Civic Progress Donates more than $ 600,000 to Programs Making a Difference in the Lives of St. Louis Area Residents
Civic Progress, an organization of top executives from the largest companies in the St. Louis area, recently recognized the efforts of four community programs making a difference in the lives of St. Louis area residents with donations totaling $ 614,000.
The donations are part of a larger commitment by Civic Progress to contribute $ 2 million over the next four years to improve the quality of life and economic opportunities for young people in the St. Louis region, particularly in North County areas. This is in addition to the tens of millions of dollars Civic Progress members, their companies and families are donating to Forward Through Ferguson.
During a press conference Monday, George Paz, president of Civic Progress and chairman of Express Scripts, presented checks to representatives from each of the local organizations being honored for their accomplishments: $ 100,000— Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis for its Community Empowerment Center, currently under construction at the former QuikTrip site in Ferguson. This donation brings Civic Progress’ total investment in this Urban League project to $ 245,000.• $ 100,000— Better Family Life for its community outreach efforts to transform at-risk individuals and reclaim highcrime neighborhoods. $ 164,000— UM-St. Louis for its School Leadership for Innovation and Design Master’ s degree and certification program, helping to not only transform schools by improving teaching and student learning, but also supporting growth in our educational systems, communities and the region as a whole. In addition:•‒ $ 100,000— Riverview Gardens School District to fund fellowships in this master’ s degree and certification program ‒ $ 50,000— Ferguson-Florissant School District to fund fellowships in this master’ s degree and certification program $ 100,000— STL Youth Jobs to fund employment for 40 at-risk youth this summer.
“ These organizations typify the commitment and vision our community needs to advance the priorities identified by the Ferguson Commission to drive economic growth and collaboration in the St. Louis region and make a tangible difference in people’ s lives,” Paz said.“ Civic Progress is proud to support their efforts and will continue to evaluate more opportunities to