#KeeleyCares Charity Spotlight: The Urban League

The Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis has been serving St. Louis communities for over 102 years. Their mission is to empower African Americans and others throughout the region in securing economic self-reliance, social equality, and civil rights. They work to achieve this mission through economic opportunities, educational excellence, community empowerment, and civil rights and advocacy.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, #KeeleyCares knew we had to continue to give back to our community. During the summer, over 250 Keeley'ns gave their valuable time to serve over 60,000 families through the Urban League Food Drives. We even had one dedicated Keeley'n formally invited to join the Urban League Board. With over $2 million in donations and gifts contributed to this effort, we have witnessed firsthand that "Together We Make a Difference." Well, we couldn't just stop once the summer ended and we knew we had to get back together and help those in need during the holiday season. On November 21 and December 19, 50 Keeley'ns came out to serve 3,500 families and provide them with food and necessities for the holidays. In 2021, we continued our work the Urban League by volunteering at their food distributions on the last Saturday of every month from January - May. In those five months, we were able to serve 25,000 deserving families. We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and can't wait to see how we can continue to make a difference together.

The Urban League has also taken on Operation Clean Sweep and we are so proud to support this event year over year. Our first Clean Sweep of 2020 took place on September 19th in the area around the Grand Ave. Water Tower and Peace Park. 42 Keeley’ns came out and worked alongside the Fred Weber construction crew to rehabilitate this area. Peace Park was renovated by the removal of 30 large trees and crumbled concrete throughout the park. Grand Tower was restored to its full glory with a new paint job and our incredible volunteers helped demolish and remove a large brick home. Our second Clean Sweep took place on October 17th in the Sherman Park neighborhood where the Urban League’s Headquarters is located. 55 Keeley’ns worked together with volunteers from the Fred Weber construction crew, the MAK Team, and the St. Louis City SC Ownership Group. These volunteers removed trees, brush, and trash from the new Urban League campus and demolished 14 dilapidated homes in one day! Thank you to everyone who supported Operation Clean Sweep in 2020 - we can't wait to continue these efforts in 2021.

“It is absolutely wonderful that the Urban League gets its own spot on the Wall of Compassion. The Urban League and L. Keeley have been working day in and day out to serve the community and to honestly do what we all should be doing.”

-Reid Chunn

Click here to learn more about the Urban League.