In June of 2000, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch published a series of stories titled, A Better Place to Grow Up. Written by Dick Weiss, then a P-D editor and currently a Press Club board member, the opus focused on a St. Louis inner city neighborhood, a school, a teacher, and a gaggle of fifth graders. That school year Richard Baron, CEO of McCormack Baron Salazar, had launched an effort involving many St. Louis businesses that brought to bear financial and in-kind support for Jefferson School.  Their goal: Create a brighter future for the kids at Jefferson. 

 One of those children was Evita Caldwell, now 24, who recently graduated with a degree in communications from Saint Louis University.  Now Evita is embarking on a mission to learn what became of her fifth grade classmates from 1999-2000 and to write the sequel: All Grown Up.  Evita will trace the lives of every student she can find and answer a burning question: Did all that corporate involvement and support make a difference in the lives of her classmates? What can be done to continue to level the educational playing field for disadvantaged students? 

 Dick is donating his time to edit the story, but is raising money to support Evita's work. Twenty dollars is the ask. But you can donate more if you like. Your investment will bring regular reports on Evita's progress, and, of course, the story once it is published. We are currently working with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which is donating the services of prize-winning photographer Jim Forbes, who worked with Dick on the original story. Plans are also in the works for presentation by next spring on a variety of platforms including online, radio and television. Stay tuned for more details.

 In the meantime, click here to make a tax deductible donation with your credit card.