In addition to being an excellent player himself, Rex has devoted substantial time and resources to making St. Louis the destination for chess fans. He will be inducted into our state’s Sports Hall of Fame on January 29, 2012. Other inductees include former St. Louis Cardinal and eight-time Gold Glove winner Jim Edmonds, legendary Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Emmitt Thomas, and former NBA star and Mizzou guard Jon Sundvold.

Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield will also be honored at the ceremonies on January 29. She is receiving the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame Achievement Award for her instrumental role in the introduction of a Boy Scouts Merit Badge in Chess. Jeanne supports the teaching of chess in schools, where the sport contributes significantly to children’s math and critical thinking skills.

The team at Slay & Associates is proud to work with Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield and congratulates them on their Hall of Fame honors.

Related posts:

Rex Sinquefield Inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

MIZZOU Alumni Magazine Recognizes Sinquefield Composition Prize and Talks with 2011 Winner Patrick Clark

FOCUS St. Louis chose 20 individuals and organizations to receive this prestigious award and applauds the outstanding accomplishments achieved by those working so hard for the greater good of this region.

“Healthy relationships lead to stronger families that in turn lead to stronger communities,” said Bridget Brennan, founder and executive director of St. Louis Healthy Families. “I am honored to accept this award from FOCUS St. Louis and overjoyed that more than 8,000 people have been touched by our relationship building classes and workshops.”

St. Louis Healthy Families was founded in 2004 as the St. Louis Healthy Marriage Coalition. In April 2010 its name was changed to St. Louis Healthy Families to better reflect the future mission and vision of the agency. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, St. Louis Healthy Families aims to support, establish and sustain healthy families and relationships in the greater St. Louis area through education, information and outreach.

St. Louis Healthy Families coordinates community-wide education efforts that support the development of essential relationship skills, including effective communication and conflict resolution. Its programs and services are made available to adults and teens throughout the St. Louis area through its coalition grant partners at very little or no cost. For more information, call 314-361-1222 or visit www.stlhealthyfamilies.org.

Related posts:

Watch two cute, Short Videos for St. Louis Healthy Families

They are:
* Kari Besharse, Champaign IL
* David Biedenbender, Ann Arbor MI
* Patrick David Clark, Columbia MO
* Michael-Thomas Foumai, Honolulu, HI
* Yotam Haber, New York, NY
* Clint Needham, Columbus OH
* Steven Snowden, Austin TX
* Liza White, Berkeley CA

The 2011 Mizzou New Music Summer Festival will include a series of public concerts featuring music from these eight resident composers and other contemporary creators, as well as workshops, master classes and other events.

The Festival’s guest composers for 2011 will be Roger Reynolds, winner of the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for composition and professor at the University of California at San Diego, and Anna Clyne, a native of London who currently serves as the Mead Composer-in- Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

The acclaimed new music group Alarm Will Sound, conducted by artistic director Alan Pierson, once again will serve as resident ensemble, as they did for the inaugural Festival in 2010, and the Grammy award-winning soprano Susan Narucki will perform with them as a guest artist.

The eight resident composers were selected through a portfolio application process to create a new work for Alarm Will Sound. During the festival, they will receive composition lessons from Reynolds and Clyne; take part in rehearsals with Alarm Will Sound; give presentations on their music; and receive a premiere performance and professional live recording of their work.

The resident composers also will have the opportunity to return to Missouri for a residency at the Sinquefield Reserve (http://www.sinquefieldreserve.com/) sometime during the following academic year.

“Last year a participant described composing for Alarm will Sound as being like driving a Ferrari,” said Jeanne Sinquefield of the Sinquefield Foundation. “It will be fun to see what this year’s composers can do with their ‘car’.”

The Mizzou New Music Summer Festival is part of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, a diverse array of programs at the University of Missouri’s School of Music co-directed by Dr. Stefan Freund and Dr. W. Thomas McKenney.

Intended to position the school as a leading center for music composition and new music, the Initiative is a direct result of a $1 million donation by the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation led by Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield. Their vision is to create an incubator for the composition and performance of new music, and to showcase Missouri as a center for the music of tomorrow.

