Community Service
I have loved being part of many community service projects, but the biggest charitable project in my life is my family’s endeavor, The MerryStarkey Charitable Organization. I am also fortunate enough to be a club leader for a club called Montgomery Plan, with a mission to “inspire informed, compassionate, and impactful engagement with the greater St. Louis community through education, real-world experiences, and reflection”.
TheBridgeSTL
In August of 2020, we began to build our dream. TheBridge is the first chartibale endeavor of The MerryStarkey Charitable Organization. Watching it come together has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. I created this video montage of some of the behind the scenes work that made TheBridge possible. Enjoy!
One of our very first outreach opportunities at TheBridgeSTL was to provide coats, towels, sheets, blankets, gloves, and hats to these 11 men, temporarily living in a local shelter. It was a cold December, and we packed all the items in gift-wrapped boxes to provide a festive and dignified experience for these gentlemen, in hopes of brightening their Holiday Season.
The annual Chouteau Island cleanup is very near and dear to my heart. Each year on this island, located in Illinois along the Mississippi river, we spend an entire morning and afternoon cleaning up trash. As someone with an interest in sustainability and the environment, taking care of our Earth is always on my mind.
While I have always had a passion for helping others, this experience was one of the most memorable. For months, my family and I saw Mr. Higgins on a particular street corner every morning before school. Over time he became our friend as he would always remember us and brightened our days with a joke or a smile. Although we tried to help him get back on his feet, I am certain that he made a much greater impact on our lives than we did on his. On this day, my siblings and I were donating our allowances to Mr. Higgins and expressing our gratitude to him in a handwritten card.
