Tag: Unite4Kids



Do you remember your first job?  For many of us, that initial position is something we do part-time as a teenager to earn a little extra money for going on dates or hanging out with friends.  But for the youth at Marygrove Children’s Home, that first job represents something entirely different: an opportunity to support themselves when they “age out” of foster care.

Over eighty percent of the kids at Marygrove have been abused or neglected, so they lack the family connections that teenagers typically rely on as they transition to adulthood.  When the Marygrove kids age out of the system, they are forced to fend for themselves and start a life from scratch– a frightening prospect for someone who has been living in a group home and doesn’t have a steady job.  Many of the youth end up homeless, addicted to drugs, or incarcerated, which has prompted some people to throw up their hands and say these children are hopeless.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

In 2013, the Olin student group Unite4Kids met with Mike Baer, the director of transitional living at Marygrove.  Mike has been helping kids for over twenty-five years, and he has seen kids go on to college as well as become homeless.  Mike believes the difference between success and failure hinges on whether the kids are able to land an entry-level job.  “If they can get some sort of income,” Mike said, “then they have a chance to make it on their own.”

Finding that first job isn’t easy.  While most teens can surf for jobs on a smartphone or borrow their parents’ car to go fill out applications, Marygrove kids hunt for jobs by piling into the back of a van so a staff member can drive them around town.  When the employees at the local fast-food place see five or six kids pop out of a white van, they immediately know it’s “those Marygrove kids again” and tell them there aren’t any job openings.  After all, those kids must be “damaged.”

Such stereotypes can prevent people from taking a chance on a youth who could prove to be a very hard-working employee.  While it is true that young people who have been abused or neglected face challenges, it is important to remember that these youth are survivors, not victims.  They have had tough lives but they haven’t given up on themselves even if others have.

unite for kidsThe Unite4Kids team got to see this first-hand when it reached out to Alan Kuebler and Bob Weinstein from Wash. U’s purchasing department.  Alan and Bob contacted Aramark, which handles the bulk of Wash. U’s custodial services, and Aramark reps Jeff Barlow and Brian Bilthuis promptly hired a young lady named Maria.  It might not have seemed like much, but this new job enabled Maria to successfully transition to living on her own and made a tremendous difference in her life.  Jeff and Brian have praised Maria’s job performance and she is now on the path to success.

But Maria isn’t an isolated case.  Aramark has since hired two more youths from Marygrove.  And with the help of Ryan Rakestraw and the Employment Connection of St. Louis, another Marygrove resident named Jonathan was connected with a job on the night shift at a local hospital.  Jonathan did so well that he was moved to the day shift and given a permanent, full-time position.  Excited about his promotion, he accidentally blurted out, “I make more money than some of the Marygrove staff!”

Maria and Jonathan have shown that children from difficult backgrounds can move forward.  But to do so, they need the rest of us to believe in them.  Those who think these young people need our pity, or that we can help them by simply writing a check to a local charity, are mistaken. What these young people really need is someone willing to give them a chance.

Because they are ready to make the most of it.

Blog post by Michael McLaughlin, MBA’14

If you are interested in providing an employment opportunity to a youth who will be aging out of foster care, please send an email to:  Michael@Unite4Kids.org

Image: Michael McLaughlin and Ryan Rakestraw




Have you ever donated to a clothing drive, but wondered who you were actually helping?  Did that old shirt you tossed into the bin really make a difference? Here’s a true tale about the Olin Unite4Kids Clothing Drive and how it changed one young man’s life. By Michael McLaughlin, MBA’14, founder of Unite4Kids.

The 2nd Annual Unite4Kids Clothing Drive will benefit the Logos School and St. Louis area agencies that help neglected and abused children.  Donations can be made by placing clothing into the blue bin located in the Olin Graduate Programs office until the end of the semester.

In 2013, the Olin student group Unite4Kids organized a clothing drive.  Robert Chen, MBA ’13, brought in a suit that no longer fit him.  Although the suit was in good condition, Robert wondered if anyone would actually wear it.  After all, the suit had been used, and Robert didn’t know of any corporate executives who filled out their wardrobes by rummaging around in plastic bins.  Nevertheless, Robert brought the suit in, placed it in the bin, and hoped something good would happen.

It did.

The clothes were received by Logos, a St. Louis alternative school that helps struggling kids graduate from high school.  The Logos School does an amazing job helping kids academically:  98% of its students graduate and 92% go on to attend post-secondary education.  Logos students’ average ACT score is even a full three points higher than the state average.

Yet, academic challenges are not the only obstacles Logos students face.  The school’s principal, Kathy Boyd-Fenger, notes that “42% of the students come from families that are living below the poverty line.”  Thus when prom rolled around, some of the kids were embarrassed to admit they didn’t have anything nice to wear.  Other students went on job interviews wearing t-shirts, not because they didn’t care about their appearance, but because they couldn’t afford anything nice to wear.

