Covenant Place—which initially began in the 1970s as Covenant House — celebrated its 50th Anniversary on June 22 with an hour-long retrospective that included awards for community leaders, a historical video and a birthday tribute.
The event featured St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Joe Holleman as program emcee, and two key speakers: Covenant Place Board Chair Richard Alport, and Jewish Federation of St. Louis President and CEO Danny Cohn.
The event honored the following local leaders: Harvey and Wilma Gerstein, Michael Staenberg and Royal Banks of Missouri.
The Gersteins were recognized with Covenant Place’s Visionary Award. More than 50 years ago, Harvey Gerstein, with the support and partnership of his wife, Wilma, applied for a HUD senior housing grant and developed what would become a national model of affordable housing for active older adults. The program included a video tribute for the Gersteins, plus a surprise cake to help celebrate Harvey’s as well as Wilma’s 90th birthday this year.
Staenberg was given special recognition for his role as a driving force in the initiation and facilitation of the Covenant Place redevelopment project which renewed and improved the original Covenant Place properties. At the event, Covenant Place unveiled the “Staenberg Garden,” in honor of Staenberg’s generosity, leadership and love of nature.
Royal Banks of Missouri was honored with Covenant Place’s Community Partner Award. The bank has provided onsite banking services and programs for Covenant Place residents since 2007, and for many decades has been a benefactor of Covenant Place Foundation to improve the lives of older adults with limited income.
The original collaborative that built the first Covenant Place (formerly Covenant House) building in the early 1970s included the JCA Charitable Foundation, Jewish Federation, B’nai B’rith and Jewish Community Center. When Covenant Place launched a comprehensive capital campaign in 2013, it was based on market research and supported by donors, a public-private partnership, and extraordinary community collaboration.
Today, the entire Covenant Place complex offers a total of 358 accessible and affordable, one-bedroom apartments, plus the brand-new Harvey & Wilma Gerstein Social Hall and a fully integrated hub providing a wealth of programs and services for thousands of older adults in the greater community, known as the Mirowitz Center.
At the event, the Covenant Place Board of Directors also surprised Covenant Place President and CEO Joan Denison with a special “Pillar of Excellence” award and video tribute, recognizing her 14 years of service and leadership while overseeing the three-phase, four-building construction project.
“We obviously are incredibly proud to have recently completed our construction project. However, the most meaningful part of Covenant Place’s story is how the community continues to come together to support and ensure the well-being of older adults,” Denison said. “This golden anniversary was an opportunity to look at where we’ve come from, as we look forward to where we are going.”
