Employee nominators help ‘unsung heroes’ shine

“Some would say you are the unsung heroes of our communities, but I say you are the heroes upon which many songs should be written.”

Those were the welcoming words from BJC senior vice president June Fowler at the March 20 reception bringing together 13 nonprofit organizations selected to receive a special BJC donation, along with their employee nominators.

Held in the Center for Advanced Medicine lobby and drawing nearly 100 attendees, the event capped off BJC’s 25th anniversary activities. To commemorate BJC’s anniversary in 2018, team members were invited to nominate a charitable organization that had personal meaning to them to receive part of $25,000 set aside to support grassroots, local organizations with a shared mission of improving health, education, child/youth development, senior/disabled support or community-building.

BJC team members responded with more than 100 nominations, which were subsequently evaluated by the St. Louis Community Foundation. The Foundation made recommendations on how to allocate the total funding opportunity among the deserving nominations.

“This is a great reason to get together,” said BJC president and CEO Rich Liekweg. “BJC was formed 25 years ago and it took an entire year to celebrate — our work, our mission, our purpose, our impact and our future. We looked for a way to distribute support among the communities we serve and were overwhelmed with the number of organizations nominated by our team members. It brings pride to the entire organization to see the impact this gesture has meant.”

Team members who nominated the charities joined Liekweg center stage to present the donations on behalf of BJC. Based on the resounding success of the program, Liekweg had more good news to share with attendees.

“What began as a 25-year opportunity has been so successful in identifying worthy organizations and in bringing together our team, this will become an annual event,” said Liekweg. “You help us do what we do best — serving our community. And we are fortunate to have partners like you to share in this work.”

Look for an opportunity to nominate more local nonprofits in the near future.

Watch a recap of the festivities.

Learn more about the BJC Gives Back program, and look for an opportunity to nominate more local nonprofits in the near future.

Charities that received donations include:

• Burns Recovered
• Christian Activity Center East St. Louis
• CJ’s Journey
• Every Child’s Hope
• Gateway to Hope
• Hayner Public Library District
• Inn from the Storm
• Jefferson County CASA
• Maggie Welby Foundation
• Ollie Hinkle Heart Foundation
• Shared Blessings Inc.
• Voluntary Action Center
• Whole Kids Outreach