On May 28, Senior Fund of St. Louis City hosted its annual Partner Recognition and Awards Celebration, bringing together partners to reflect on a year marked by both challenges and opportunities. The event provided a moment to celebrate the resilience, collaboration, and unwavering commitment of organizations serving older adults throughout the City of St. Louis.
November 2026 marks the 10‑year anniversary of St. Louis City voters approving the senior services levy. Since the levy was created in 2016, Senior Fund has invested more than $14 million in community services for older adults. In the current fiscal year, Senior Fund has allocated $2.4 million to program and community initiatives supporting resources for St. Louis City older adults, including $1.9 million in grants for direct services delivered by 25 funded partner organizations. These investments have helped support essential programs carried out by community organizations, including home repairs, caregiving support, dental care, meals, legal services, and emergency assistance.
Read Senior Fund’s 2025 Annual Report for more information on community program investments.
In addition to reflections on the year, Senior Fund presented several awards to recognize contributions of individuals serving in the St. Louis community. Due to the cancellation of last year’s awards event after the May 16 tornado, awardees for both 2025 and 2026 were recognized.
Community Service Awards
This award recognizes older St. Louis City residents who have shown significant volunteerism and involvement in St. Louis through community service and other civic engagement, have gone above and beyond typical volunteer action to head committees or working groups, lead events, projects, or initiatives; serve on boards; and/or encourage the engagement of other people. These individuals make important contributions to ensuring our community is a better place to live and grow older.
2025 Community Service Awardees
Lula Lowery
For service through LifeWise STL’s Senior Companion Program
Ruth Ehresman
For service through St. Pius V Conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society
Rosie Willis
For service through Fresh Starts Community Garden in the JeffVanderLou neighborhood
2026 Community Service Awardees
Khien Van Hoang
For service through LifeWise STL’s Senior Companion Program
Khatib Waheed
For service in the West End & Visitation Park neighborhoods, including engagement through weCollab
Larry Meyers
For service through Lindenwood Area Senior Ministry
Professional in Aging Award
The Professional in Aging Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate commitment and passion for serving and working with older adults in the City of St. Louis and contributes to the success of programs and/or advocacy efforts carried out by their organization. This is someone who goes above and beyond to work with colleagues and partners to respond to individual and community needs.
2025 Professional in Aging Awardees
Kathy Farache
Assistant Director
Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities
Sr. Cecilia Pham
Program Coordinator, Vietnamese Services
St. Francis Community Services
2026 Professional in Aging Awardee
Shana Watson
Senior Programs Director
Northside Youth and Senior Service Center
Heart of a Leader Award
The Heart of a Leader Award recognizes a person whose influence reaches beyond a single organization—someone who leads with purpose and a deep commitment to shaping what “aging in community” looks like in the City of St. Louis. Nominees for this award are individuals who demonstrate leadership in different ways, including building bridges with other organizations, championing and elevating others, serving as trusted advocates for older adults, taking decisive action in moments of challenge or change, and/or inspiring forward momentum through vision and insight.
2025 Heart of a Leader Awardee
Anneliese Stoever
Director
St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, Department of Human Services,
City of St. Louis
2026 Heart of a Leader Awardee
Samantha Ferguson Knight
Director of Senior Programming
LifeWise StL
Senior Fund would like to thank the dedicated work of all of the individuals and community organizations who support services and community efforts in the City of St. Louis.
To connect to organizations funded by Senior Fund, view the funded partners list.
Photos by: Be Lovely Photography