The City of Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs and the Missouri Arts Council also have provided financial assistance for the Mizzou New Music Summer Festival.

For more information:

Mizzou New Music Summer Festival: http://newmusicsummerfestival.missouri.edu/

Sinquefield Charitable Foundation http://www.sinquefieldcharitablefoundation.com/.

Kari Besharse: http://karibesharse.net/

David Biedenbender: http://www.davidbiedenbender.com/

Michael-Thomas Foumai: http://www.michaelfoumai.com/

Yotam Haber: http://www.yotamhaber.com/

Clint Needham: http://www.clintneedham.com/

Steven Snowden: http://www.stevensnowden.com/

Liza White: http://www.lizawhitemusic.com/

Roger Reynolds & Anna Clyne: http://newmusicsummerfestival.missouri.edu/composers.html

Alarm Will Sound: http://newmusicsummerfestival.missouri.edu/AWS.html

Susan Narucki: http://www.susannarucki.net/

Like

Unlike

Related posts:

Eight of the Best New American Composers Selected for Inaugural Mizzou New Music Summer Festival July 12-18

C.O.M.P. is a joint venture of the University of Missouri School of Music and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation, which provides an annual gift of $50,000 to sponsor the competition. The program was created to encourage K-12 students in Missouri to write original musical works and to encourage performances of those works. The 2011 competition had the most submissions in the event’s six-year history, with more than 100 entrants in eight different categories.

This year’s winning compositions will be performed at the Creating Original Music Project Festival from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, April 23 in the Fine Arts Building on the University of Missouri campus. Both the composers and their music programs will receive cash prizes, and high school winners will receive a scholarship to attend Mizzou’s high school summer music composition camp.

“I am pleased that the number of student composers applying for this competition is increasing every year,” said Jeanne Sinquefield of the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. “This year’s winners came from18 cities across Missouri, covering public, private and home-schooled students. It is hard to describe the joy in hearing original music performed live, and watching the response of the young composers not only to their own music, but the other composers’ music.”

The 2011 Creating Original Music Project (C.O.M.P.) competition categories and winners include:

Elementary – Song with words
1) Menea Vladi Kefalov & Ande Celeste Siegel of Reed Elementary School, St. Louis, for “A Spoonful of Heart”
2) Jack Stebbins of Reeds Spring Elementary, Branson West, for “The Popcorn Pop.” Music teacher: Sue Gillen.

Elementary – Instrumental
1) Esther Whang of Mary Paxton Keeley Elementary, Columbia, for “Letter from the Wolves.” Music teachers: Mabel Kinder and Beth Luetjen.
2) Hyun Jun (John) Yoo of Fairview Elementary, Columbia, for “Song of D Minor”
Music teachers: Judy Shaw and Sara Dexheimer.
3) Grace Filer of Harrisonville Christian School, Harrisonville, for “It’s My Time to Shine.” Music teacher: Kay Schrock.

Middle School – Popular
1) Megan L. Villanueva of St. Peter’s School, Jefferson City, for “Insanity.” Music teacher: Donna Stuckenschneider.
2) Lexie Althaus of Oak Grove Middle School, Oak Grove, for “Summer Love.” Music teacher: Julie Ammons.
3) Lileana Ibur of Wydown Middle School, St. Louis, for “Spinning.” Music teachers: Aaron Doerr and Jerry Estes.

Middle School – Fine Art
1) Savannah Kitchen of Lange Middle School, Columbia, for “Central Park Stroll.” Music teachers: Suzanne Kitchen and Nellie Schrantz
2) Michael Buckner, a home-schooled student from St. Louis, for “A Summer Night.”
3) Lillian Wayne of St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, Kansas City, for “Over the water.” Music teacher: Richard Held.

High School – Fine Art
1) Shaun Gladney of Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, for “Red Soul.” Music Teacher: Steve Mathews
2) Cullam Olsen of Central High School,Springfield, for “A Journey Through the Woods.” Music Teacher: Alberta Smith.
3) Dustin Dunn of South Iron R-I High School, Ironton, for “American Rhapsody.”
Music teacher: Amber Cuneio.

