997, Fathers’ Support Center has assisted more than 12,000 fathers in the transition from being non-participating parents into active members of their families. Roughly 75 percent of the nonprofit’s graduates have gone on to be financial supporters for their children and the program boasts a 62 percent employment placement rate amongst fathers. The organization is being recognized this year after being named a 2015 Neighborhood Builder by Bank of America, and has been awarded with $200,000 of flexible funding along with leadership development resources. “Neighborhood Builders is designed to help high-performing nonprofits increase their impact across communities,” explained Jackie Yoon, Bank of America Market President for St. Louis. “We’re really proud of the fact that Neighborhood Builders is a program that can change the scope of a single organization with the gift of $200,000. It really does broaden their impact in the community.” Since its inception in 2004, the Neighborhood Builders program has awarded about $4 million to organizations in St. Louis, focusing on those which show consistent excellence in the areas of community development, workforce development, education and human services. After reviewing the accomplishments of Fathers’ Support Center, it was clear that it was deserving of some assistance in ex-
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“A Christmas Carol” panding its reach throughout the communities it has served for 18 years. “[Fathers’ Support Center] provides a comprehensive program to men who want strong family relationships,” said Yoon. “They identify and serve a need in their community and have found a way to make a sustainable difference in family values and the family unit while impacting the success of children in schools and job success in their families. This award will be useful in this organization’s ability to grow and sustain their impact and create a broader reach in the community.” The organizations considered by the Neighborhood Builders Program are asked to name an emerging leader who will have access to the leadership training provided in conjunction with the grant. This year, the title belongs to Bridgeton resident and Fathers’ Support Center Executive Vice President Cheri Tillis. “I don’t even know that I’ve fully grasped all that it is,” laughed Tillis, who has worked for Fathers’ Support Center for the past 12 years, also serving as its COO. “I think that it is a huge opportunity to even be recognized as the emerging leader here at the organization. I think this solidifies the trust that the agency has in me to lead going forward, and it’s always very humbling to know that that type of trust has been put in you. I haven’t fully grasped the depth of what is about to happen!”
Tillis explained that aside from the opening of the fourth Fathers’ Support Center location at the new Ferguson-Dellwood Community Resource Center in 2016, the grant money will be utilized for employment development and training fields that the agency facilitates with its fathers. She said that she’s especially excited about the opportunity to go through the leadership training which will begin next year. “I’m extremely excited about the training. I’m looking forward to being able to See NONPROFIT GETS A BOOST page 2
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Attack of the killer tree
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