For 10 years, attendees at the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) have helped make a positive impact on each host city by participating in the networking community service event, Make a Child Smile.
At this year’s event in St. Louis, sponsored by Qualia, NS3 attendees filled bookbags with school supplies for children at the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery. Bags for younger children included notebooks, folders, pencils, a ruler, crayons, washable markers, scissors, and glue. Older children received all those supplies plus pens, colored pencils, and wide-ruled paper.
More than 300 bookbags were presented to the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery on Wednesday at NS3, held at the Hyatt Regency at The Arch.
“We are pleased so many industry members are willing to help children in crisis in the St. Louis area start the school year off strong,” October Research, LLC CEO and Publisher Erica Meyer said. “It has been a pleasure watching our industry support the communities NS3 has visited over the past decade. And thank you to Qualia for again partnering with us on the event.”
“We are thrilled to kick off NS3 once again this year alongside our wonderful community by supporting such an impactful local organization,” added Matt Kaufman, vice president of marketing at Qualia. “The St. Louis Crisis Nursery offers solace and support to thousands of children each year. Their commitment to providing a nurturing haven, akin to a home away from home, resonates deeply with our mission.”
The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is an independent, non-profit organization committed to preventing child abuse and neglect by providing a short-term safe haven for almost 4,000 children a year, newborns through age 12, whose families face an emergency like illness, homelessness, domestic violence or overwhelming parental stress.
Parents can bring their children to one of five Crisis Nursery sites at no cost, where children get a medical exam and receive nutritious meals, trauma-informed care, and take-home necessities. The Crisis Nursery also provides parents crisis counseling, in-home visits, and parent education groups at one of 11 locations.
“The Saint Louis Crisis Nursery is honored to have been chosen as the NS3 charity partner, and this incredible donation of backpacks and school supplies will absolutely ‘Make a Child Smile’!” Crisis Nursery CEO DiAnne Mueller said. “But how will new backpacks help the Crisis Nursery prevent child abuse and neglect? We know that when parents are overstressed, children are more likely to be abused or neglected. A new backpack and school supplies mean fewer worries and concerns for struggling parents. Mom and dad can be proud to send the kids off with shiny new backpacks filled with new supplies, and, of course, the kiddos will be smiling too. Thank you for making a difference to dozens of families!”
Previous community service organizations participating in the Make a Child Smile event include the Sunshine Kids Foundation in Naples, Fla., the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, Texas Foster Care and Adoption Services, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida, Charlotte Ronald McDonald House Charities, Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities, The St. Bernard Project, Toys for Tots, and Ohio Guidestone.