Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

ST. JAMES—Through its annual grant-making, Meramec Regional Community Foundation (MRCF) awarded the Armed Services YMCA of Missouri and KidSight for community projects focusing on children in the Meramec Region. Each program received $750. The awards were announced, and checks were presented at MRCF’s Invite-a-Friend luncheon March 25 at MRPC in St. James. 

The Armed Services YMCA of Missouri enhances the lives of military members and their families through programs relevant to the unique challenges of military life. The group intends to use the funding to purchase a lending software for the new ‘Lending Library’ in the early-education classes. The lending software will ensure that borrowing of materials remains organized and scheduled, thereby reducing loss of materials. 

“The ASYMCA is not federally or state funded, nor has membership fees,” Executive Director Shelley Emperato said. “We are completly run on grants and donations. This grant allows us to provide a quality Lending Library to our military families that utilize our programs, making inventory, check out/in process easy. Easy is what parents need in their lives. This ease hopes to allow for much reading by families and children.”

KidSight is a nonprofit organization addressing the critical gap in pediatric vision care for low-income families. The funding will allow KidSight to provide vision screenings, referral navigation and care coordination for 125 school-aged children in low-income and rural schools within the Meramec Region. According to its application, vision problems are a silent barrier to learning, especially for children who lack access to vision care due to financial, geographic or logistical challenges.  

Also, at the meeting, board vacancies were filled in Crawford, Dent and Phelps counties. Roger Louderman of Bourbon will serve as the Crawford County representative; Ray Walden of Salem will fill Dent County and Phelps County Associate Commissioner Sherry Stites will represent Phelps County on the board. There is still a vacancy for Pulaski County. 

MRCF is an outgrowth of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and is an affiliate of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO) in Springfield. The regional affiliate was formed in 2010. Its 12-member board includes representation from each of the eight Meramec counties and from MRPC. Jared Niederer of Gasconade County serves as chairman of MRCF.

Currently, MRCF has 50 funds totaling over $4.4 million.

CFO is a public foundation serving the Missouri Ozarks. The foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in the region through resource development, community grant-making, collaborations and public leadership. Formed in 1973, CFO has since grown to include 55 affiliate community foundations and more than 3,500 charitable funds totaling approximately $526 million in assets, as of March 2025. MRCF was the first affiliate fund in 2010.

MRPC, in addition to establishing the regional foundation and providing the initial investment to create a grant program, provides staff support to MRCF. For more information about MRCF, contact Bonnie Prigge at bprigge@meramecregion.org or call 573-265-2993. 

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. Mary Heywood, representing individuals with disabilities, serves as chair of the board. A professional staff of 26 offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.orgor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.

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Cutline: Meramec Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Bonnie Prigge (right) and Meramec Regional Community Foundation Chairman (MRCF) Jared Niederer (middle) present a $750 community grant to Shelly Emperato the executive director of Armed Services YMCA of Missouri for its Lending Library System. KidSight also received a $750 community grant for school-aged children vision screenings, but was unable to attend the check presentation.