Newsletter - October 2020

Oct. 22 ASeatAtTheTable.org 2020 New Resident Intern, GivingTuesday Monthly Donors and Remaining Projects On Saturday, September 27, A Seat at the Table welcomed in our first Resident Intern, Joe Lewis III of East St. Louis.  A recent graduate of Harris-Stowe State University, with a degree in Educational Studies, Joe will serve a 2-year tenure leading and mentoring our incoming A Seat at the Table program participants (with 2 candidates currently working their way through the application process at this writing).   Nominated by his Midtown Church pastors, Mark Tucker and Aaron Turner, Joe comes to A Seat at the Table with several years of experience as a Cru (formerly, Campus Crusade for Christ) volunteer.  He participates weekly in Cru bible studies and activities at local colleges SIUe and Harris-Stowe.       (Above and Right): Joe Lewis III and his pastor Mark Tucker (Midtown Church)     Midtown Pastor Mark Tucker expressed his support of Joe:  "As a young man, Joe is learning to grow in his understanding and practice of bearing the image of God in life. It has been a great honor for me as a pastor to watch him embrace this faithfully. The opportunities that have already opened up through A Seat at the Table will bear fruit in his life, and in this ministry for many years to come. I can't wait to see what God does next in and through Joe!"   ABOVE: Joe and Host Parent Chrissy Stergos prepare dinner for A Seat at the Table supporters Debby & Brian Wood and Tiffany & Randy Wild.     LEFT: Joe, Chrissy and Joe's parents Joe Lewis Jr and Harriet meet with Pastor Mark Tucker (middle) and A Seat at the Table board member Carla Hayes Hill. Midtown Pastor Aaron Turner echoed his support:  “I am excited for Joe to be joining the A Seat at the Table team as an intern.  I expect that this will be a formative time in Joe's life both as a young man and more specifically as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I just became aware of the A Seat at the Table ministry this past year.  So far, I love what I see!  I have enjoyed getting to know Bob Stergos, and I really appreciate his heart for discipling young men and for helping them transition well into adulthood.  Also, the space they have at their new building for these young men is just great!!”       ABOVE: Family room views. BELOW: Joe's bedroom.               Speaking of a great space, as Joe is mostly concentrating his efforts at securing a paid position as Teacher Assistant role in a local elementary school...or with a local nonprofit organization, he has also been busy helping to ready the 1st floor of the A Seat at the Table home (where the program participants will live, while host parents Bob & Chrissy Stergos reside on the 2nd floor)...as well as the backyard.      ABOVE and RIGHT: Joe gains experience in the backyard, operating a tiller, breaking up concrete with a jackhammer and then plants grass seed.   BELOW: Joe helps erect a backyard storage shed.             In addition to the rather rigorous handyman tasks pictured above, Joe has also spent many hours in his three weeks here on the likes of these growth activities leading to his own independent adult living: Took online career assessment which confirmed his strong personal relationship and mentoring skills Studied interviewing instructional videos and practiced interviewing Obtained 3 online interviews thus far with a leading STL area school district for potential Teacher Assistant jobs Reviewed several financial management instructional videos Practiced driving several times thus far Assisted in preparing and cooking several meals Participated weekly in Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) bible studies each week at SIUe and online with his alma mater, Harris-Stowe State University Increased his LinkedIn contacts to more than 130 Attended his Midtown church each Sunday You can support Joe by donating on a monthly basis towards his ongoing expenses, particularly as he is looking to save up funds to buy a used car. Donate Here GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.  Created in 2012, GivingTuesday was established as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.   For last year’s GivingTuesday, A Seat at the Table followers generously donated more than $20,000 towards the repairs and rehab needed to prepare our Shaw neighborhood duplex.  This year, as we approach this year’s Dec. 1 GivingTuesday, we’re focused not so much on a one-day or one-time giving total, but rather, we’re asking our donors and supporters instead to show their commitment to A Seat at the Table by donating on a monthly basis...even if it’s just $10, $25, $50 or $75 a month.  This GivingTuesday marks a wonderful time now to join us by taking a “seat at the table” in the form of that monthly commitment upon which we can build a stable, ongoing operating budget.      Here’s an example of how making even just a modest monthly contribution from our 200+ different donors to-date could help us build a stable, ongoing monthly operating budget to meet the educational/vocational, life & jobs skill, transportation, counseling and developmental needs of our program participants: Your monthly contribution will make a way for young people to know they are supported by an army of people who believe in them and want to make a difference in their lives!  Simply click on the Donate button below to set up your monthly donation amount.   On behalf of all A Seat at the Table participants who will benefit, thank you for your monthly donation!  Donate Here Remaining A Seat at the Table Needs in a COVID-19-Stalled World While we’re now “in” our first A Seat at the Table duplex that will be home for 4 young men, we still have these remaining projects and needs to complete at our initial Shaw neighborhood duplex towards which you can contribute to help complete our efforts here: 3 more desks for remaining bedrooms ($129.89 each) 2 Ring spotlight cameras with siren alarms ($199 for each...or $349 for 2-pack) Removal of current backyard fence and installation of a new fence (estimated $5,000) Purchase and assembly of an outside storage shed (Just donated!  Thank you!) And a host of additional items which you'll find listed HERE on our website Wish List       "Thank you" to our Business Partners! While we've not been able to gather our usual teams during these COVID times, we're giving a special shoutout and thanks to these three individuals and their businesses who have been here doing a great variety of work to make our duplex ready:   Jim Lodes of Good Steward Handyman (for a wide variety of jobs) Reggie Mitchell of RDM Services (for his electrical work), and Brad Evans and his team of Evans Flooring installers.  These three professionals have helped us get our 1st floor space ready now for participants, so we are especially grateful to them continuing their work amidst this pandemic that has otherwise  slowed our efforts.   These businesses set a great example of giving back to our community and making a way for our A Seat at the Table participants to live and flourish in a great environment!  Please patronize and promote their business when you can!   The mission of A Seat at the Table The mission of Seat at the Table is to help at-risk 18 to 25-year olds better transition into adulthood by providing parental presence and community support via residential mentoring in a Christian family environment. We'd love to hear from you!   Do you know of individuals, companies or foundations for whom serving the under-resourced would be a common passion?  Or, do you have an email address for someone whom you think would like to hear about A Seat at the Table? If so, please contact us HERE and let us know those names and/or email addresses! We are always looking to talk to those who have a similar heart to reach across racial and economic divides in our city and beyond.  Our goal is to have A Seat at the Table chapters in major cities around the country!   Also, if you have questions about A Seat at the Table, contact us HERE as well. We want to hear from you! Donate Here   Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser Unsubscribe

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