Our Promise, September 2021

Spotlight on the Jefferson Foundation Girl Scouts’ Project Anti-Violence Education program has evolved in recent years and soared to new heights. This success is especially noteworthy in Jefferson County, where the long-time support of the Jefferson Foundation is bringing PAVE to classrooms in powerful numbers. Since 2013, the Jefferson Foundation has provided support for charitable and educational activities that promote individual and community health and well-being in Jefferson County. Since its formation, the Foundation has distributed more than $7 million in grants in support of services for its Jefferson County residents that include, but are not limited to, the provision of food and other basic needs, basic dental services for youth, substance abuse prevention programs, health-related education, homeless and domestic violence services, mental health counseling, transportation and much more. The Foundation’s more than $150,000 cumulative investment in PAVE demonstrates its commitment to the mental well- being of its younger population. This multi-year collaboration has brought, to date, critical anti-violence programming to more than 13,500 Jefferson County youth, not to mention the groundbreaking Girl Scout Leadership Experience to more than 7,000 girls. Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri is proud to call the Jefferson Foundation its partner and looks forward to continued collaboration that allows for the ongoing expansion of the program in Jefferson County, MO.

2021 TUF Scholarship Honoree Leola Poe, a McKinley Classical Leadership Academy graduate, is the 2021 recipient of Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri’s $1,000 Transform UR Future (TUF) Scholarship for higher education. Through TUF, high schools partner with an elementary and middle school in their district to provide peer-facilitation PAVE programming. Leola demonstrated extraordinary leadership by leading efforts to provide virtual programming to Sigel Elementary during the 2020 school year. This fall, Leola will attend Southeast Missouri University and plans to study multimedia journalism. As a TUF peer leader, Leola gained the understanding of patience, confidence and never underestimating yourself while spreading those traits to the younger generations. “Girl Scouts has helped me become more confident, open-minded and a better leader,” Leola said. “Being able to try new things, interact with new people and being able to achieve a new level of understanding others’ situations is what Girl Scouts helped me achieve.”

Since its inception, PAVE has reached students throughout St. Louis city and county, as well as Warren, Jefferson, Marion, Pike, Ste. Genevieve and Washington counties.