Welcome Jamel Williams
to A Seat at the Table.
New job for Resident Intern
Joe Lewis III

We are SO excited to share that his past Friday, Jamel Williams, a standout LOVEtheLOU and Boys Hope Girls Hope participant, moved into our A Seat at the Table home in the Shaw neighborhood.  Jamel joins Resident Intern Joe Lewis III, and will work to finish his college degree in St. Louis after he achieves his Associates Degree from Illinois Central College this May. Please reach out to welcome Jamel at jamel.williamsocc@gmail.com. 

Said Lucas Rouggly, LOVEtheLOU Executive Director: “I have known Jamel for about 10 years now. He has always been a special kid and as I have watched him grow I have witnessed God's hand on his life. Jamel and I often talk that he is kind of like Joseph from the Old Testament. I believe there will be a day in the future where Jamel is raised up not just to lead out in the city, but to take care of his family. I love this kid and I am so thankful that he gets the opportunity to join A Seat at the Table.”

Carline Adah, Program Director of STL LIFT (of LOVEtheLOU), echoed support of Jamel: “Jamel grew up under some pretty tough circumstances and had all the odds stacked against him; yet with his tenacious spirit, consistency and drive for a better life he kept coming around. I remember when Jamel put his faith in Jesus and really started following Him. He did a total 180 and went on to do some incredible things. He became a scholar at Boys Hope GIrls Hope, an intern and student leader with LOVEtheLOU, graduated high school and is now in college-- wow! I can't say enough how proud I am of Jamel. He is going to thrive at
A Seat at the Table, make something great of himself and set an example for all the younger guys looking up to him.” 

As an A Seat at the Table resident, Jamel will now utilize the educational/vocational, job & life-skill, counseling and spiritual development resources offered to our participants. If you’re interested in being part of the healthy community to now help Jamel better transition into adulthood, please contact Executive Director Bob Stergos at bstergos@ASeatAtTheTable.org.   

ABOVE and BELOW:  Scenes from the Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, Candy Cane Lane in St. Louis Hills and in front of the A Seat at the Table Christmas tree.

Congrats to Resident Intern
Joe Lewis on his new job

Congrats to A Seat at the Table Resident Intern, Joe Lewis III, as he recently secured a new job as an elementary school Teacher Assistant in the Ferguson-Florissant School District.  Joe will start his duties as schools resume for the 2nd semester in mid-January. 

Joe's experience in serving in kids' ministry at his Midtown Church as well as Educational Studies major at his alma mater, Harris-Stowe State University, played key roles in his landing this key position. Please join us in wishing Joe well on his new position! 

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!

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.

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!"

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!!”

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.

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! 

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!

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!