Monsanto Unveils Popularity Contest Vote for Local Non-Profits to Win Grant Money

It may not be instant stardom, but Chesterfield resident Barb Bunning-Stevens is in the video.

Bunning-Stevens is Monsanto's assistant general counsel for trademarks and she was among those featured in a video for a new program introduced Tuesday by , titled St. Louis Grown.

The initiative aims to boost both the city and its spirit of volunteerism by awarding grants up to $15,000 to area schools and non-profits, through online voting by residents.

The effort is being promoted in a local multimedia campaign that spotlights employees of the company who give time, like Bunning-Stevens.

“Being on the board of the Foodbank, I know that with the decline in the economy, donations have gone down. I think it’s an exciting way, whether you are part of the organization or you are a volunteer to nominate your organization,” Bunning-Stevens said.

Monsanto has a large Chesterfield campus and is headquartered in Creve Coeur.

Officials said the program is also designed to emphasize the agricultural product giant’s commitment to the area.

“We’re proud to call St. Louis home,” said Hugh Grant, Monsanto’s chairman, president and CEO, announcing the program Tuesday at Forest Park’s Jewel Box. “This is more than our global headquarters. It is where we all live. It is where we raise our families.”

It’s also where the company gave nearly $9 million last year to philanthropic efforts while employees donated about 10,000 hours of time.

“It’s really in the DNA of who we are and in the DNA of this city to help so we formalized a program last year and started logging those volunteer hours,” Grant said. “Our goal is to do our best to support the great work that is done by many of the organizations that are right here today.”

The new program which is now accepting nominations will decide which non-profits get grants via on online voting system. Anyone can nominate and vote. Three grants of $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 will be given to qualifying organizations each quarter under the arrangement. The initiative covers organizations across 15 counties in Missouri and Illinois and the City of St. Louis.

The initial round of nominations closes Sept. 15. Online voting will close in mid-October.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay was on-hand to present a proclamation to honor the effort. He told the assembled guests Monsanto’s generosity was important in helping to create new opportunities for volunteerism.

“We have many challenges, on both the individual and the regional level,” he said. “All of you in this room are on the front lines in addressing challenges in different kinds of ways. To be effective as an organization, a government or a region, it is important that we have partnerships with individuals and non-profits working together.”

Adrian E. Bracy, CEO of YWCA Metro St. Louis also lauded the company’s efforts.

“Programs like the St. Louis Grown initiative not only expand critical dollars, they engage the entire community,” she said. “An effort like this is a real shot in the arm, particularly given the economic challenges we face as a nation today.”

Interviewed afterwards, Grant said that the program is areawide but individuals in localities can put up organizations that might not otherwise receive attention.

“The novelty in this, I think, is really the grassroots approach,” he said. “It might fly below the traditional radar so it can be a group coming together in a coffee shop or a church group in Creve Coeur that perhaps hasn’t had the recognition and funding in the past. This campaign really speaks to those kind of groups.”

Chesterfield resident Barb Bunning-Stevens, Monsanto's assistant general counsel for trademarks, was among those featured in a video that the company made regarding the project. Interviewed after the event, Bunning-Stevens said the program is "fantastic."

“Being on the board of the Foodbank, I know that with the decline in the economy, donations have gone down. I think it’s an exciting way, whether you are part of the organization or you are a volunteer to nominate your organization,” Bunning-Stevens said.

Deborah Patterson, president of the Monsanto Fund, said  the new initiative demonstrated that the company was dedicated to the area.

“Monsanto is committed to the St. Louis region,” she said in an interview after the presentation. “We have been steadfast in our support of organizations and institutions and this just takes it to another level.”

Serena Gregory of Florissant and a Monsanto research biologist, was in one of the promotional ads. The photo shows her discussing plants with three children in front of the St. Louis Science Center, one of several St. Louis landmarks that appear in the promotional materials.

“It was a really great opportunity to just engage with some of the young people in St. Louis,” she said. “I took them around Forest Park while we were out there pointing out some native species, interesting nests of bugs and things like that. It was a learning experience and we had a really good time.”

Gregory, who recently won a young leadership award from the St. Louis American for her volunteer work, likes to give her time at the Science Center as well as being involved with YMCA and Junior Achievement.

“A little known fact about people who give back to the community is that they are a little bit selfish,” she said. “When you are a giver you get so much more out of giving than receiving. You really feel connected to humanity when you give.”

Visit www.stlgrown.com for more information.