#KeeleyCares Spotlight: Jim Lee + Crisis Nursery
Our Keeley’ns embody the spirit of giving back to our communities across the nation and live out the mission of #KeeleyCares every single day. Jim Lee, Executive VP at Keeley Construction, was recently named a new member of the Board of Directors at Crisis Nursery. We are so proud of his dedication to making a difference in the lives of so many children.
Jim and his wife, Jean, had been looking for an organization that they were both passionate about and serves children in need when they heard about Crisis Nursery through their church. After learning more about Crisis Nursery and their services, they reached out to CEO, DiAnne Mueller who has guided them and taught them about the mission of Crisis Nursery. Jim and Jean soon realized that this was the organization they were looking for and knew it was time to get involved.
“There are so many kids in need that have difficult family situations or environments they are growing up around. Crisis Nursery provides a safe place for these children. In addition, children and parents can find support from the wonderful staff of social workers and volunteers. I have fostered and adopted four children and my wife has been working with children as a social worker during her career. We both feel like Crisis Nursery’s mission is so important for the future of our community.”
Jim joined the Board and Jean volunteers every week at the Centene Center caring for the children there, positively impacting their lives and giving those children the love that they need. Outside of volunteering at the Centene Center, there are plenty of opportunities for others to get involved, either as a volunteer at their various Nurseries or monetarily. The kids cared for by Crisis Nursery range in age from newborn to 12 years old and they need a chance to have a normal, loving life free from the stress of family crisis.
Crisis Nursery’s mission is truly lived out by Jim and Jean along with all the amazing volunteers that care for these children.
The St. Louis Crisis Nursery is committed to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and provides trauma-informed emergency intervention, 24-hour respite care, and support to families in crisis through:
Short-term care for young children in a safe and nurturing environment
Empowering families to resolve crises and build resiliency through culturally responsive interventions
Equitable access to concrete support, crisis counseling, and parenting education
Grassroots community outreach and training to build child abuse prevention awareness
Advocacy for the safety and well-being of children and families in our region
Jim is incredibly proud to serve on the Board and is excited to get started. He is most looking forward to helping the organization thrive financially and continue to grow its outreach to support more and more children in the St. Louis area. The Centene Center is the largest Crisis Nursery facility and is in need of some necessary repairs. Jim hopes to get his fellow Keeley’ns involved to work on these repairs while introducing team members to Crisis Nursery and the amazing work they do.
You can join Jim at Prasino on The Streets of St. Charles on Thursday, August 18 for Celebrity Night! All donations made throughout the evening will help Crisis Nursery further their vision of preventing child abuse.