Our city has a reputation for generosity all year long, but the holidays just seem to bring out the best in everyone—and this means more giving. See what a few of our local businesses and organizations are doing this year to make the season merrier for others.
Through Christmas Day, Geranium is inviting its customers, staff and the general public to donate gently used coats, which will be given to Feed My People. For each coat donated, customers receive a voucher coupon for 10 percent off their next purchase.
This is the first year the boutique, which opened in The Boulevard in 2012 and in West County Mall in 2013, has put together a holiday campaign. “We wanted to do something to give back, and I thought coats would be a great option,” says store manager Lauren Riegler. “Our owners are all about fashion, so it fits in with our brand.”
It’s a project she hopes will become a store tradition. “I would love for it to continue,” Riegler says. “Being an independent, locally owned and operated business, I think our customers appreciate that we do this. Since we’re small, we don’t really have the option to make a big monetary donation, but this is something we can do.”
When the holidays approach, Moneta Group, a financial advisory firm, picks a particular charity to support. This year, employees and clients participated in Salvation Army’s Angel Tree. At the end of November, a tree was put up and decorated with tags listing children’s gift wishes, which employees and clients in turn purchased and donated. In addition, Moneta’s charitable foundation made a $5,000 contribution to Salvation Army.
Giving back is a core value of the company, says Emily Barlean, marketing and communications manager. “Moneta has been part of St. Louis since 1869, and we’ve always tried to embrace our responsibility to support the community,” she says.
The beauty of the Angel Tree is that anyone can participate. “We’re all committed to philanthropy here, but we all have different levels and abilities to give,” Barlean says. “With this, you can buy even a $5 or $20 toy, and still make a valuable contribution.”
[the fitness edge]
This year, clients and staff were invited to donate toys for a variety of organizations and coats for Covenant House. “We want to make sure on Christmas morning that kids who wouldn’t otherwise receive anything, have gifts to open,” Jaudes says. “We’ve been in the business for 30 years now, and I feel very fortunate to be doing what I love. Since life has been good to me, I want to be able to give to others, too.”
[mosby building arts]
For the second year, Mosby Building Arts has run a holiday toy drive. “Last year, we were a drop-off site for Toys for Tots, but this year we wanted something a little more involved, so we partnered with St. Louis Children’s Hospital,” says marketing manager Kate Ewing. “Our goal was to fill a construction truck with toys to be given to patients at the hospital.”
Employees, as well as the general public, were invited to donate to the drive, which ran through Dec. 13. Afterward, the donations were presented to St. Louis Children’s Hospital in an event broadcast live on radio shows Right at Home and The Mosby Building Arts Home Improvement Show. “As a company, it’s important for us to give back to the community,” Ewing says. “We wanted to do something that all our employees could participate in and create an event and partnership around it.” (Pictured, above).
[villa duchesne & oak hill school]
The assembling and gathering of Christmas baskets is a beloved tradition for students, parents and alumni at Villa Duchesne & Oak Hill School. Each year, more than 300 baskets filled with the fixings for a holiday dinner are donated to area families in need, says director of students Krista Richardson. “The baskets are lined up outside our building, and after an all-school Mass, some of our families, faculty and staff deliver them,” she says. “And we have agencies from as far away as Cadet, Mo., who pick baskets up, as well.”
The students are encouraged to get involved as part of an Advent project leading up to Christmas. ”This program goes all the way from age 3 through grade 12, so it’s a project families will be working on all the way from the youngest to the oldest children in our school,” Richardson says.