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South Grand Senior Ministry
"Maximizing the Talents of Senior Citizens in South St. Louis"

South Grand Senior Ministry was created in 2001 and now includes a partnership of six Catholic parishes in South St. Louis. The parishes -- Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Cecilia, St Pius V, St. Stephen Protomartyr, and Resurrection of Our Lord to provide a variety of services for senior citizens in the parish or in the surrounding neighborhoods.

You don’t have to be a member of the parishes to participate in the South Grand Senior Ministry activities! Our goal is to maximize the talents of seniors in South St. Louis. We serve active seniors who would like to join us for trips and volunteer opportunities, seniors who need support to stay in their homes, and everyone in between.

Services
  • Activities for seniors only, like bus trips, book clubs, and "Senior Prom."
  • Benefits counseling for Medicare and other senior programs.
  • Family support to help make the best choices when it comes to health care and housing.
  • Friendly visiting from a neighbor or volunteer.
  • Health promotion classes, exercise classes, and health fairs.
  • Newsletters can arrive at your home or found at local businesses. We are always looking for articles and stories.
  • Referrals to help with finding services to keep you safe at home, such as installing rails and ramps, keeping your house clean, or getting a bath.
  • Transportation to the doctor for those who no longer drive.
  • Volunteer activities such as tutoring children in the neighborhood schools or providing rides to the doctor.

Agency Overview
Who We Are: South Grand Senior Ministry (SGSM) was created in 2001 through a partnership of five Catholic parishes along the South Grand Corridor (south of Highway 44) in South St. Louis. In 2003, we grew to six parishes; Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Cecilia, St. Pius V, St. Stephen Protomartyr, and Resurrection of Our Lord parishes provide a variety of services for senior citizens in the parish or in the surrounding neighborhoods. SGSM is incorporated as a private, not-for-profit organization and currently has a coordinator, a staff associate, a staff nurse, and a financial manager; all these staff members are part-time and paid by various grants. In addition, each participating parish has a staff person specifically focused on seniors. Each staff person is supported financially by their respective parishes as well as through SGSM. Parish staff works independently for their parishioners as well as collaboratively with other parishes and social service agencies to provide comprehensive services to senior citizens in the area, regardless of race, creed or parish affiliation.

What We Do: South Grand Senior Ministry aims to increase the quality of life while maximizing the talents of senior citizens in South St. Louis. By increasing quality of life, we seek to promote successful aging by supporting our seniors to live safely in their homes, lead a physically and spiritually active life and remain socially engaged in their faith community. We do this by coordinating two broad categories of support; health and social services.
  • Health - Health services are provided by our Parish Nurse and are provided in a variety of settings. Group health promotion activities include flu shots, screenings for stroke, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis, blood pressure checks, glucose checks, health fairs, exercise classes, and lecture series on health-related topics. Individual health services are provided through home visits and include blood pressure and glucose checks, medication monitoring, and referral services. These referrals are based on staff experience with local health care providers. Since we have worked in the community for years, we understand the complex medical provider system and share our experience with seniors to ensure the best possible care.
  • Social Services - Social services are provided by our Parish Nurse as well as our social worker and lay ministry and include activities for seniors only, like bus trips, book clubs and "Senior Prom," family support, in which staff are available to seniors and their families looking to make the best choices for their health care and housing, friendly visiting, and referrals which coordinate services to keep seniors safe at home. Staff also works with families in transitional planning, or when advocate services are necessary. We also distribute a monthly newsletter to nearly 1,500 seniors which includes timely information on health, financial and emotional issues. Finally, SGSM has developed the "Ready, Set, Go!" transportation program, in which volunteers provide rides to medical appointments to seniors who can no longer drive.
Where We’re Going SGSM is able to respond to the needs of seniors along the South Grand Corridor thanks to its active senior advisory board, which serves as the "eyes and ears" of the community. Based on our advisory board’s recommendations and the expressed needs of the community, SGSM is working to expand its volunteer efforts with a Public Benefits Outreach program, which will ensure seniors in the area are aware of enefits to which they are entitled (such as food stamps, health insurance and veterans administration benefits), as well as explore options in assisted living in the South Grand corridor. In addition, SGSM received a grant from President Bush’s Capital Compassion Campaign to strengthen our organizational infrastructure in order to better prepare for our future. We are also seeking ways to better measure our program’s impact on senior health, emotional well being and in-home safety.

