10 Year Anniversary Celebration!

Our History -

Once upon a time there was a stitcher who liked to embroider stories from the newspaper. One day she was stitching about two sisters who were shot on their porch in University City. One sister died. Two brothers were arrested for the crime. The stitcher reflected on the power of stitching throughout history; of the Aids quilt and quilts on the Underground Railroad. She determined to join with others to create change. In August 2013 eight artists gathered in Old North St. Louis and founded the Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective — to make change. On December 24, 2014, Saint Louis Story Stitchers was incorporated as a charitable organization in the Great State of Missouri.

Since that time, we have made great strides, working with people to stop the violence and to empower youth to make a change for Saint Louis through creative youth development.

Accomplishments by the numbers since 2014 include —

• 8 founders
• 800 teens and young adults have participated in free programs
• 105 artist mentors
• 37 board members
• 185 public performances to 62,000 live audience members
• 30 songs written
• 2 books, 1 game, and 1 portfolio published
• 3 plays written and produced
• 15,000 hours open for youth
• 4 studios including The Center
• 30 Saint Louis neighborhoods visited
• 153 podcasts published
• Revenue growth from $59,324 in 2015 to $701,593 in 2023
• In 10 years, with your help, we have brought $792,795 national dollars home to STL to support young artists and artists of color in building bridges to peace for all.
• Local awards include Proclamations from both Mayor Lyda Krewson and Mayor Tishaura Jones for youth empowerment and service to the community, Pitchin' In for Community Award from St. Louis Cardinals and Bally Sports.
• Local grant awards through the 10 years include City of St. Louis Department of Public Safety, St. Louis Mental Health Board, St. Louis Area Violence Prevention Commission, Cardinals Care, Youthbridge Community Foundation, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, Tegna Foundation, Ameren Equity in the Arts, Arts & Education Council, Spirit of St. Louis Women's Fund, The Divided City (2x) from Washington University in St. Louis, Deaconess Foundation, and Kranzberg Arts Foundation, where Story Stitchers is a proud resident organization.
• State and regional grant awards include Missouri Arts Council, Missouri Humanities Council, Regional Arts Commission, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.
• National awards include 3 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts totaling $70,000, a 2021 Accelerator Award for $500,000 from The Lewis Prize for Music, $73,611 from the CDC Foundation, $25,000 from the Obama Foundation, and $30,000 from The Charity Pot.

Over 10 years, Story Stitchers have collaborated with artists 16 to 83 years old on music, storytelling, neighborhood block parties performances, public service announcement campaigns, and multi-year signature projects focusing efforts on high quality art and innovative youth violence prevention programs. Artists have built an archive of Black voices from 2014, through Ferguson and Michael Brown's death, the Covid-19 pandemic, and through years of heartbreaking violence in our beautiful city to bring unheard voices to light. Together, with you, we are reshaping the future of our region through youth empowerment that builds from exposure and experiences in high quality artistic practice.

So let's celebrate!!

Please consider being a sponsor!

Sponsor Benefits:

• $1,000 or more tax deductible donation
• Highlight the business in our media outlets which reach 10,000 across all platforms.
• Highlighted in the event webpage.
• Highlight your business and logo on the big screen as a sponsor.
• Shout out from the stage as your business is highlighted at August 9 and August 10 events
• Logo mug for $1,000 and up sponsors

Here are the details of the event:

10 Year Anniversary Celebration

.ZACK Theatre

3224 Locust, St. Louis 63103

August 9, 2024

11:00-3:00 Youth Empowerment Summit

Free to 48 youth with boxed lunches

SAVE THE DATE!

August 10, 2024

7:00 - 8:00 PM

VIP Reception

Beer, wine. appetizers by TURN

Tickets $100 on MetroTix (includes the entire night)

https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/saint-louis...

8:00 - 11:00 PM

10 Year Anniversary Album Release Party!

Hall of Fame Awards

Featuring Story Stitchers artists from across the 10 years!

Cash bar, cookies by TURN

Tickets $25 on MetroTix

https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/saint-louis...

At Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective, young artists find a home. Our youth are eager for expression. Many have trauma from things they have experienced or witnessed. They have a deep need for connection with caring adults and peers who know what they’ve gone through. They need a safe space to learn and grow. Story Stitchers provides a safe space for youth to discover their voice. They express themselves – their experiences, their full range of emotion – to process and heal the trauma they witness every day.

Our nationally recognized work in dance, hip hop, spoken word, discussion, photography, and videography helps youth to develop resilience, a social safety net, friends and shelter with safe spaces to gather. We boast a music recording booth, instruments, and composing and editing technology.

Artistic recognition is acutely important to everyone involved, and part of what sets us apart from every other youth program. Top-tier artists serve as both teachers and mentors. Young people are pulled in and immediately set out to create professional, curated work that opens up their world beyond their own circles.

Youth find a safe, welcoming space to express all emotions through the medium of art. Emotion is not suppressed, it is encouraged. It doesn’t take newcomers long to get acclimated. Youth quickly understand: We love you and see your worth as soon as you walk in the door. We don’t force anything. It’s ok to make mistakes. Alongside the encompassing sense of love and belonging, we provide for more basic needs like shelter, food, and money.

And everyone is welcome. We only have one expectation: our young artists must be completely uninvolved with guns, drugs, gangs, and their affiliated cultures. Youth involved in Story Stitchers are less likely to have negative involvement with law enforcement. They build friendships, a sense of belonging, a safety net, and learn to think of themselves as leaders in the community. This sense of optimism is unusual amongst their peers and attracts attention from youth and adults alike.

We know our young people can do it. They can find friends. They can learn about themselves and express themselves. They can find others who want something better for themselves, their neighbors, their city.

Story Stitchers erase real and perceived divisions through cultural exploration and arts practice—by stitching together our city.

Thank you for joining us in this journey toward hope and healing.

Please consider joining as a sponsor!

Sincerely,

Story Stitchers Board of Directors

Susan Colangelo, President and CEO

Breona Butler, Vice President

Phil Eager, Treasurer

Tausha Dirks, Secretary

Members at Large - George Bryan, Renita Clayton, Gbenga Dasylva, JoAnn Sanditz, Hassan Shariff, Cassandria White, John A Wright, Jr.