WINTER 2019

Gateway to Dreams founder, Karen S. Hoffman is excited to share that Maxine Clark has accepted the role of Honorary Chair for the second annual Impact Awards program.

When you think of “iconic dreamers” in St. Louis, Maxine Clark fits that description!

Really? A STORE to “build your own bear?” Experts told Maxine, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop® there was no market for that… but Maxine stayed focused on her dream and created a team to make it happen. There are over 400 stores across the world, not solely here in St. Louis. Gateway to Dreams member Diane Carson, recently shared seeing a Build-A-Bear Workshop® in Scotland while visiting her dad!

Maxine was already a true innovator in the retail industry. She had the ability to spot emerging trends and her insight into the desires of the American consumer have generated growth for retail leaders, including department store, discount and specialty stores.

ANNOUNCING 2019 IMPACT AWARDS HONORARY CHAIRMAN MAXINE CLARK!

In June 2013, Maxine stepped down from her Chief Executive Bear role to apply her entrepreneurial skills to her passion for improving K-12 public education and to invest in and mentor women and minority entrepreneurs. Maxine credits her teachers as her foundation for success—classroom teachers and mentors alike. To honor them she gives back. Her next “act” is to make public education much more consumer friendly by creating more access for families and students to systems and supports to enrich each child’s learning experience. Launched in 2015, is her first product, Blueprint4SummerSTL, a free and easy-to-use mobile app designed to help ALL families navigate the best summer activities for their children.

Her latest venture is the Delmar DivINe™—the transformation of a neighborhood eyesore into a multi-use real estate development to open in 2019. Maxine is also a Managing Partner of Prosper Women’s Capital, a St. Louis based fund created to invest in women owned businesses and a member of the Board of Advisors of Lewis & Clark Ventures, a St. Louis based private equity firm.Maxine is a change agent for good. Her heart beats for what IS possible and is impacting lives everywhere she goes.

Thank you, Maxine Clark, for being part of our movement… that ALL dreams matter. That anyone can make a difference.

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Bill PrenattBill Prenatt and the Givers Gain Theory

Little did Bill Prenatt know how helping founder Gateway to Dreams, Karen Hoffman, would end up benefitting Bill and his organization, Experts for Entrepreneurs (e4e).

In 2013, Bill was part of a group that met weekly in Chesterfield Mall to support Karen with her unrealized dream to start a nonprofit - Gateway to Dreams, to help St. Louis dreamers and in general, to help St. Louis become known as a city that helps and cares for one another.Bill was already the owner of Simply Successful with his wife, Ann Prenatt, and the founder of Experts for Entreprenuers (e4e) a local business group for, yes, you guessed it, local entrepreneurs.

Bill was an important part of the weekly meetings and when Gateway to Dreams officially started the membership program, Bill Prenatt, along with Cynthia Correll, Sue Martin and Chris Robinson were the very first to set up a monthly membership fee to help launch Gateway to Dreams.As Bill’s other endeavors started taking more of his time, he continued his monthly membership to Gateway but did not use the space or visit as often. But Bill continued to reach out to help others that were part of the Gateway to Dreams community with advice and support. E4e continued to grow and the leadership team decided to move to the beautiful Meadowbrook Country Club to try several different locations for a new “home” for their monthly meetings. After trying three other great spaces, they settled on The Business Lodge, a space in Chesterfield Mall which Gateway to Dreams opened in 2016.

There Bill found a new home for E4e. Isn’t it interesting, that as Bill unselfishly gave his time and money to Gateway to Dream back in 2013, also helping other dreamers that are/were part of the Gateway to Dreams community, that Gateway now provides a tangible benefit each month for Bill and e4e? In being part of the Gateway to Dreams community, Bill also met others that benefitted from e4e, like Cynthia Correll and Glenda Wooley, now a part of Bill’s Leadership Team for e4e.

There is much truth in the saying that “Givers Gain.” Thank you, Bill Prenatt, for playing a crucial role in the launch of Gateway to Dreams! Gateway to Dreams is thrilled that the Business Lodge can help you serve your members.

““Positivity in attitude pays off rich dividends. As positivity carries confidence in effort and action. It is effort and action which turns a dream into a reality. ” —Dr. Anil Kamar

Spotlight on our non-profit of the month: Show Me Arts Foundation

Show Me Arts AcademyOur non-profit spotlight this month is on the Show Me Arts Academy (SMAA) founded by Dr. Marty K. Casey as a solution to help the young people of Ferguson, Missouri. Having serviced a total of over

one thousand children to date, including juveniles housed at the St. Louis City Juvenile Detention Center, Marty and SMAA are energized and ready to work with what society considers to be a challenging population of youth.