High School – Jazz
1) Benedetto Colagiovanni of Clayton High School, Clayton, for “And the Prince Can Swing.” Music Teacher: Alice Fasman.
2) Josh Blythe of Hickman High School, Columbia, for “Trial by Fire.” Music teacher: Loyd Warden.
3) Joseph Misterovich of The Summit Preparatory School, Springfield, for “Day Old Swing.” Music teacher: Shawn Keech.

High School – Sacred
1) Taylor Qualls, a home-schooled student from Lee’s Summit, for ”The Real Things.”
2) Desiree G. Donaldson of Niangua R-V High School, Strafford, for “Lead Me to the Cross (Why Do I Question?).” Music Teacher: Kelly Donaldson.
3) Ethan Edwards of Providence Fine Arts Center, Florissant, for “He Turns My Weeping into Dancing.” Music teacher: Theresa Blackwell.

High School – Popular
1) Tanner Qualls, a home-schooled student from Lee’s Summit, for “Drown.”
2) Jaron Christopher Geil, a home-schooled student from Grandview, for “Stick People.”
3) Bella Kalei Ibur of Webster Groves High School, Webster Groves, for “By My Side.” Music teachers: Nate Carpenter & Dane Williams.

High School – Folk
1) Kori Caswell of Hannibal High School, Hannibal, for “Let It Fall.” Music teacher: Megan Pieper.
2) Daphne Yu of Rock Bridge High School, Columbia, for “Legende d’Amour: A Tragedy in Medieval France.” Music Teacher: Briana Belding-Peck.

High School – Other
1) Kyle Dunn of Lebanon High School, Lebanon, for “Freaky-Lick.” Music teacher: Lori Scott.
2) Nick Simon of Providence Fine Arts Center, O’Fallon, for “Serene.” Music teacher: Theresa Blackwell
3) Alexandra Young of Lebanon High School, Lebanon, for “The Lightning Strike.”
Music teacher: Lori Scott

Each student who enters the competition must have the signature and sponsorship of his or her school’s music teacher. Community agencies, churches, after-school programs, private teachers and other musical mentors also may sponsor their young musicians in partnership with the student’s school music teacher.

The Creating Original Music Program (C.O.M.P) is one part of the Mizzou New Music Initiative, which is the direct result of the generous financial support of Dr. Jeanne and Mr. Rex Sinquefield, and the Sinquefield Charitable Foundation. The Sinquefields’ vision is to create an incubator for the composition and performance of new music, and to position Missouri as a major center for the music of tomorrow.

For more information:

University of Missouri School of Music - http://music.missouri.edu/
Mizzou New Music Initiative – http://music.missouri.edu/newmusicinitiative.html
Creating Original Music Program (C.O.M.P.) – http://music.missouri.edu/COMP/
Sinquefield Charitable Foundation – http://www.sinquefieldcharitablefoundation.com/

Like

Unlike

Related posts:

Winners Announced for Mizzou Statewide K-12 Music Competition

Dealing with trying economic times, and struggling to navigate the often bewildering maze of education bureaucracy at the same time, make a tough task that much harder.

A new program designed to provide scholarship aid for such students — about 30,000 of them in the St. Louis area alone — and coping skills for their parents aims to make the process a little less difficult.

“There is a critical need for parents of special learners to have access to the schools that are best equipped to reach their children,” says Laura Slay, executive director of the Children’s Education Alliance of Missouri, which announced the program this week.

The alliance’s “mission is to support them financially so that they can make the best choices for their children, but also to give them the tools they need to advocate successfully for their children’s educational rights.”

So far, the effort has raised about $20,000. Slay said she hopes that number can rise to about $120,000 by this fall, when the first scholarships would be awarded to families in the St. Louis area.

Once the program has gained a foothold here, she said, the goal is to expand it throughout Missouri. A recent listening tour around the state, as well as a census of children with special education challenges, show that the need is great, and the best opportunity for meaningful help is for students in grades 6-8.

