12,844 steps. That’s how many steps Chakeeta Thomas has taken today. “And it’s a light day,” laughs Chakeeta. “If I work a banquet, it’s always more.” Chakeeta is determined, resilient, with indefatigable energy. And, as her friends will say: she steps up. A caseworker connected Chakeeta with St. Louis Arc when she was still…
Aging with Empowerment (AWE) participant Retha has a special love of all things Disney. In addition to enjoying Disney movies, she’s visited Disney World and longs to travel there again. “Retha would love to go back to Disney someday, but it wasn’t something she could do right now,” says Stephen Turner, coordinator of AWE North…
Kele says he loves cooking, so making lunch for himself and other participants in the NextED Challenge program this past summer was easy. But other learning activities have proven useful in helping the 19-year-old community college student tackle new challenges. “I learned about using the public bus system, for one thing,” he says. “And managing…
They call her Itsy, after the Itsy Bitsy Spider. She does hard things every day — sometimes exhausting therapies — but Itsy is determined and smiling. “When Itsy started with therapy, she couldn’t hold her head up or track things with her eyes,” recalls Shamecka, Itsy’s mom. “She needed all this equipment and toys that we were…
A Message From Our President Reflections on 2021 and Hope for 2022 As the New Year rapidly approaches, I want to pause to reflect on the past year, and look forward with great hope for the coming year. While the pandemic continues to pose challenges to us all, I am truly grateful for the efforts of…
Make An Impact During Giving Tuesday Making Choices, For a Life in the Community Jake Martine will tell you his ultimate goal in life is to “live and dream big.” And to Jake, that means having fun in life, having a job, a home of his own, getting married and having a family, growing big…
The St. Louis Arc wishes you a joyous holiday season and a peaceful New Year. Did you miss the Arc’s virtual holiday party? Don’t forget to check out “Home for the Holidays” to celebrate what we’ve accomplished during a year like no other.
Chakeeta Thomas grew up in north St. Louis County. She loved to learn new things, however she recognized early on that learning was a challenge. She struggled at home, sharing a small space with her grandmother and two brothers. In spite of her obstacles, Chakeeta made it a goal to live independently. Through hard work…
When first meeting the Seger family, most people will be immediately drawn to the energetic, smiling young brothers. These boys are typical brothers – they argue, are competitive, they play fight, and they watch out for each other. The Seger family has been part of the St. Louis Arc since 2013. Both Tanner and Dominic…
St. Louis Arc’s Annual Giving Tree For over 20 years, the St. Louis Arc has partnered with businesses and individuals in the St. Louis community for the St. Louis Arc Giving Tree. This year, 220 children were identified from our Capable Kids and Family, Parents Learning Together, and Belle Children Services programs for the Giving…