Program areas at Refuge and Restoration
R&R Marketplace has served 1800 individuals through all of its pillars and services, as well as the behavioral health center and pharmacy that are on the grounds. R&R Marketplace provides a community-based resource hub that offers a variety of opportunities to create and assist families to thrive. R&R Marketplace is conveniently located within the disadvantaged community of Dellwood. Underserved residents now have easy access to early education, workforce training, small business development, reliable banking, community events, faith community, a restaurant, mental health and pharmacy services, and more. These services were thoughtfully selected based on community needs and the desire to provide services that have otherwise been unavailable to this community. R&R Marketplace is under the leadership of experienced visionaries whose life calling and passion is to serve.
The R&R Marketplace has the following accomplishments in 2024, within each of our 5 pillars: Education, Brilliant Angels Academy: Enrollment of 21 children and families, representing 21 families Employment of 20 staff members Workforce, Employ STL: 390 total trainees 10 career development cohorts (list type of programs e.g. IT, healthcare ,etc.) 380 Students, youth and adults served via the cohort 30 mentoring opportunities with St. Louis business leaders Small Business Development, North County Innovation Center: 7 business leadership forums Banking, Midwest BankCentre 1000+ served, loans, other programs, etc. Overarching organization Hosted 10 community events Empowered 85- 125 volunteers Provide healthy food to more than 700+ families annually through the Mobile Food Market
Specifically, R&R Marketplace addresses community needs such as economic disparities and employment gaps, societal investment and relationship infrastructure, unemployment and underemployment, and access to education and training. The following outcomes have been measured as a result of the Workforce, Employ STL pillar of R&R Marketplace: Improved mental health and emotional well-being: after completion of the cohort, 88% of participants reported an 8-10 on a scale of 1 to 10 AFTER the cohort, compared to only 30% BEFORE the cohort. Career empowerment: 42% of participants made a career change since attending the cohort Increase in income: 25% of participants reported an increase in income following the training program
The R&R Marketplace has the capacity to support more than 17,180 individuals annually through direct or indirect services. This is done by linking holistic services and removing systemic barriers to access for these services necessary to succeed in daily life.