Adams Elementary School lies at the heart of the Forest Park South-East neighborhood, where we are located. Adams is part of the provisionally accredited St. Louis Public Schools district. We offer several programs in the school to support their staff and students.

MORNING READING

Youths work one-on-one with a volunteer on a weekly basis to reinforce their classroom literacy lessons. Students have an opportunity to practice their reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Volunteers are asked to volunteer at least once a week, to ensure that a helpful, healthy and effective relationship is built to empower each student toward success.

ADOPT-A-CLASS

Teachers have a lot on their plates, and as much as they’d like to to, they have a hard time meeting the needs of every child in the classroom. That’s where we come in. Each week we place volunteers in classrooms to assist teachers with day-to-day necessities. From tutoring students to running errands for teachers, our volunteers make it possible for teachers to fill the greatest necessities in their classrooms.

Interested in helping? Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Britney Dawkins at britneydawkins@missionstl.org

The Senior Services Program strives to make neighborhoods places where older adults may thrive. Our Senior Services program offers support to older adults in two ways: 1. City-wide direct support services, and 2. Neighborhood-based church ministries (SAJE Senior Ministry and South County Senior Ministry).

Within our church ministries (South County and SAJE), we are committed to transforming these neighborhoods by building dynamic partnerships that coordinate, cooperate and collaborate to improve the quality of life of older adults. Through our programs and services, we seek to promote successful aging by supporting our seniors to live safely in their homes, lead a physically and spiritually active life and remain engaged in their community. We strive to focus on their strengths and talents and to facilitate their helping one another through a network of sites and people within their community.
 

If you would like to get more information about the Senior Services program, please contact us at (314) 664-9700.

Interested in volunteering with our Senior Services? Check out volunteer opportunities here.

TOOL LIBRARY

If you’re a volunteer and located in the Mission: St. Louis neighborhood, we provide an extensive library of tools for your next fix-it project. From saws and hammers to nuts and bolts, we’re sure we have something that you’ll need. Stop by the Mission: St. Louis office or give us a call to see what tools we have.

Interested in volunteering with our Home Repair Program? Check out volunteer opportunities here.

Do you want to apply to have a Home Repair completed? Please fill out an application here.

Every year, Mission: St. Louis partners with the Metro St. Louis Tax Coalition to run VITA, the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. It is one of many free programs offered by the IRS to assist low to moderate income families with preparing their own tax returns and is free for the clients we serve. Through our Tax Prep program, we strive to promote financial stability and independence in the community.

If you need help with your tax returns and have an average income of $49,000 and below, Mission: St. Louis will have specific days closer to Tax Season that you can receive free aid from IRS-certified volunteers.

    For Tax Prep to run successfully, Mission: St. Louis and VITA depend on community volunteers to assist with the tax preparations. We provide all of the necessary training and resources, as well as the facilities and supervisors. With your help, we can improve the economic well-being of individuals and families right in your community.

If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact Britney Dawkins at britney.dawkins@missionstl.org.

Affordable Christmas is an empowering holiday event that offers a dignified way to help under-resourced parents to provide a comfortable and joyful Christmas for their children. Rather than giving away gifts, we work effectively to provide families with a unique experience. How it works:

Throughout the fall, we collect new toys and cash donations and create a store for the families to come to.

Invited families shop at drastically reduced prices in order to purchase new Christmas gifts for their children. 

With the generous contributions from donors and hundreds of volunteers helping with the event, Affordable Christmas has served more than five thousand children since 2006!

How You Can Help

Make donations of new toys and money. Check out our wishlist for this year’s event!

Host a Toy Drive: Whether it is with your church, employer or family and friends, you can make a huge difference in a family’s Christmas by gathering toys for Affordable Christmas.

Volunteer: Many hands go into making Affordable Christmas possible year after year. There are many ways to volunteer, whether you are signing up with your community group or as an individual. Please contact Britney at britney.dawkins@missionstl.org for more information on volunteering.Click here for a list of toy donation drop off sites.

To find out more about Affordable Christmas, watch our video here.

For any further questions, email Liz at liz.roscano@missionstl.org.

Questions? Check out our FAQ list here.

The Mission: St. Louis VISTA Program is a full-time AmeriCorps VISTA Program for organizations and individuals interested in developing lasting solutions to the problems of poverty in the greater St. Louis area. Mission: St. Louis serves as an umbrella agency with the Corporation for National and Community Service with the purpose of streamlining the application process. Instead of managing an entire federal grant, Mission: St. Louis host sites are provided with technical assistance to manage their projects and benefit from a streamlined reporting process. AmeriCorps VISTAs within the umbrella benefit with monthly trainings from local experts in the nonprofit field. They also are able to connect through networking, social events and community service projects.

Please look at the Mission: St. Louis VISTA Umbrella site HERE.

Why VISTA?

AmeriCorps* VISTA members serve in community and faith-based nonprofit organizations as well as other agencies and local governments to develop and expand services and programs that help bring low-income individuals and families out of poverty.

AmeriCorps* VISTA helps individuals and communities develop grassroots solutions to alleviate poverty.

AmeriCorps* VISTA members, who serve full time for a year through their sponsoring site, recruit community volunteers, raise funds, help manage projects and otherwise build capacity of nonprofit organizations to become sustainable.

Members receive either an Education Award of $5,645 to pay for college, grad school or to pay back qualified student loans, or a $1,500 stipend. Members receive a living allowance, as well as healthcare, childcare, training, relocation expenses and liability insurance.

Is VISTA Right for Your Organization?

In determining whether AmeriCorps* VISTA is the right match for your organization, think about the kinds of activities members will be expected to perform. The role of the AmeriCorps* VISTA member is primarily to build the capacity and sustainability of the project and community, and ultimately to work themselves out of a position.

While direct service and capacity-building activities are both integral strategies for effective national service programs, VISTA members primarily perform indirect service rather than direct service.  

How to Apply

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year; there is not one deadline. However, a VISTA member must attend a Pre-Service Orientation (PSO) Training before beginning service. Typically, VISTA offers PSO trainings four to five times a year. The PSO deadline is usually at least 45 days in advance of the PSO.

If you believe that VISTA is the right fit for your agency, please contact the VISTA Services Manager, Katie Bench, atkatie.bench@missionstl.org or 314-664-9700.