The JP UP Date: Celebrating Women’s History Month

Katie ArnoldThe JP UP date


Number 109                            March 05, 2021                                   St. Louis


Women’s History Month Manifested

Our namesake, Justine M. Petersen, was a progenitor in financial asset-building thought and action in the St. Louis area.  Recognizing the inherent economically empowering benefit of home ownership, Justine was tireless in her pursuit of working with local financial institutions, many of whom were represented by men, to craft mortgage products in reach for all.

Nearly three decades later, the organization that furthers her legacy is home to women leaders in every department. Justine PETERSEN is a national leader in lending to women-owned businesses. Annually, across America, women-owned businesses contribute $3 trillion to our national economy, which equates to 23 million jobs.

As Chief Operating Officer at Justine PETERSEN, I salute our women-owned businesses and look forward to their collective promising future.

March is Women’s History Month. And history is being made daily at Justine PETERSEN.


JP’s Shawna Collier Presents Series of Asset-Building Workshops with Midtown Community Services Family PRIDE Program
In some St. Louis neighborhoods, the infant mortality rate is comparable to that of many developing countries—even though parents live just a few miles away from some of the best hospitals in the world.

Financial constraints, a lack of access to affordable healthcare and implicit biases in the medical field can prevent new and expectant mothers from getting the care they need in those critical months before their delivery date. However, for the past 28 years, Midtown Community Services Family PRIDE (Parent Resources, Infant Development & Environment) program has provided support to these moms and connected them to vital resources, including doula services and mental health care, to help them give their babies the healthiest start to life.

Invited by PRIDE, JP staffer Shawna Collier recently conducted two different workshops as part of her series of three, focusing first on credit-building, followed by a session discussing how to use one’s tax refund in paying off collection debt to better one’s credit score.  Shawna’s final workshop will discuss the fundamentals of microloans, and what constitutes a credit-worthy application.


JP Young Friends is Now Accepting Applications!

The JP Young Friends is a group of passionate, community-minded, and mission-oriented young individuals between the ages of 18 – 40 who are actively engaged in their community and on their way to becoming powerful actors and advocates for equitable asset-building in St. Louis.  JP Young Friends will lend their skills to JP to help us advance our mission of building assets and changing lives by raising awareness of JP and our work in St. Louis, fundraising to help advance our mission, and supporting us in a number of projects to assist local small business owners build, grow, and maintain their business.

Applications for our Young Friends are on a rolling basis. Future opportunities for deepened engagement with Justine PETERSEN and the Board will be made available to Young Friends who complete 1 year of active, engaged participation in JP Young Friends. Our first meeting will be in April 2021 over Zoom.

Interested in joining, or know someone who would be a great fit? Please submit an application here: https://justinepetersen.org/jp-young-friends/ or direct any questions to Madelyn Murphy at mmurphy@justinepetersen.org


Today is JP Staffer Cait Baker’s Birthday!

Cait Baker maybe came into the world more like a cat, rather than lion or lamb, but this March has her knee deep in the most recent round of PPP.  Cait has been coordinating Justine PETERSEN’s partnership with CRF USA, where clients utilize a central portal for PPP application and processing.  As Quality Improvement Manager at Justine PETERSEN, Cait keeps tabs on our client intake process and related activities.  Thanks for all that you do Cait and Happy Birthday!

 

 


Pandemic Preferred Playlist (PPP 7.0)

This week’s PPP is all about family PRIDE!  That’s right, topping Jstaffer Fredrica’s playlist is indeed her sis Rhoda G with her powerful cut “FINALLY.”  When we inquired with Fredrica about compiling her list, we asked that not all five be Rhoda G tracks, so she’s broadened her favs to the below (just poking for fun!).  Let’s go into the weekend with a powerblast from Rhoda G on the sax!

1.    FINALLY – Rhoda G
2.    Do It – Chloe x Halle
3.    Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars
4.    So Done – Alicia Keys featuring Khalid
5.    They Really Don’t Care About Us – Michael Jackson