“We listened to some of the problems parents are dealing with,” Slay said, “and across the board, they had two major concerns. They were going through emotional changes after their children had been diagnosed, worrying about their future, and they also were trying to navigate a very complex educational system.”

With 133,000 Missouri students on individualized education plans, or IEPs, and the cost of educating them as much as $150,000 a year, the shortcomings of the system quickly became apparent, she added.

“We saw real gaps,” Slay said. “There aren’t many scholarships available to families, especially in the area of autism. Many times, parents are frustrated with their school district. They don’t feel the district is meeting the goals set out by the IEP, and they don’t know where to turn.”

Norma Speckhard, a board member of the alliance who has an extensive background in special education, said the kind of support that the scholarship program will provide is unique.

“It’s very lonely having a child with special needs,” she said. “It’s exhausting. It’s emotional and physical, it’s expensive, and assistance is limited.”

Because every child is unique and every family situation is unique, she said, the training will vary, depending on what the parents need. But Speckhard said she hopes one feature is common to all situations.

“We want to teach them how to enjoy their child,” she said. “So often, with a child with special needs, you have one crisis after another, and the joy of family life is depeleted. We want to help them through the rough spots.”

Scholarship money will go directly to schools, designated for use in the education of specific students. Money also will be used to help teach parents how to become effective advocates for what their children need to get out of school.

“Many parents didn’t understand what their rights were,” Slay said. “They need to learn how to talk to the schools. Too many times, parents and schools and teachers are in conflict with each other, in a very emotionally charged situation.

“Emotion harms the conversation. We want to provide parents with the training they need to find solutions within the school district.”

The scholarships are also designed to ease financial difficulties that often are magnified by the pressures posed by the special needs of children with IEPs. Bankruptcy, divorce and other circumstances are all too common, Slay said.

“For one family in St. Joseph with an autistic child,” she said, “they had a house they couldn’t sell, but they had to move to a different city to get the appropriate education for their child. So one half of the family stayed behind in St. Joseph, and they had to live in two households in two separate areas of the state.”

Slay said it is difficult to determine just how much individual scholarships may be, because the tuition at schools serving children with special needs varies. Money may also go to public schools, she said.

The lifetime costs of caring for someone with autism can be as high as $3 million to $5 million, she said, but high-quality intervention during a child’s early years can help reduce that amount significantly.

So far, Slay said, all contributions to the program have come from individuals, some as small as $10. A benefit and a fund-raising event are planned for this spring, and businesses in the Central West End, where the education alliance is located, have been asked to take part.

Related posts:

Sinquefield Charitable Foundation Donates $500,000 for Low Income Scholarships

Photo captions at end of article. Click image to view larger.

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 13 — Hundreds of donors generously contributed nearly $75,000 to St. Vincent Home for Children at the fourth annual benefit held Dec. 9 at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis.

The event was hosted by local philanthropists Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield; Rachel and Travis Brown of Pelopidas LLC; and Laura Slay of Slay and Associates.

Despite a continuing lackluster economy, the benefit was a success on every level. The amount raised was nearly 50 percent higher than any other year.

“I am happy and proud to have co-hosted all of the St. Vincent holiday benefits so far,” said Laura Slay, president of Slay & Associates. “St. Vincent plays a vital role in helping troubled children to find their path, and in keeping fragile families together.”

Indeed, over the last four years, more than $200,000 has been raised for St. Vincent. Perhaps more importantly, the benefit has helped raise awareness of St. Vincent in general, thanks to the 1,500 people who have attended over the years. In addition, three videos have been produced highlighting St. Vincent, and the holiday benefit, to the public.

Each year, the event has drawn more and more of the St. Louis area’s – and the state’s – top community, political and business leaders. And 2010 was no different.

