Thanks, and thanks again, to all of the FSBH supporters- some old, and some new.  Some still unknown to us as “anonymous” donors.  All of you came together to cheer us on in our war on poverty in the St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren County region.  The #GiveSTLDay platform this year surpassed anything we could have dreamed of!  In one day we were able to raise about one third of our annual budget needs.  Thank you St. Louis!

On Saturday, July 16, 2022 a wonderful, family-friendly golfing, pickleball and swimming event happened at the Lake Forest Country Club in Lake St. Louis, all to benefit the work of FSBH.  About 100 golfers and  others participated in the day-long event, which culminated in a BBQ style dinner, a silent auction and lots of stories about our ministry and how it has impacted many lives right here in our community.

Ministry clients Jeremy and Jamie Rodgers briefly shared their life story and how FSBH has helped them.  And Paul gave an overview of the ministry purpose and results.  Lana shared ways the community could become engaged, by helping with meals, or collecting items for the 14^th Annual Christmas Wonderland.

At the end of the day, FSBH was presented with a $17,500 check of proceeds from the event plus more to come later, the organizers said, from the silent auction funds.  All of the tournament winners donated back their winnings and servers/caddies donated back their tips from the day, too.  Such a humbling experience for all of us from FSBH!

Thanks to many in our region for supporting FSBH again this year for the amazing Give STL Day program. While the region experienced a $4.2 million benefit, our ministry also had an incredible response from people who care about others.

For the 6th year in a row we won the midnight hour prize for micro-sized charity with the most donations. That was a $1,000 gift! We came in first place of all the micro-sized non-profits and 11th overall, out of 1024 that participated.

FSBH came in 11th overall in donations from 868 charities in the May 2 Give STL Day 24 hour online fundraiser. We received nearly $26,000 in donations and won a $1,000 prize for the most donations in the midnight hour. Additional funds will be awarded when amounts from several “power hours” are allocated to various charities.

Thanks to all of our ministry supporters who continue to share the load with us in working with the homeless and working poor in the St. Charles, Lincoln and Warren Counties.

FSBH was awarded a $10,000 grant from the Mayors’ Charity Ball this year! Funds will be used for our Mobile Home Project. Photo below is Lake St. Louis Mayor Kathy Schweikert, center, who presented Paul and Lana Kruse with the award. FSBH was one of 5 local charities to share in an $80,000 donation fund.

FSBH was one of 867 local charities that participated in the Give STL Day campaign this year. See below for dollars raised from the campaign and for FSBH.

Paul and Lana Kruse at the Ball April 1, 2017 at the St. Charles Convention Center in St. Charles.

St. Charles County Mayors from all the municipalities of our county.

Congratulations to First Step Back Home for being the chosen charity for our July meeting! We can’t wait to hear from you at our October meeting to see how this donation has impacted your mission. To find out more about 100 Women Who Care, visit our website at www.100wwcstc.org.

#StartWithaSmile at smile.amazon.com/ch/20-8676289 for your holiday gifts and Amazon donates to First Step Back Home Inc.