Posted October 1, 2025
DOORWAYS | 1101 N. Jefferson Avenue | St. Louis MO 63106
Annual Meeting of the Board Held Sept. 9 to Thank Volunteer Members
For 32 years, the Annual Meting has announced the new officers, welcomed new board members, thanked outgoing members, and presented awards to recognize outstanding, generous, and dedicated service.
St. Louis, MO – The DOORWAYS Annual Meeting was held on Tuesday, September 9, in the Community Room at the Jefferson Avenue Campus. This event, a DOORWAYS tradition for the last 32 years, provides an opportunity to honor and thank those who support DOORWAYS throughout the year, announce the new board slate of officers, welcome new board members, and acknowledge members whose terms are completed. Each year, the occasion highlights and celebrates exceptional volunteers through the agency’s top honors: the Michael Edlin Award, the Generosity Award, and the Volunteer Award.
Honored with the 2025 Michael Edlin Award was Jim Kemp. Jim first became involved with DOORWAYS in the late 1980s, recruited by Lynne Cooper. Over the years, he has served on several RED committees, both the Development and Governance committees, and played key roles in major initiatives, including the 15th Anniversary Celebration, the founding of the Keystone Society, and, most recently, the Doorways Beyond Tonight capital campaign. Jim’s leadership, vision, and heart have made a lasting difference for DOORWAYS and the people we serve.
The Generosity Award was presented to Jim Stika, of Stika Brothers Concrete. Jim has been a steadfast friend to DOORWAYS for more than 30 years. Every winter, no matter the conditions, Jim has ensured our properties are safe, even orchestrating snow removal from his hospital bed. In all that time, Jim has never raised his prices, choosing instead to make this service his personal gift to DOORWAYS.
The Volunteer Award was presented to Rudi J. Bertrand. Rudi’s commitment began in the early 1990s, at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis—a time that demanded courage, compassion, and action. From the very beginning, he stepped up, volunteering with AIDS service organizations when help was most urgently needed. With DOORWAYS, Rudi has been both a steady leader and a hands-on volunteer—chairing the RED Patron Committee, leading the Raffle Committee, working weekly in the OWN HOME program, and supporting projects and initiatives in the Advancement Department.
During the evening, the first-ever Excellence in Service Award was presented to Ronda Andrews. Ronda joined DOORWAYS in 1998 and immediately jumped into major initiatives like the Duets auction with Food Outreach, The Upscale Garage Sale, Sing-Along Sound of Music, and the very first RED. She helped launch the Keystone Society and later transitioned into Finance, where she has served ever since, even managing Payroll and HR at one point on her own. For 27 years, she has been a steady, loyal presence, stepping in wherever needed and always keeping our mission at the forefront.
Samantha Donovan, Cooper House Administrator, received a Special Commendation Award in recognition of her significant contributions, exceptional service, and insightful leadership since assuming her role as the Administrator at Cooper House, our assistive living facility.
Partnership Awards were presented to Sherri Henderson, Roxzanna Mosby, and Kimberly Mueller for their commitment and support of the Employment Alliance. The Employment Alliance is an initiative of the DOORWAYS Career Services Program that provides workforce development, job readiness training, and direct connections to employment opportunities.
ABOUT DOORWAYS
Founded in 1988, DOORWAYS provides housing and 360 degrees of wrap-around services to people at the intersection of poverty, homelessness, and illness from HIV. Each year, we serve approximately 3,000 clients and family members in 124 counties spread across Missouri and Illinois. Expanding over the years to meet growing depth and breadth of need, DOORWAYS evolved from a hospice caring for the dying to an agency building lives for the living. We currently own 11 buildings with 219 apartments offering five housing platforms—emergency housing, flexible housing, assistive housing for those too ill to live independently, permanent housing, and, to prevent homelessness for people in their own accommodations, rent/utility subsidies.
Housing is supplemented by empowerment services to build the social determinants of health (housing, health, food security, employment/income, education, community, etc.) that are needed to advance towards a life of opportunity and independence. We use individualized case management, resource referrals, self-development programming, employment support, behavioral health counseling, and psychiatric care. To remove barriers to essential resources, we have arranged to have a BOCA Pharmacy and a Key Clinic on campus. Both are open to anyone in the community who wishes to use these services. Pairing a clinic next to a pharmacy strengthens the circle of care.
Through this mix of services to stabilize housing, health, and hope, clients begin their journey toward a more self-directed life. Once housed and linked with their care coordinator, clients are encouraged to comply with an HIV-medication regimen that can help them attain undetectable status. When HIV is undetectable, life span and quality of life improve for the individual. Additionally, undetectable means untransmittable (U=U), stopping new cases–opening the door to ending HIV in future generations.
For more information, please review this website or contact the agency at info@doorwayshousing.org.
