Friends of LifeWise StL

Background

LifeWise StL – formerly known as Kingdom House – was founded in 1902 as a settlement house by a shoe manufacturing executive who wanted to help the poor, many of whom were immigrants. As a settlement house, unrelated middle-class women and men lived cooperatively as “settlers” who provided services such as daycare, education, and healthcare in an effort to alleviate the hardships faced by their neighbors. While the organization’s location and programs have changed over its 120-year history, LifeWise StL continues to provide critical social services in the St. Louis area. LifeWise StL currently offers 17 programs that assist every age group, ranging from infants to senior citizens, that emphasize a transformational, rather than transactional, transition away from poverty.

Purpose

Friends of LifeWise StL is a group of active members ages 21-45 with a mission to raise awareness of the organization among the area’s young professionals and to support and promote the organization’s mission through a variety of social, fundraising, and service activities.

Mission

Friends of LifeWise StL transform the city by connecting people with LifeWise StL’s efforts to address the needs of the community.

Vision

We join with LifeWise StL in transforming the landscape of the nonprofit sector and the St. Louis metropolitan area by promoting a relationship-based model of service to the community.