Kudos to St. Louis philanthropist Judy Jones and Ameren Corp., both recipients of Variety International awards at the organization’s 2018 world conference. Jones received the Presidential Citation Award for her support of Variety St. Louis, and Ameren was recognized for its Power Kids program, which provides medical equipment for children with disabilities. The local chapter received the nonprofit’s Mort Sunshine Award for Electronic Excellence for digital communications.

Pictured above: Judy Jones and (right) Ameren CEO Warner Baxter

Some furry ambassadors have gained a forever home at the Endangered Wolf Center’s new quarter-acre fox haven habitat. Cooper, a melanistic red fox (pictured), and Artie, an arctic fox, were purchased as pets and later surrendered. Both ended up at the Wildlife Rescue Center, where they were treated for illness and injury before going to their new digs. They are part of the Endangered Wolf Center’s education program, which gives visitors a chance to see wild species up close.

Hats off to the YWCA’s 2018 Leaders of Distinction! They are Lisa Flavin of Emerson, Sharon Price John of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Julia Mize of Anheuser-Busch, Ruth Saphian of Ernst & Young, philanthropist and volunteer Nancy Kranzberg, Faith Varwig of Faith Group, Daffney Moore of the City of East St. Louis, Kelly Pollock of COCA and Amy Hunter of St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Lutheran High School North student Raevyn Ferguson was named the 2018 YWCA Future Leader.

St. Louis resale icon Sue McCarthy has risen steadily to the prestigious positions of TV personality, noted entrepreneur and author. She recently released Good, Better, Best, the story of her journey from a homeless child to head of a thriving resale business offering labels like Gucci, Prada and Chanel. McCarthy owns The Vault Luxury Resale in Brentwood with daughters Diana and Laura, and they have starred in Style Network’s Resale Royalty series. Available at amazon.com and thegoodbetterbestbook.com.


the main events

Ask Me Another, NPR’s humorous radio hour of puzzles, trivia and word games, will record a special episode at The Pageant at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 6. Host Ophira Eisenberg welcomes musical guest Jonathan Coulton.

Celebrity hypnotist and author Richard Barker will be on stage at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza Sept. 6 through 9, entertaining audiences with a family-friendly show. Barker has appeared on The Today Show and The Late Late Show with James Corden, among others.

Branch out for a trip to the Arbormeister Homebrew + Craft Beer Festival, held Sept. 8 at Forest ReLeaf’s CommuniTree Gardens Nursery. Each homebrew includes at least one ingredient sourced from trees. Enjoy live music, tours, raffles, food and more.