Our Stories

Marinnie

Marinnie Sanders felt at her lowest point when everything seemed to be going wrong at once. She lost her job, her home, and not long after, suffered a car accident that left her needing emergency surgery.  

“I was upset and angry at everything,” Marinnie said. “I didn't have no car, no job, no money. I didn’t know what I was going to do.”  

When Marinnie came across a sign for Beyond Jobs, our workforce development program that provides employment services and supportive resources, she initially felt skeptical. Being in her 50s, Marinnie felt the societal pressure to have it all together on her own and was nervous about seeking outside help. Putting aside her uncertainty, Marinnie decided to pick up the phone and call Mission: St. Louis, a decision that would become the first step in bringing some stability into her life.  

MontÉ Streeter- EL

Growing up in the heart of North St. Louis, Monté was all too familiar with the daily struggles of navigating violence and poverty in his community. Later in life, Monté’s family moved to North County in hopes of finding more security. Being a resident of both St. Louis City and the County allowed him to witness violence and hatred in both communities, which he felt was important to change. 

After serving time in federal prison, Monté returned home in 2008, a single father of five, dedicated to raising and mentoring his children. In 2015, his oldest son was murdered, a loss that altered the course of his life once more. This tragedy further ignited a desire to help others caught in the same cycle of violence. 

Kimberly

Kimberly has spent the past year fighting to keep her family moving forward. She found reliable child-care for her family, doubled down on her employment and amid tough obstacles, she “found another route forward.”

In Summer 2020, Kimberly began receiving wage garnishment notices from a previous landlord and undue harassment from her current landlord seeking extra money. Looking for a path forward, she was referred to Matt with the SLU LAW Legal Clinics. Matt worked with the courts to protect Kimberly’s housing and reduce the impact of the garnishment from 25% to 10%, allowing greater financial freedom for her family.

Amir

Amir refuses to be satisfied with the status quo, always striving to grow and learn. In the 2017-18 school year he grew 5.3 grade levels in reading and 6.2 levels in math, all the while increasing his grade in every one of his classes.

Darrus

“I didn’t make it through high school, so I wanted my mama to see me walk across something.” Darrus celebrated his first ever graduation during the Summer 2018 JLT Session.

Eddie

Eddie’s dream is to one day own his own t-shirt printing business. In the meantime, he is learning the art at Affiliate Merchandising Group, the t-shirt business where he now works, after interning there during JLT. Eddie continues to excel in his role and was recently promoted to a printing position with greater responsibility.

CrisTasha

CrisTasha, a member of our Beyond School A+ program, spent a whole 68 hours mentoring the next generation of Beyond School students last year. Said one of her mentees, "When I was hard to work with, she was always patient, encouraging me to keep going!"

Jerry

When Jerry graduated JLT, he started working here at Mission: St. Louis on our building maintenance staff and mentoring the next collection of JLT students. In the fall of 2018, he added to his role, becoming facility manager and roaster for Switch Coffee Collective.

Darrell

When he entered JLT, Darrell’s minimum wage job left him struggling to support his family. During his JLT session, Darrell excelled at his internship at Slalom Consulting, was hired on and has been working faithfully at the company since, happily providing for his wife and two kids.

Chloe

In one year, Chloe read 23 books, grew 2.6 grade levels in reading and 4.1 grade levels in math. Her love for learning has her excelling with the tools Beyond School provides.

Mandeloin

Mandeloin is a driven man. Desperate to prove himself through employment, he walked into Mission: St. Louis looking for an opportunity. Seeing his deep fire and passion, the Beyond Jobs team worked to place Mandeloin in a fulfilling position. Equipped with a new job, Mandeloin is working to secure his forklift certification and commercial driver’s license.

Lavon

Lavon has found it difficult to gain employment with a felony on his record. Having been incarcerated twice, he understands the employment barriers he faces, but as
he says, that’s the past. Today, his focus is on providing
a stable future for his family. Lavon is already well on his way, entering his sixth month with Responsible Container and having recently moved into better housing.

Kaemon

Kaemon had a difficult time when his grandpa died. He was often consumed with grief, struggling to cope with knowing the man he long looked up to was no longer around. As he was overcoming the loss, Kaemon realized that he was making poor decisions while grieving. He promised himself to grow beyond it. Working with his Success Coach, Kekua “Q”, Kaemon held true to his promise and blossomed into a strong classroom leader.

Kevin

Kevin is a participant who joined our program in April while he was experiencing homelessness. We helped Kevin find an apartment in our supportive housing and create a safe space of his own. He was connected with mental health services and other resources to help him succeed both at the workplace and at home. Lastly, Kevin worked with an EACH1 Career Coach and landed a job at St. Louis Public Schools. The EACH1 program was able to provide him with the services and support he needed to begin his path towards safety and success.

OPAL

Opal spent much of her childhood navigating the foster care system with her brother, Marcus. Through thick and thin, they relied on one another, weathering difficult times until being adopted together. Before their senior year of high school, the siblings were forced to transfer schools. Opal took it hardest and struggled to confront the loss of her friends and classmates. She leaned on Beyond School to cope, allowing her to persevere through the year.

Lawrence

Lawrence knows all too well the stigma of a felony. Employers often do not give men like Lawrence the opportunity to pursue a fulfilling career. He left prison with his eyes set on quality employment. He used his time in Beyond Jobs to become a better, stronger worker. His persistent growth earned him a job at Pro Pool and a pay raise after only two months.

Kaylee

Kaylee struggled mightily with her classwork as she started 4th grade. Hearing her Success Coach constantly remind the class, “You can do hard things,” Kaylee used the phrase to empower herself and her classmates to accomplish hard tasks. She ends every virtual session by saying, “I’ll see you tomorrow! You can do hard things.”

Jamie

Jamie felt stuck working has a school bus driver. For years, she had longed to become a barber but lacked the opportunity to move forward. Then, Jamie became involved with Mission: St. Louis. Here, she received the tuition assistance to make her dream a reality. Jamie is currently excelling in her barber class and will soon earn her certification.

Maliyah

Maliyah is a 7th grade student at one of our Beyond School sites. She started in 3rd grade, making her one of the longest standing Beyond School students! She is incredibly passionate, determined and always strives for excellence. She has earned high marks in all of her subjects for the last 3 years. Her Success Coaches have said that she is fun, honest, sincere and ambitious. She radiates confidence and is a beacon of positivity for the younger students in the program.

Darnell

Darnell is the recipient of the Mission: St. Louis Legacy Award. Darnell is a native St. Louisan and now works to provide housing to those in need in Arizona. Josh first met Darnell as Mission: St. Louis was first starting and he was a shy 15 year old kid. Darnell shaped what Mission: St. Louis was to become, because through him we saw the need to engage with the young men in our community.