South Grand Senior Ministry Officers
President
Rev. Mike Lydon, Pastor, St. Pius V
310 South Grand Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone: (314) 664-4763

Vice President
Rev. Robert Sieg, OFM, Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua
3140 Meramec Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone: (314) 655-0554

Secretary / Treasurer
Rev. Ronald C. Chochol, Ph.D., Pastor, St. Margaret of Scotland
3854 Flad Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: (314) 776-0363
Fax: 314) 776-0364

South Grand Senior Ministry Staff
Coordinator
Holly Staley, MSW
Phone: (314) 481-1133 Extension 342

Staff Nurse
Barb Salmo, RN
Phone: (314) 655-0554

Staff Associate
Leigh Manalang, MSW
Phone: (314) 481-1133 Extension 342


South Grand Senior Ministry Participating Parishes and Their Staff
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Jane Siebel
4092 Blow Street
St. Louis, MO 63116
Phone: (314) 481-9385

Resurrection of Our Lord
Sr. Dolores Rapp
3900 Meramec
St. Louis, MO 63116
Phone: (314) 832-7023

St. Anthony of Padua
Barb Salmo
3140 Meramec Street
St. Louis, MO 63116
Phone: (314) 655-0554

St. Cecilia
Heather Sieve
5418 Louisiana
St. Louis, MO 63111
Phone: (314) 351-1318

St. Pius V
Sr. Dorothy Ann Katke
3310 South Grand
St. Louis, MO 63118
Phone: (314) 664-4763 Extension 206

St. Stephen Protomartyr
Leigh Manalang
3949 Wilmington
St. Louis, MO 63116
Phone: (314) 481-1133 Extension 342

St. Margaret of Scotland Parish (applicant for membership)
Cathy White
3854 Flad
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: (314) 776-0363

The South Grand Senior Ministry Program is made possible through the generous support of the Incarnate Word Foundation.

We Need Your Talent
If you, or someone you know, would be interested in participating in the South Grand Senior Ministry Program, we have a variety of opportunities available. Please join us as we better our neighborhoods, have fun, and provide support for senior citizens who need it. Every talent is appreciated!

Please call Holly Staley at 481-1133 Extension 342 for more information.

Advisory Board Members
Our advisory board is made entirely of senior citizens from the community. The purpose of the South Grant Senior Ministry Advisory Board is the provide the SGSM Project staff with insight to more effectively serve senior citizens in the five parishes as well as the larger senior community in South St. Louis. The members are as follows:

Resurrection of Our Lord Clara Schoemehl - Miss Schoemehl is an active member of the South City Ramblers, a group of senior citizens who enjoy traveling in Missouri and abroad. She retired after nearly 40 years of service from the International Shoe Company, and prides herself on her independence, as she remained single her whole life. She is president of the Lady’s Sodality and volunteers regularly for St. Alexian Hospital. Richard Kreiner - Mr. Kreiner is an Austrian immigrant who escaped from a Nazi prison camp during World War II. Along with raising his five children with his wife, he ran his own small business for almost 50 years before retiring, and now enjoys the exercise classes offered at St. Anthony’s as well as at the local YMCA.

St. Anthony of Padua Joetta Kern - Mrs. Kern is the mother of eight children and a former receptionist for an energy assistance program in St. Louis. She is actively involved with the secular Franciscans, sits on the Pastoral Council at St. Anthony’s, and is a member of the Lady’s Sodality. She is currently participating in the research project through St. Louis University that studies socially and physically active seniors and their relative health in comparison to seniors who are not emotionally and physically engaged in their community. Rose Hughes - Mrs. Hughes is a retired homemaker who has raised two children (both deceased) and has helped raise her five grandchildren. She is active in the Golden Frontiers Club which travels internationally, is a volunteer for St. Anthony’s food pantry and Martha’s Friends, a group of volunteers who help the bereaved.

St. Cecilia Bob Winkeler - Mr. Winkeler is a World War II veteran who also worked for the Chrystler Auto plan before “retiring” and becoming a full time volunteer. He and any number of his children and grandchildren can be found patrolling the streets in St. Cecilia’s parish in a neighborhood watch program he spearheaded and still oversees. He is also an active member of the Holy Name society, is the Chairman of St. Cecilia’s Fall Festival, and volunteers for the Boy Scouts, the Athletic Association, Parish Council and the Liturgy Committee. Rosemarie Voss - Mrs. Voss is the mother of four children and an active volunteer for the Sisters of St. Joseph and is a member of the Samaritan Society, where she delivers groceries to the homebound. She also volunteers for Carondelet Community Betterment Federation, a neighborhood stabilization organization in her neighborhood, and is a board member on the Bellerive Neighborhood Association.

St. Pius Carol King - Grace Smith - Mrs. Smith is the mother of three children and a retired factory worker. She is active in a number of prayer chains in South St. Louis and makes rosaries for the Legion of Mary. She is a member of the Blue Army and spends much of her time comforting others who are recently widowed or have lost a loved one.

St. Stephen Protomartyr Blanche DeGreeff - Miss DeGreeff is a member of St. Stephen’s choir and an active volunteer in the school, working mostly with children in the lower grades on reading comprehension. She ran her own business for 20 years after working her way up to the director of sales and marketing for the Holiday Inn from 1942 – 1960. She is a former member of the Parish Council, and still volunteers for the USO when time allows. She also volunteers as disk jockey for the SGSM “Senior Prom” held in the fall. Ellen Bohac - Miss Bohac is an avid bowler and quilter and a volunteer for the SGSM transportation program. She also volunteers for the St. Stephen’s 50+ Club and is a member of Lady’s Sodality. She is an “on call” volunteer for St. Stephens for office work, and she volunteers for Martha’s Group.
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