Deaconess Community, When my son went away to college in 2016, I “penned” a poem titled “No #Hashtag For My Son”. While proximity to a parent or loved one cannot guarantee any child’s safety, something about him living away pushed me into more worry, more introspection, more helplessness, so I tried to write through it...

Deaconess Foundation is a grant making organization building power for child well-being through philanthropy, advocacy and organizing for racial equity and public policy change. A ministry of the United Church of Christ, Deaconess has invested more than $85 million to improve the health of the St. Louis community since 1998. The Foundation’s advocacy and grantmaking...

Deaconess Community, Two weeks ago, we collectively witnessed the outcome of years of work to build a more inclusive democracy through approval voting, a measure supported by a broad network of our partners. In an historic victory, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones is the first Black woman to serve the residents of the City of St....

Deaconess Community, This month marks one year since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. And while many may be breathing a sigh of relief with the increasing availability of COVID-19 vaccines, the trauma and disproportionate impact of the pandemic continues to unfold. From loss of family income, to school closures, to a reduction...