Mission
Restore St. Charles is a faith-based ministry that serves to restore lives, hope, and faith by restoring homes and properties within St. Charles county.
We are a Christian outreach organization that seeks to demonstrate the love of Christ in a real and tangible way.
Objectives
Our objectives are to address the physical property needs of our neighbors, allowing them to regain their lives and focus on the future. We work with local code enforcement and mobile home park management to address issues before they lead to fines or evictions. Furthermore, we seek to provide “after repair support” to clients needing additional resources. We also partner with like-minded organizations (Missions, Churches, Vendors, etc.) in addressing routine repairs and upkeep in support of our neighbors in need. And we do this all to spread the Gospel and love of Jesus Christ.
Three tiers of our organization
Restore St. Charles is comprised of three intersecting groups. These groups include our Board of Directors, the Workday Leadership Team, and the Lagniappe Leadership Team. The Board of Directors provides overall direction and focuses on expanding our outreach to new Churches and communities. The Workday Leadership Team coordinates all aspects of the monthly workdays including site evaluations, design, material planning, and facilitation of the work. The Lagniappe (Creole for “A Little Bit More”) Leadership Team connects clients with additional resources for clients needing after-care support once the physical repairs have been completed.
Background
Restore St. Charles (RSC) was started in October 2007 by a group of mission-focused individuals from Dardenne Presbyterian Church. RSC remained as a dedicated mission under DPC’s 501(c)3 umbrella until August 2017 when we obtained our own 501(c)3 status. While still an active mission within the DPC community, Restore St. Charles has now expanded to include leaders and volunteers from several other churches including Chapel of the Lake, Christ’s Church, Cross Haven Church, The Crossings Church, Grace Community Chapel, and St. John’s United Church of Christ.
Work typically performed
Our work covers a wide range of support. We perform general yard work which typically consists of items such as raking, trimming bushes, pulling weeds, removing debris, etc. We also repair fences, provide pressure-washing services, replace mobile home skirting, and repair/replace doors and/or windows. We also conduct interior and exterior painting and perform a significant amount of internal repair activities ranging from repairing floors, replacing toilets, fixing plumbing issues, and patching drywall. Our projects also include light construction with the fabrication of decks, handicap ramps and custom low-rise, wide-tread steps for safe egress.
Standard workday hours
Our Restore St. Charles workdays are typically the third Saturday of each month. Jobs scheduled for the month will be emailed to volunteers on our contact list as well as posted to our Facebook page. We meet at Dardenne Presbyterian Church (7400 S. Outer Road, Dardenne Prairie MO 63368) at 08:00am for a continental breakfast, review projects and cover general safety guidelines before heading out to the individual worksites. Each worksite will be led by a member of our Workday Leadership Team. Materials will typically be coordinated and delivered ahead of time. Individuals need not possess any special skills or bring any special equipment other than general tools (if desired). Our leadership team and other volunteers will eagerly provide on the job training as needed. Volunteers are encouraged to work for a little or as long as they wish; there is no requirement to stay until the project is fully completed. In some cases, projects may take more than one month to complete. A dedicated group of volunteers also provides lunches for each work team.
Awards
Restore St. Charles is an Award Winning Team. We have been recognized with an Outstanding Community Builder Award (2013), the Frank Martinez Award for Outstanding Community Volunteer Leadership, and the June Crider Volunteer Leadership Award.
We pray that you will consider joining our team!
What people say
“Over the past fifteen months the city of O’Fallon has relied heavily on Restore St. Charles, through the code enforcement department, to aid residents whose homes had deteriorated to an unsafe condition. While it is never pleasant to evict residents from their home, knowing that Restore St. Charles was ready and willing to come to the aid of those residents, the code enforcement department has felt more able to enforce our residential building codes. Restore St. Charles has continued their service to the community by assisting in areas out of the reach of the city. Where the city services stopped, Restore St. Charles remained. In many cases, the volunteers took it upon themselves to find complementary projects to increase the level of support offered and provide hope for many discouraged residents.”
“The City of O’Fallon and the Neighborhood Preservation Team are pleased and excited for the collaborative relationship with Restore St. Charles. We are encouraged by this relationship and what it holds for the future of the residents of O’Fallon.”
Cynthia BurtCode Enforcement Officer City of O’Fallon
Board of Directors
Steve Collier President and Founder
Roger Durkee Work Day Leader
Doug Lemmons Treasurer
Mary Hutchison
Geoff Wilson
Marty Provin