The purpose of Show Me Arts Academy is simple and currently offers artistic training and development in the following disciplines: Theatre, Dance, Vocal Music, Visual Art, Creative Writing/Spoken Word, and Disc Jockey Engineering. In addition, SMAA uniquely offers Social Work consultation and program support.

SMAA programming typically includes field experiences and a culminating activity for youth participants allowing the disciplines to intersect and work as a unit.

SMAA continues to broaden its scope with the birth of SPREADING THE LOVE (STL) Youth Singers, a performing arts group. The group consists of 22 youngsters, ages 10-18, from around the St. Louis metropolitan area. By spreading love- STL has performed over 100 times, including a weeklong tour to New Jersey, New York, and Washington D.C. During the tour STL was honored to singfor Senator Claire McCaskill and her staff, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, and impromptuperformances along the National Mall.

Always evolving, SMAA continues to grow with the addition of UN-Gun, a perspective to encourage youth to put down guns and spread love. With the word “gun” being a euphemism for anything, that is negatively affecting young lives. The goal is to allow youth positive alternatives for self-expression.Each component under Marty’s leadership and direction, the staff is consistently searching for new and

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4 C O M M U N I T Y C O L L A B O R AT I V E D R E A M B I G N E W S L E T T E R

About Dr. Marty K. Casey:

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. Marty’s career has spanned over 20 years, performing in the United States, Germany, and France. Continuing to hone her craft as an actress, writer, director, and producer, Marty has made several television appearances landed

memorable roles in several movies. Currently, Marty has recurring roles in two web series, “Sunshine” and “Gonzo”.

In 2017, Marty became a national touring actress for “Menopause the Musical,” playing the role of Professional Woman (PW) a role she has played locally since 2006. She recently played this role for the fourth run in St. Louis, which wrapped, March 31, 2018. Due to Marty’s award-winning success, people have asked her to share her knowledge of acting and how to navigate the entertainment business. In 2017, she created Marty’s Acting Up Class where she teaches skill and technique to hopeful students. Marty’s class has resulted in 30 contracted clients and the demand continues to grow.

But it was in 2014, after the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, Marty founded Show Me Arts Foundation, which currently operates four successful programs throughout the St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Show Me Arts Academy, SPREADING THE LOVE (STL) Youth Singers, Un-GUN,

and Reg Day, an Anti-Bullying Campaign. Marty and Show Me Arts Academy were featured in the national travelling exhibit, Ferguson Voices: Disrupting the Frame. The exhibit made two stops in St. Louis at Schafly Library and St. Louis University.

In 2016, Marty received the first annual Martin Mathews Arts Advocate of the Year Award in St. Louis and a Community Service Award from the J.U.G.S. (Justice, Unity, Generosity and Service, International, Inc.). Also, in the fall of 2017, the St. Louis Blues along with Walmart presented Marty with the Walmart Community Playmaker Award at one of their home games in front of 20,000 fans. In 2018 Marty received recognition from Gateway to Dreams at their Impact St. Louis Awards.

Marty is the St. Louis Network Leader of the National Association of Black Female Executives in Media and Entertainment (NABFEME). This organization has 22 networks including Canada and Africa. NABFEME proudly presented Marty’s first one woman show, “It’s Not A Man’s World,” debuting April 6, 2018, at the historic Mahler Ballroom in St. Louis.

Having received many accolades, Marty does not take this lightly. She believes it is her life’s ministry to pour into the lives of others just as she has had the good fortune to receive.

Karen Hoffman, Founderkaren.hoffman@gatewaytodreams.org314-503-6376

97A Chesterfield Mall, Chesterfield, MO 63017Located in The Business Lodge, Chesterfield Mall Sears wing,first floor.info@gatewaytodreams.org | www.GatewayToDreams.org

Member story – What membership in G2D means to me:

Jenny Grace Morris I love being a member of Gateway of Dreams because the organization pulls members into the direction of a family, and that the Executive Director is a great connector, genuinely loving to help members with both their personal and professional connections. In addition, the Collaborative Board (YCB) corresponds with my love to offer solutions because the board members are grateful for my opinions and support. Their ideas have been significant to my lifestyle, and to my Christian Coaching and Christian Advice business.

I encourage members to attend YCB meetings to see the many great suggestions offered by the experienced members seated around the table. It is a true mastermind experience. Gateway to Dreams’ members will find more value in their membership and more opportunities to learn throughout each month!