Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club

Mathews-Dickey President, CEO & Co-Founder Martin L. Mathews.

Mathews-Dickey ‘Brings on the Girls’
ST. LOUIS, APRIL 10, 2001 - As 1,000 balloons were released into the air, the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ Club officially became the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club, on April 10, at a special unveiling ceremony and press conference. At the proceedings, the Club announced that its Girls’ Program Millennial Fund-raising Campaign generated nearly $1.5 million in pledges over the next three years.

“What started 41 years ago with a baseball team of 30 young men has grown into a multi-faceted, diverse organization, where young men and women can work together and realize their dreams,” said Mathews-Dickey President, CEO & Co-Founder Martin L. Mathews. “At the onset of the 21st Century, we are firmly focused on ensuring the vitality of the Girls' Program through our millennial fund-raising campaign.”

Martin L. Mathews with veteran broadcasters Wendy Wiese and Christine Buck.

Veteran broadcasters and girls’ program advocates Wendy Wiese and Christine Buck presiding over the conference, which was appropriately themed “Bring on the Girls.” Taking part in the unveiling were Mathews, Club members Katie Trimble and Natalie Dougherty, and several Mathews-Dickey friends and sponsors. The new Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club signage was donated by Instituform Technologies, Inc.

The new campaign is the culmination of a process set in motion decades ago. Young women have been associated with Mathews-Dickey programs since its earliest days - when they participated in unofficial cheerleading activities.

The first formalized effort to initiate structured girls programming was in 1978, under the direction of Mathews-Dickey alumnus and basketball coordinator Gary Glasscock. After moving from the 4738 Natural Bridge storefront to 4245 N. Kingshighway in 1982, the movement to begin a formal Girls' Program took shape.

After reading the book “Losing Ground,” Board Member Charles “Big Charlie” Ruprecht approached the Club in 1984 to explore mechanisms to curb teen pregnancy and drop-outs among high-school aged young women. Ruprecht secured two-year start-up funding.

Unveiling of new sign for the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club.

Later, Barbara Washington joined Mathews-Dickey as the public relations director, launching a dramatic Girls’ Program expansion. This encouraged Evie Williams to approach Emerson’s Chuck Knight and Anheuser-Busch’s August A. Busch III to build an expansion wing for the young women. Board members Richard Casey and Robert Grote also stepped forward with their support.

In 1989, the dedication took place for the 19,000 square-foot expansion wing, which features six learning classrooms, a teaching and demonstration kitchen and the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Auditorium.

The Girls’ Program currently serves more than 3,500 young women. Contributions to the campaign are still being accepted. For more information on the Girls’ Program Millennial Fund-raising Campaign, contact Barbara A. Washington at (314) 382-5952, ext. 234.

Unveiling of new sign for the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club: Nick Karakas, chairman, Marcus Distributors; Steve Jones, Esq., partner, Armstrong Teasdale LLP; Raymond Maritz, president, Raymond E. Maritz & Sons, Inc.; the late Robert Hensley, Jr., INTERCO Charitable Trust administrator, Furniture Brands International; Barbara A. Washington, vice president, public relations & special events, Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club; Rev. William G. Gillespie, chairman of the board of Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club and pastor of Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church; Thelma V. Cook, director of corporate affairs and executive assistant to the vice president, Anheuser-Busch Companies; the late Charmaine Chapman, president & CEO, United Way of Greater St. Louis; Christine Buck, special reporter, KPLR-TV, WB 11; Wendy Wiese, veteran broadcaster; Martin L. Mathews, president, CEO & co-founder, Mathews-Dickey Boys' & Girls' Club; Tony Hooper, chairman, president & CEO, Insituform Technologies, Inc.; Rev. Earl E. Nance, Jr., pastor, Greater Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church; David Landesman, co-president, Lawson Screen Products, Inc.; Richard Casey, board treasurer, Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club; and Karl Grice, owner, Grice Group Architects.