The Community Development branch of the Gateway Region YMCA is committed to ensuring that all students in St. Louis and the Metro East graduate high school ready for the next step in their lives. For this campaign, I am raising money to support the continued success of providing FREE literacy tutoring, after-school STEAM programming, mental health and physical wellness resources and programs, and civic engagement opportunities for students in St. Louis.

For those of you that know me, you know that literacy and helping kids learn to read (and learn to love to read) is my passion. In seven of our most vulnerable zip codes in North County and St. Louis City, there are over 16,000 students in K-3rd grade currently in need of a reading tutor. Nationally, 130 million adults in the US struggle to read basic sentences. At the Y, we are working to combat illiteracy by providing free weekly tutoring to over 100 students in our communities and beyond. None of this work is possible without the generous donations from supporters like you.

With your support, we can make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals in our community who are striving for a better future through improved literacy skills and beyond. Join us in our mission to empower individuals through education and literacy by making a donation today towards our 2025 Community Development YMCA Annual Campaign.