This is where Robert’s suit comes in.

Somewhere in the enormous pile of clothes that was donated by the Olin community, Robert’s suit was found by a Logos student named Stephen.  A senior at Logos, Stephen was described by Kathy as a “compassionate, kind young man” who was well-liked by students and staff.  Unfortunately, Stephen didn’t have a lot of nice clothes, and there wasn’t much he could do about it.  But now he spotted an opportunity:he picked up Robert’s suit and tried it on.

It was a perfect fit.

In an instant, Stephen’s life had changed:  he suddenly had a sharp suit to wear for prom.  But Stephen liked the suit so much he couldn’t bear to wear it just once.  He began wearing the suit to school almost every day, receiving compliments on how nice he looked as he confidently walked to and from class.

So the next time you’re wondering whether those old clothes you never wear should just be tossed out, remember that by simply placing them in a bin you have the opportunity to change someone’s life.




Grab that suit and tie in the back of your closet and donate it to the Unite4Kids Clothing Drive. If the shoes don’t fit or the pants are too tight for you, they might be just the right size for a student at the Logos School.

Logos does an excellent job helping kids from difficult backgrounds succeed and earn a high school diploma, but finishing high school is just part of the picture as the youth ultimately need to find their first job.

Many of these students lack the financial means to dress for success, so your donation of new or gently-used clothes could make all the difference in a young person’s life!

Please drop off all clothes to Claire Patterson in the MBA office by April 15.  If you have questions regarding the clothing drive, contact Michael McLaughlin at mclaughlinm@wustl.edu


Last month, a group of Olin Business School MBA students came forward to mentor young women at Marygrove, an institution that provides shelter, counseling and a safe healing environment to children and young adults that have been through severely disturbing family situations. The event, organized by Unite4Kids, turned out to be a great success as the MBA students connected right from the word go and formed a close bond.

The event kicked off with the mentors from the business school introducing themselves to the young women at Marygrove. The delicious dinner prepared by the Unite4Kids volunteers soon broke the ice as the kids instantly connected with the MBA group and we all got talking! The young adults at Marygrove were extremely happy to be around the Olin volunteers and at no point did it seem that we were meeting for the first time! In fact, these kids also made us to their favorite numbers!! Obviously, we rose to the occasion and matched them move-to-move! ☺

As I was driving back from what turned out to be an incredibly successful event, I realized just how much a little bit of our time could mean to these kids. For those 3 hours, we all became family. A big happy family.

Ah, another thing. Just about the time when we were leaving, a girl that spoke very little throughout the event walked up and asked –

When are you guys coming back?

That made my day! All of us collected the formal mentorship application forms so we can return to the kids and have fun again!

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Michael McLaughlin, MBA’14, contributed this post.

Students cite many factors as having an effect on their decision about which business school to attend: future earning power, quality of the alumni network, faculty research, etc. Not surprisingly, most students do not cite a YouTube video as having played a key role in their decision.

But most students are nothing like Abhishek Chakravarty.

Abhi Chakravarty

Growing up in one of the poorest areas of India, where the literacy rate is only 29%, Abhishek saw first-hand what it means for people to live below the poverty line. When Abhishek was in primary school, he noticed one day that a good friend had stopped attending class. He visited her home to find out whether she was sick, but found that she would never be attending school again.

Her family had decided it was time for her to go to work in the fields. The young girl was just 12 years old.

Abhishek was distraught. How could her education simply be over? She had been one of smartest students in the entire class. What choice or say did she have in her future?

Years later, Abhishek’s education and professional pursuits led him to the U.S. As he was evaluating admission offers from several MBA programs this past year, he came across a video on YouTube.

The video was of a man laying in a hammock in the courtyard of Simon Hall at Olin Business School.

That man was me, Michael McLaughlin. I was talking about the importance of people coming together to help children. I was in the hammock to promote an upcoming 2,500-mile hike to help raise awareness for underprivileged kids. It was then that Abhishek decided to apply to Olin.

Today, Abhishek is a first-year student in the Olin MBA program, with a summer internship waiting in the wings and a successful future on the horizon. But he has not forgotten his roots, and he is working diligently with Michael and other students to ensure that all children get the chance to have a bright future.

Abhishek is currently organizing a concert to raise awareness for underprivileged children, which will take place on February 20 at 4:00 in May Auditorium of Simon Hall.

We are calling the movement Unite4Kids, and while we are currently concentrating on helping children locally, Abhishek plans to take the movement to India as well. The Unite4Kids motto is, “we CAN change the world.”

Yes, Abhishek. With people like you on board, we certainly can.