June

SLICE WEEK 2 June 23-27, 2008
Local Youth Come Together to Lend a Helping Hand to the West End/ Hamilton Heights Area
During the second week of SLICE (St. Louis Interfaith Community Explorations), neighborhood youth and youth from Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion united together to help enhance the West End/ Hamilton Heights areas. The week began with a poverty simulation held at Pilgrim Congregational UCC.  The simulation helps the youth understand the difficulties faced by those living in low-income families.  On Tuesday, all the youth helped to clean up Amherst Park by picking up litter, mulching trees and painting the benches.  On Wednesday, the group was divided amongst two sites.  Half of the youth assisted with the Pilgrim Congregational UCC soup kitchen while the others helped clean up Russell Park.  On Thursday the groups were split again, with half aiding in projects at Cabanne Library and half working at the Dignity House food pantry.  On Friday, the youth helped with the community garden and putting the finishing touches on Amherst Park.  Special thanks to Kabir Mohammed, Dr. Dick Shaw, and everyone else that helped make Week 2 a success. 

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Saturday, June 14, 2008
Another Successful Back to School Health Fair in the City of Kinloch
Interfaith Partnership/ Faith Beyond Walls held its 4th annual Back to School Health Fair for the Kinloch Community.  Both citizens of Kinloch and 19 other volunteers representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Alpha Theta Omega Christian Sorority helped to facilitate activities such as the hula hoop contest, football toss and the duck pond game.  During the event, residents enjoyed hot dogs and popcorn then cooled off with a refreshing snow cone.  Along with food, fun and music residents were able to take their children to the Healthy Kids Express van for free health screenings that provided all the necessary vaccines for the children to attend school on the first day of the school year. Youth were given free giveaways during the event that included new backpacks with school supplies, new shoes and stuffed animals!  Special thanks to Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Sterling, IL for their generous donation of stuffed animals for the children! Thanks to the volunteers who helped to make this day a success!

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SLICE Week One June 9-13, 2008
Volunteers Help Restore Kinloch Learning Center
During the first week of SLICE (St. Louis Interfaith Community Explorations) nearly 20 volunteers from Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Sterling, Illinois and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church came out to the community of Kinloch to volunteer.  Volunteers helped to restore the Kinloch Learning Center, so the neighborhood children would be able to participate in a summer camp.  They painted, shellacked, cleaned, and many other things to get the center in working order.  During lunch each day, volunteers had discussions regarding interfaith service and poverty.  Special thanks to Mayor Keith Conway and citizens of Kinloch for a delicious lunch and to Eric and Kelly Schaefer for their generous donation of a new floor for the center. 

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May

Saturday May 17, 2008
“Day in the Park”
On Saturday May 17th volunteers from the Alpha Theta Omega Sorority from Harris-Stowe University came out to help with the 2nd Annual “Day in the Park” in Russell Park.  This was a fun-filled day for the West-End Community.  The park was filled with activities including free food, music, children’s activities and family fun.  Residents helped by participating in a re-dedication of the park for families following our May 3rd park beautification project.  Special thanks to Alderman Frank Williamson, Brenda Simpson of the West-End Neighborhood Council and Operation Weed and Seed!

Saturday May 10, 2008
Volunteers Package over 4,000 Boxes of Food
On Saturday May 10th, 75 IP/FBW volunteers participated in the Annual National Letter Carriers Food Drive to benefit the St. Louis Area FoodBank.  Volunteers helped sort and package food at 6 area postal stations and were able to package 4,130 boxes of food to be distributed to area food pantries.  Way to Go Volunteers!  Thank you for putting your faith into action! Special thanks to Brett Moeller of the St. Louis Area FoodBank.

Saturday May 3, 2008
Russell Park Beautifucation
On Saturday May 3rd volunteers braved the chilly windy weather to help beautify Russell Park.  This beautification project is part of an on going initiative between Operation Weed and Seed, West-End Neighborhood Council and Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls.  Volunteers helped by picking up trash, sweeping the playground, mulching trees and planting flowers.  This particular project was to help get the park ready for an upcoming park re-dedication happening in Russell Park.  This re-dedication will take place in an effort to bring community residents back together to enjoy the beautiful park in their neighborhood.  Special thanks to Ed Hennessey of Operation Weed and Seed as well as Brenda Simpson from the West-End Neighborhood Council.

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April

Friday April 4, 2008
Bringing Students Together for Service and Discussions of Faith and Peace
On Friday April 4, 2008, students from St. Clements School of Rome 8th grade class came to Bryan Hill Elementary School to work side-by-side with their students painting murals. Before painting began, students and adults discussed faith in action as seen through the example of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this project day marked the 40th anniversary of his assassination. Students discussed concepts such as, the interfaith connection of MLK following Gandhi’s non-violent movement in India, MLK’s inspiration that we all have a role in not just overcoming racism, but elevating poverty.  The three murals will be used to replace boarded up windows on abandoned property surrounding the school with replicas of paintings from the Harlem Renaissance.  The murals not only helped educate both sets of students, but also will allow students to continue to enjoy their work while they are outside at recess.   Thank you St. Clements volunteers for all your hard work! Special Thanks to Mrs. Johnson, principal of Bryan Hill Elementary School and Americorps Volunteers for allowing us to be creative during the school day!

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