Some people think jobs can solve the poverty crisis. Scott Walker disagrees. “There’s more to economic stability than being employed,” says Walker, executive director of Kingdom House. “If all you can get is a minimumwage job, you’re still poor. Education is the ticket out of poverty.”
Kingdom House, a south St. Louis anchor since 1902, serves 8,100 people annually with a network of education and support programs. “We first take care of basic needs like food, clothing and childcare, and then we equip clients with tools to build a better future,” Walker explains. “You can’t instill respect for education in young people if it’s not upheld at home, so we reach out to the entire family. It starts with preschool, continues with after-school tutoring and homework help for kids and teens, and keeps going with adult education.” Services include GED and ESOL tutoring; classes in parenting, financial literacy, job skills and health, and programs for seniors.
Kingdom Academy, established in 2012, is a year-round program that encourages kids to stay in high school and prepares them for post-secondary education, be it college or job training. “In some area high schools, the graduation rate is as low as 36 percent,” Walker says. “We want to change that.” Each year, Kingdom Academy takes 25 ninth-graders from different schools and provides whatever they need to continue their education, including tutoring, college visits, job-shadowing opportunities and advice. “It’s not hit-or-miss,” he says. “We stick with them until they finish.”
Kingdom House receives financial support from United Way, but relies on contributions from donors to fill the gaps. Toast & Taste the 1920s, a Nov. 21 fundraising event at Moulin, is a beer-, wine- and chocolate-tasting bash featuring swing dancing and live music by Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers. “Living in the city, I see the needs felt most acutely by women and children,” says event chair Brooke Jaffe. “Kingdom House works hard to make a difference in our community, and I want to be part of that.”
Last year, the mother of a Kingdom Academy student moved away and left him behind, Walker recalls. “He stayed with an aunt who didn’t really want him, and when she lost her house, he was on his own,” Walker says. Kingdom House found him a safe place to live and supported him every step of the way. “He’s so determined to succeed that even when he broke his foot, he took two buses and Metrolink to get to school. He never missed a day. He’s now making excellent grades, and he’s on track to graduate and go to community college.”
If not for Kingdom House, the young man would have dropped out, Walker adds. “When someone falls down, they need a hand to get back on their feet. Kingdom House gives them that hand, plus the tools they need to achieve self-sufficiency. We hold on until they no longer need us.”
Pictured: Kingdom Academy students at the University of Missouri-Columbia
Photo courtesy of Kingdom House
[Toast & Taste the 1920s, a benefit for Kingdom House, takes place Nov. 21 in the Jefferson Ballroom at Moulin, 2017 Chouteau Ave. Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 at the door. For tickets and more information, call 314.492.8631 or visit kingdomhouse.org.]