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A
dvancing
T
he
K
ingdom
: K
ingdom
H
ouse
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as they continue looking for work
and find no offers. As many as
42 Kingdom House families will
lose between $484 and $1,452 in
SSI income in July.
We expect emergency food
requests to increase in March,
then increase dramatically
in June and July. The State
Legislature must decide whether
or not other families will lose
benefits, have levels of benefits
cut, or be required to find jobs to
keep benefits…
33
In an attempt to mitigate
the feared outcomes that the
Welfare Reform Act was
predicted to have, Kingdom
House hosted a benefit
concert featuring singer
and St. Louis native Grace
Bumbry:
More than 1,400 people turned
out for the largest special event Kingdom
House has ever put on. Powell Hall was the
scene for the benefit concert by The Grace
Bumbry African American Musical Heritage
Ensemble. The Ensemble of over 40 singers,
dancers and musicians gave a musical
history of the Spiritual in America to an
enthralled crowd. Led by Jonathon Morris,
the show featured several traditional
spiritual solos by Miss Bumbry.
Support for the concert was city wide
with Mayor Freeman Bosley, Bishop Ann B.
Sherer and Airport Hilton General Manager,
Joseph Dennehy, acting as honorary co-
chairs. A committee led by Deane Looney,
Chair of the Board of Directors, worked
for over a year to bring the show to
St. Louis….
34
Although the agency realized only a
slight profit on this concert, it served as
an important event to raise awareness of
Kingdom House, and still is the largest
single fund raising event attempted by
the agency. World–renowned as well
as a local celebrity, Ms. Bumbry’s
arrival and concert in the Gateway City
was highlighted in the St. Louis Post-
Dispatch.
Despite a tight economic climate,
many programs celebrated anniversaries
and successes throughout this decade.
Hearkening back to the days when the
agency assisted immigrants with the
English necessary to find employment,
William McRoberts and his associates
assist neighborhood residents with
employment training and placement.
Kingdom House staff and friends
celebrated the graduation of the 18th
Automated Office Technologies Class on
January 17. This program is part of the
Near Southside Employment Coalition
which is located at Kingdom House and has
been training area residents since 1985.
…Under the direction of Bill McRoberts,
area residents can train in office skills
or construction skills and receive job
placement help.
35
The Near Southside Employment
Coalition is a collection of churches
A
P
hoto
:
A:
Billboards announcing
Grace Bumbry Concert
P
owell
H
all was
the
scene
for
the
benefit
concert
by
T
he
G
race
B
umbry
A
frican
A
merican
M
usical
H
eritage
E
nsemble
.