“This Night Changes Lives” Mission: St. Louis Annual Gala Recap
Mission: St. Louis hosted its 17th annual Night for the Town fundraising gala on Saturday, Sept. 21, transforming the Four Seasons into a shimmering display of greens and golds. The theme, “This Night Changes Lives,” was embodied throughout the evening in heartfelt stories, showing how the organization’s work has created opportunities for those who have experienced poverty and violence.
A highlight of the night was the introduction of SHOW ME PEACE (SMP), a new program centering on violence intervention in St. Louis City. This program aims to stop situations from becoming violent through mediation, intervention and prevention in the neighborhoods they serve. Each Violence Interrupter (VI) in SMP comes from these communities and uses their lived experiences to de-escalate potentially violent situations.
The evening began with a lively social hour, where attendees posed for photos on the red carpet, bid on auction items and explored the meaningful work of Mission: St. Louis, including stories from the SMP program displayed on a storyboard.
Gala guests socializing during happy hour outside. Photo Courtesy of Word
As the doors opened and guests settled in their seats, Executive Director Josh Wilson took the stage, offering a warm and passionate welcome, energizing the room for the night ahead.
“The stories that you are going to hear tonight are going to do nothing more than give you hope,” Josh said. “It’s going to change the narrative that you believe about our city and crime.”
With the crowd's attention captured, Josh handed the mic to Mayte, a vibrant 8th grader who has been with the Beyond School program for six years, to take over as the emcee for the night. With natural ease, Mayte confidently led the crowd through the gala’s program. She introduced Blake Meyer, Demond Strong and Coryliss Beeker as the awardees of the night. Each participant came to the stage and was honored with an award for their success in the Beyond School, Beyond Jobs, and Beyond Justice programs.
Coryliss Beeker accepting participant of the year award, hugging Senior VP of Engagement Jason Watson. Photo Courtesy of Word
One of the most impactful moments of the program was when the lights dimmed and a video featuring VI’s from SMP played. The video told the raw stories of Norky, Bang and Wes, each reflecting on their experiences growing up surrounded by violence. After the video, Senior VP of Engagement Jason Watson came to the stage to speak about how these experiences with violence can become a catalyst for change. As he was speaking, the room came to a complete silence, hanging on to his every word.
“What we get to do is take our traumatic experiences, the things we’ve been through, the things we’ve lived, and turn them into transferable skills,” Jason said, referring to how SMP connects those impacted by violence to resources. “We take the same things we learned in those streets, and we go to the same people we used to beef with every day and we invest in those individuals.”
When Jason called Norky, Bang and Wes to the stage for a Q&A, each member was met with a powerful standing ovation in recognition of their important work. Each member’s story carried an intensity as they shared their lived experiences, showcasing the realities of growing up surrounded by violence. Joining SMP was deeply personal for each of them, seeking to reduce violence in the areas they grew up in and connecting people with similar experiences to resources. When asked about how he has been personally impacted, Wes shared that he was connected to resources through Mission: St. Louis which helped him transform his life.
“Upon me coming out of prison, I was introduced to Mission: St. Louis’s Job Leadership and Training program,” Wes says. “They helped me a lot with interview skills and employment.”
Norky, Wes and Bang speaking on stage during Q&A. Photo Courtesy of Word
Following another standing ovation for the SMP members, Mayte took the stage once more to continue the program. The night ended with an open dance floor and guests socializing. While glasses clinked, paddles were raised, and confetti filled the air, the night centered around a single purpose of giving back to St. Louis. By the end of the night, Mission: St. Louis raised $609,000 to support core programs.