I’m a bookkeeper and financial manager, and a single mom with four children. At the schools my children attend-SLUH, St. Frances Cabrini and The Soulard School-everyone chips in and does their fair share. For me, that’s what I remember about neighborhoods and schools. For all three schools that my children attend parental involvement is paramount. I volunteer at every single one of them as much as I can. Today and Tomorrow has helped all of my kids and now my oldest, a St. Cecilia alumni gets to pay that forward because at SLUH he’s on a work study scholarship so he gets to pay his own way.

St. Louis is a great city, but the education system and the education geography is just really tragic.

I love this city-the history, the river, the culture, the diversity-so what Today and Tomorrow does is allow me to stay in the city and still have my kids attend amazing schools. I’m not sure where I would have gone or what I would have done otherwise, quite frankly, Today and Tomorrow made this possible.

What I want most for my kids is for them to know that you can’t know what you can be. I want them to just absorb and enjoy the ride and be kids. There are jobs that are going to pop up for my kids that I can’t even imagine. I want my kids to think and to problem solve and one of the best places to do that is in the city and living life.

When I was teaching preschool I had a four year old boy tell me that when he grew up he wanted to be a doctor, a policeman, a pizza delivery guy or the guy that gets to go down and fix the sewers. I want all four of those options for my children!

I have immense gratitude for the donors and the foundation of Today and Tomorrow.

I’m a single mother and my son, Devin, is almost 19 years old. Out of all of the schools he attended St. Roch was our favorite. When he got accepted and started there he went from a straight A student at North County Christian School to making failing grades because he was so far behind. The principal, Gloria Openlander, said that he’d do just fine, he just needed some time to catch up. She helped him go to tutoring. Every test he took came across her desk. She’s the best principal Devin ever had.

Devin is majoring in graphic design at Southeast Missouri State University. Hopefully he’ll go on and get his masters. He wants to open up his own business and eventually teach graphic design at the college level-and I believe that he can-he’s sort of been an entrepreneur already in graphic design, and been very successful. He even creates logos and t-shirts for the church.

I felt as a parent that I wanted a better education for my child and I was struggling financially. If it weren’t for Today and Tomorrow Devin could not have attended private school.

I don’t believe he would have had the same exposure to computers at a public school. I don’t think he would have developed such an interest in computers and graphic design. That was all because of Today and Tomorrow’s assistance.

I’m very grateful. Today and Tomorrow truly was a blessing for the both of us.

Both of my kids went to St. Louis Catholic, Logan is in sixth grade and Martez is in ninth grade at St. Mary’s. Logan dances and Martez is in drum class. I want them to be happy. I strive for them to be happy. Their dad and I are legally separated, so it’s a transition for them. I want them to get the best education possible and become good, productive adult citizens. I’m doing everything in my power to help them achieve that.

If I didn’t get the help from Today and Tomorrow I would not have been able to afford to keep my children in Catholic school.

I would have had to work 2-3 jobs to get them the education that they need, but that would have taken me from them. Being a single parent, I can’t just let them raise themselves. My children are my greatest investment. What I invest in them is what I get out.

I try to tell people to plant a seed in someone else, because you never know how far it will take them. Why not invest in a young person’s ability to become the best person that they can become? I try to talk to my kids, encourage them and uplift them. I tell them to dream big and go for it. Society would improve so much if we just put children under our wings in the formative years. Supporting Today and Tomorrow is beneficial for years to come, it’s really a beacon in our society.

Today and Tomorrow has given me the opportunity to give my children a good education influenced by the Catholic faith.