More Than Ever, St. Louis Genealogical Society Needs Your Support

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and, in this upside-down and frequently difficult and nerve-wracking year, we all will be delighted to bring some joy and celebration into our lives. However, it is also a time to think about how to ensure the future for some of our favorite institutions that have been hard-hit by the pandemic this year. The pandemic has made 2020 an especially challenging year for our society. While we were able to hold meetings for the first few months of the year, Trivia Night in early March was the last event that was held in person. The rest of the year has been a ceaseless effort of rescheduling and designing "Plan B." What we have been able to accomplish is only possible because of your memberships and donations.

Despite the scramble to reorganize our planned meetings and events, we are very proud of what we have been able to achieve. Members of our all-volunteer staff learned to use the Zoom platform and have been working tirelessly to bring the most complete programming possible to members and non-members alike via the internet. We have:

• Offered free monthly meetings via Zoom for the past six months, many of which have been digitally recorded and are available via our website
• Begun a monthly series of classes, all of which have been digitally recorded and are now available via our website, free for members to view.
• Held German, Irish, and Jewish Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings virtually when possible. Each of the SIGs has current information on the StLGS website; the German and Irish SIGs also have free digital recordings of some meetings on their pages. Learn more by clicking the links below:
• German SIG: Two recordings available
• Irish SIG: One recording available
• Jewish SIG: December 2020 meeting will be a livestreamed webinar
• Monitored, on a regular basis, the StLGS office phones and emails in order to assist researchers and answer questions in a timely fashion
• Posted new data to the website, created new web pages, published our Quarterly journal, maintained our Ask Louie research service, and curated this blog, our Facebook News and Events page, our Facebook group, and our Twitter account
• Continued to scan, index, and proofread a wide assortment of original records to post on our website

What will 2021 bring?

Assuming that we will be living with COVID-19 for a good part of next year, we are looking to continue our all-virtual schedule for at least the first half of the year. In place already are monthly meetings, SIG meetings, and classes for January through March. Those will be posted on our website very soon.

We are currently planning our second virtual Family History Conference and a Speaker Series for next year. We have moved Trivia Night into September with the hopes we can hold it in person, and our annual research trip to Salt Lake City is booked for the first week in October. Other tentative plans are in place but will depend on what happens with the pandemic.

How can you help?

We need you this year very much! With the virus forcing us to curtail our fund-raising activities, we are making every effort to continue to provide you with the services you expect. Any amount you can send will be much appreciated. Recently, StLGS members received a letter from our president, and we are hoping members will use the envelope provided to send in a check or credit card donation. All gifts to StLGS are tax deductible to the extent allowed by current law.

Matching Donations, Amazon Smile, and Schnucks eScrip

Because StLGS is a not-for-profit 501(C)(3) organization, we qualify for matching donation funds from companies that offer them. In the past, we have received matching funds from AT&T, MasterCard, and Boeing. Does your employer support matching donations? If so, please think of earmarking your donation to StLGS that way.

For the past six years, we have also been a member of the Amazon Smile donation program. If you are planning to shop online this holiday season, please log on to https://smile.amazon.com and choose St. Louis Genealogical Society as the recipient of your donation. It costs you nothing, and Amazon will donate a portion of every one of your purchases to the society.

In addition, St. Louis-area Schnucks grocery stores still accept eScrip/Community cards. You cannot use them with their current rewards program, but if you choose to forego your personal points, you can still designate rewards to go to the charity of your choice. If you have an eScrip/Community card, please select StLGS as the recipient of your points. They turn into dollars for us! You can learn more about the eScrip program on the eScrip website.

All of these donation channels are open to all. If you have friends or relatives who would like to join you in supporting the society, please encourage them to do so.

Please know how much your membership and support mean to us. We miss being able to see you in person and look forward, as we know all of you do, to the day when life becomes normal again. Until then, from the bottom of our hearts . . .