Dear Friend of The Woman’s Exchange,
What a year it has been for The Woman's Exchange of St. Louis! While we continue to navigate the challenges of rising operating costs, we remain devoted to making a meaningful impact in our community. The reach of our programs extends beyond St. Louis, helping improve the lives of women both locally and around the world.
Founded in 1883, by women for women, The Woman’s Exchange of St. Louis is a volunteer-led not-for-profit organization. I am proud to share that, more than 143 years later, The Exchange is steadfastly committed to our mission of providing program participants and employees with the resources, training, and support they need to lead more financially independent lives. As one of the remaining few Exchanges in the country, our continued success would not be possible without you.
I know each of you is familiar with our mission, but I have been asked several times, “What does that mean today? Where does my money go?” I want to take a moment to share how your generous donations have been used to further our mission of the last year.
$171,307 supported artisan initiatives, for example, we provide materials, training, and upfront payment to the artisan who create our products.
$243,700 was allocated to employee compensation, skill development, training, and other necessary support, such as translation services, transportation, and desperately needed assistance in emergencies.
Our food artisans used over 134 hours of our commercial kitchen space for free, enabling them to make 1,565 items.
The Woman’s Exchange is proud to serve our community by helping artisans, immigrant training program participants, our employees, and others in their pursuit to lead more financially independent lives. As operating costs continue to rise, sustaining this important work requires the support of our generous community. I humbly ask you to please join us in furthering our mission by making a donation today.
Kindly,
Amanda Brennan
Board President