Among the nearly 500 guests St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley, Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster and Nigerian Arts Ambassador Ibiyinka Alao. Others attending included Maggie and Ron Holtman, Rod Jones, Vince Mannino, Ed Rohmberg, Donna Wilkinson, Bob Duffy, Dick Zitzmann, Stu Zimmerman, Kevin and Patti Short, Shonagh Clements, Kristin Lappin, Bob and Mike Kelly, Pat Whitaker, Eleanor Maynard, Nancy Rice, Lewis Reed, Mike and Pat Lueken, Brad Ketcher, Joe Keaveny, Allen Icet, Tim and Cindy Drury, Larry LeGrand, John Sondag, Bruce Waxman, Lee Ann Taylor, Brenda and Jim Talent, Dan Mehan, Anne-Marie Moy, Kelly Sarka, Julie and Ryan Lally, Becky and Aaron Willard, Marc Ellinger, Sheri Bilderback, Randy and Laura Sinquefield, Katie Sinquefield and Alan Dodds, and Melanie and Todd Abrajano.

Many of those attending the gala were caught up in a fast-and-furious, and oftentimes comical live auction hosted by former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher and current announcer, Ricky Horton. Three other former Cardinals lent their support and witty observations: Al Hrabosky, Mike Matheny and Jack Clark. Baseball was a dominant theme during the live auction, and a simultaneous silent auction. Items included a 1944 Cardinals jersey signed by Stan Musial, a 1964 Cardinals jersey signed by Bob Gibson, and a baseball signed by members of the St. Louis Hall of Fame.

During the live auction, bidders anxiously worked to outspend each other for the prized memorabilia and other items. In all, the auction raised thousands for St. Vincent.

Besides the auction, Guests enjoyed hors d’oeurves, seafood, vegetables, prime rib, roast chicken, and various desserts, and then danced the night away to music by Motown-sound band, Arvell & Company.

St. Vincent Home has a special meaning for Rex Sinquefield. He and his brother, Jerry, lived at St. Vincent in the 1950s, after their family fell on hard financial times following the death of their father. St. Vincent, at that time, was a home for orphaned children. Today, St. Vincent provides a variety of services for troubled children and their families.

###

St. Louis-based St. Vincent provides residential treatment services, community-based counseling, and day treatment for troubled children and their families.

Photo credit: Steve Truesdell and Mark Beaven.

Photo captions (Left to Right):
The Chase from the outside looking in
Cindy and Tim Drury
Laura Slay, Nigerian arts ambassador Ibiyinka Alao, Bob Poli
Laura Slay, Rex Sinquefield, Jeanne Sinquefield, Bob Poli
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay and Jeanne Sinquefield
Chrissy and Marc Ellinger
Maggie and Ron Holtman
Travis Brown, Rachel Keller-Brown, Rex Sinquefield, Jeanne Sinquefield

Related posts:

Third Annual Benefit for St. Vincent Home for Children Nets $45,000

Dear Friends,

As you may know, Laura has been very involved with MicroFinancing Partners in Africa since its founding.  As we celebrate the organization’s 5th anniversary, Slay & Associates is pleased to announce a fresh look!

MPA has a new logo (see above) and a new website to go with it.  Check it out atwww.microfinancingafrica.org and browse through the many new features.

In addition to providing all you would ever want to know About MPA, the website has an all-new Donations Market page, to easily help fund hope, a section with news from creditable journalists on the counties MPA is involved with (Uganda, Kenya & Tanzania), to provide a real feeling of what it is like to live in these areas every day, and an up-to-date Eventspage, so you don’t miss any of the fun.

The website also features stories about People Who Inspire Us.  Right now, several partners from Jamii Bora and Caritas MADDO are highlighted.  Hopefully these stories will give you a better insight and personal connection to the amazing mission MPA supports.

We hope you enjoy the new website!

Sincerely,

Laura Slay & Your Friends at MicroFinancing Partners in Africa

Related posts:

Microfinancing Partners in Africa to Hold Annual Fundraising Gala

Be social with us!

Related posts:

Video and Photos of Thursday’s St. Louis Healthy Families Champions of Strong Marriage & Community Event Are HERE

Related posts:

First Annual Dr. Brownstone’s Sweet Summer Luv Luv Festival & BBQ Cook Off