11/17/2011 – St. Andrew’s 2011 Ageless-Remarkable St. Louisans Gala Highlighted by $50,000 Matching Gift Challenge

In celebration of St. Andrew’s 50th anniversary year, St. Andrew’s supporters Marvin and Harlene Wool give Ageless attendees the opportunity to help raise $100,000 for area seniors

 ST. LOUIS, MO., Nov. 17, 2011… The St. Andrew’s Charitable Foundation recently received a $100,000 boost thanks to the generosity of longtime St. Andrew’s board member Marvin Wool and his wife Harlene. During the 2011 Ageless –Remarkable St. Louisans Gala, which was held Nov. 6 at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch, the Wools challenged event guests to come together on the spot to raise money for St. Andrew’s, promising to match their contributions dollar for dollar, up to $50,000. Ageless guests proudly met the challenge, helping the St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System generate an additional $100,000 to help continue its work to provide area seniors with housing and supportive services that are designed to promote their independence and quality of life.

 As a generous supporter of St. Andrew’s and a 2003 Ageless-Remarkable St.Louisans honoree, Wool and his wife initiated the special $50,000 challenge match in honor of St. Andrew’s 50th anniversary. The gift represented the second significant contribution made by the Wools during 2011. In February, the Wools presented St. Andrew’s with a $500,000 charitable gift annuity which was used to create the Harlene andMarvin Wool Legacy Circle. 

 We continue to be blessed by the generosity of the Wools,” said Mary Alice Ryan, President and CEO of the St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System. “This challenge grant opportunity was not only a highlight of our 2011 Ageless Gala, it will forever be remembered as a highlight of our organization’s 50th anniversary year. It was truly incredible to witness our Ageless attendees opening their hearts on the spot to meet the Wool’s challenge. We thank them and the Wools for coming together to raise a remarkable $100,000 that will help St. Andrew’s continue to serve the ever-growing population of underprivileged seniors in theSt. Louis community.”

 “My wife and I greatly admire the work of St. Andrew’s and its dedication to providing outstanding care to seniors in theSt. Louisarea,” said Marvin Wool. “This is why we feel it’s so important for us to continue to lend our support to the organization. It was great to see our $50,000 challenge match met, and we hope many area seniors benefit from the $100,000 that was raised.”

With the highly-attended Ageless-Remarkable St. Louisans Gala already serving as the primary fundraising event for St. Andrew’s and its Charitable Foundation, the additional $100,000 generated from the challenge match will help St. Andrew’s meet its 2011 fundraising goal of over $1 million. In a time when continued cuts in state and federal funding for senior services are leaving more and more older adults without the care they need, charitable contributions, like those made by the Wools, continue to play an increasingly critical role in helping St. Andrew’s to fill its funding gap.

 Gifts to the St. Andrew’s Charitable Foundation support the provision of housing and supportive services to low-income and at-risk seniors in theSt. Louisarea, as well as the extension of financial aid to residents who have exhausted their resources. Each year, the organization serves over 5,000 people and provides more than $1.5 million in charitable care.

 St. Andrew’s initiated the Ageless—Remarkable Saint Louisans fundraising concept in 2003 as a way to recognize area seniors, age 75+, for their continued contributions in their communities and on the job front well past the traditional age of retirement.

 To learn more about the St. Andrew’s Charitable Foundation, the Ageless-Remarkable St. Louis Gala or for information on how to make a contribution to St. Andrew’s, call 314-726-0111 or visit www.standrews1.com.

Created in 1961, as a non-profit partnership of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri and the Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy, St. Andrew’s is non-sectarian, faith-based and an expert at serving both older adults and their caregivers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information, contact:

Shelene Treptow, The Hauser Group, Inc. , (314) 436-9090   

Kristen Canter, St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System, (314) 726-0111