ST. LOUIS – A nonprofit that has transformed the lives of local young people is among those now getting a second chance from a troubled St. Louis grant program. Over $35 million in federal pandemic relief, known as ARPA funds, have been set aside to help revitalize north St. Louis.
Nearly all of the grant applications from the Midwest Warriors Boxing Club were initially rejected, while other questionable applicants received funding.
Midwest Warriors is part of the Police Athletic League, where police mentor youth through athletics.
Reggie Williams, head of the Midwest Warriors Athletic Foundation, applied for at least $100,000 to help reach more kids for a program that’s always been about more than boxing. The walls of the building he owns and has renovated for the club are covered with success stories—success measured beyond the ring.
“You should hear the excitement these kids have when they come in and say, ‘Coach, this week I got A’s (at school). I got all A’s!’ It just happened yesterday,” Williams said. “It warms your heart and brings tears to your eyes to see these kids excited, to see they can achieve something with encouragement. That’s why we want to expand to other sports to grab other kids in: soccer, baseball, chess club.”
The St. Louis Development Corporation has awarded grants to 437 businesses and nonprofits so far.
St. Louis Comptroller, Darlene Green, and multiple aldermen raised fraud concerns about grants being awarded for apparently empty buildings with unpaid property taxes or to people with connections to City Hall.
SLDC staff will now visit each awardee on the list before any money goes out.
“They’re saying, ‘We’re going to visit all of these sites. We’re going to make sure that we do what we need to be doing,’” Alderwoman, Pam Boyd (Ward 13) said. “I feel good about that, so we can show the business people, all these not-for-profits, ‘You know what, we had a hiccup and now we’re going to address it and fix it.’”
Boyd is chairwoman of Annie Malone Children and Family Services, a long-standing and highly respected St. Louis Social Service Agency that is receiving more than $1 million in grant funding. She says she was purposely not involved in any aspect of the grant process and has even called for an audit of the grant program in the past.
“(SLDC just) told me, ‘Mr. Williams, we’ve pulled all of those applications back. We’re excited to inform you that you’re being reconsidered,’” Williams said.
Williams, a former St. Louis Police Officer, knows adversity. He was convicted of what he said was a bogus claim, a false arrest, more than 20 years ago.
He says faith pushed him to take a building he bought to start a bakery business and instead turn it into a place to transform the lives of at-risk kids. He and his wife cover nearly all of the cost out of pocket, with parents paying $25 monthly into the program, but only if they can afford it.
“God directed me to do this,” he said. “The Lord said, ‘Save my children.’ The first thing I tell them is, ‘I love you and I don’t even know you.’ Some kids, even adults, break down because nobody’s ever told them that—nobody. They’re thirsting. They’re hungry for discipline and direction and somebody that will give confidence in themselves. We build people up.”
He’s also now learned the club’s been awarded $12,500 from the grant fund, with hopefully more coming, though he’s not counting on it.
“If they don’t give me one penny, it’s not going to stop me. We’re still going to get it done,” Williams said.
