Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club

Mathews-Dickey VP, PR & Special Events and program founder Barbara A. Washington with "The Sky is the Limit" participants.

Mathews-Dickey 15th Annual“The Sky Is The Limit” Gives Mentors
A Chance to Make A Difference in Lives of Young Women

The Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club The Sky is the Limit” career-readiness program celebrated its 15th anniversary of providing high-school and junior high school young women with career training, mentors and college scholarships. As a testament to this impact, the 15th Annual “The Sky is the Limit” career-readiness program celebrated an impressive milestone this year: awarding $350,000 in college scholarships and creating 3,5000 mentor-student pairings.

Community volunteer and philanthropist Sue Engelhardt provided the keynote address on May 15, at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, One S. Broadway. Emceed by KTVI Fox 2 Reporter Shirley Washington, the luncheon gave young women an opportunity to meet and network with outstanding female business owners and executives. Each professional woman sponsored lunch for a student and herself. Geared for the busy schedules of today’s businesswoman on the move, the mentorship link was formed by a ceremonial business card exchange and future activities are voluntary.

In a surprise announcement, keynote speaker Sue Engelhardt and her husband, Irl Engelhardt, presented a $50,000 contribution on behalf of The Engelhardt Family Foundation to start the Barbara Washington “The Sky is the Limit” Scholarship Fund, named in honor of the Club’s vice president of public relations & special events and the event’s founder. “We are issuing a challenge grant to match 100 percent of any additional contributions to the scholarship fund up to $50,000, in hopes to raise a total of $150,000,” Engelhardt said. Engelhardt highlighted the power of mentors in her life and career journey. Since retiring from the public accounting and brokerage industries, she has applied her time and talents to charitable causes, including those related to children, the performing arts.

Prior to the luncheon, the young women attend the Women in Careers Workshop on April 25 at St. Charles Community College’s Daniel J. Conoyers Social Sciences Building. The program kicked off with opening remarks by workshop sponsor Melanie DiLeo, Missouri state director, community relations, Global Consumer Group — Citi. Ernst & Young, LLP Ruth Saphian offered the career presentation and the closing remarks were made by Emily Pitts, principal, inclusion & diversity department, Edward Jones

Engineering: A Successful Career Path
Teresa Price, transit/planning/traffic section manager — Jacobs

Hospitality Plus: The Meetings & Events Industry
Adrienne Lathan, assistant director of human resources — The Four Seasons Hotel

Keep Them Flying: A Career in Aircraft Training Systems
Christine Brumfield, electrical engineer — The Boeing Company

Money Talk: A Career Spreadsheet
Carletha Rogers, financial advisor — Edward Jones

Paging Doctor You
Jennifer Irvin, school/community health coordinator — BJC HealthCare

Real Estate: A Career All Your Own
Kristy Siebert, relationship officer, commercial real estate, — Commerce Bank

The Scientific Path: Imagination & Innovation
Dannette Ward, senior scientist — The Monsanto Co.

The Verdict: A View of the Legal Profession
Vanessa Keith, attorney at law — Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, PC

The Plain Truth About Modeling
Gail Lasater, President and Owner attorney at law — West Model and Talent Management

The career-readiness momentum keeps on building at Mathews-Dickey. Biden visited the Club on April 17, to launch the Missouri Next Generation Jobs Initiative with Congressman William Lacy Clay, Governor Jay Nixon, Mayor Francis Slay and County Executive Charlie Dooley. Thirty high school students from Beaumont, Roosevelt, Sumner, Vashon and the Club’s membership took part in a round-table discussion with the vice president.

The participating young women represent the following school districts: Clayton, East St. Louis, Ferguson-Florissant, Francis Howell, Hazelwood, Kirkwood, Ladue, Lindbergh, Normandy, Parkway, Pattonville, Ritenour, Riverview Gardens, Rockwood, St. Louis Public Schools and Webster Groves. Graduating seniors from each district and Mathews-Dickey members received $1,000 college scholarships based upon community service, extra-curricular participation and academic excellence.

In support of "The Sky is the Limit," Barbara Washington has recorded and releases her third college scholarship benefit CD, Down by the Riverside. The production, featuring special musical appearances by University of Missouri St. Louis Chancellor Dr. Thomas George and Contemporary Productions Owner Steve Schankman, is a collection of traditional gospel classics. It comes on the heels of Seasons Changing, a set of original, contemporary gospel songs, penned and produced by her son, Da’ Singer, a.k.a. Jamie King James Dennis. Both CDs are available for $20 and the goal is to raise $40,000 for The Sky is the Limit career-readiness program for young women.

The honorary chairwomen are Barbara Brack, wife of Time Inc. chairman emeritus Reginald Brack, Jr.,Virginia Busch, partner,Busch & Conard; Debra Denham, vice president, community affairs, BJC HealthCare, DiLeo, and Deborah Patterson, president, The Monsanto Fund.

To sign-up call Bill Fronczak at (314) 382-5952, ext. 228, or Barbara Washington at (314) 382-5952, ext. 234.