This past weekend marked the Open House for Rung For Women’s new campus in Fox Park. This non-profit collective brings together many local organizations to provide members with holistic resources and technical/hands-on skill building to get to that next step in your career.
By combining mental health counseling, domestic/sexual abuse counsel, yoga/mind/spirit, cooking/gardening skills, a gym for physical wellness, coding and tech training, childcare, office work space, financial literacy, career coaching, etc., Rung provides their members with professional one on one attention to build a sustainable career all under one roof.
To be eligible for membership, women must have:
An annual income of < $50,000
A history of stable employment
Secure housing
The ability to get to the Rung facility on a weekly basis
Their mission is about enabling hard-working women to climb to that next step, building a broader set of marketable skills in medical, tech, retail, etc. that will get you on a path toward sustainable income and future opportunities, the push and confidence to take that next step…reach the next rung on the ladder.
I saw a Tweet that Rung was hosting tours for the general public, so we walked a couple blocks from our home to check it out. This has been one of those projects that has been fascinating to watch as a neighbor and casual observer. I walk this way almost daily and seeing what they’ve done to establish their campus has been nothing short of amazing.
A combination of demo of uninspiring former light-industrial buildings, historic renovation of the former Fox Bros. Manufacturing (which gives the neighborhood/park its name) and new, modern construction is nearly perfect.
After our tour of the ~46,000 square foot campus, I’m even more convinced that Rung is the perfect organization at the perfect time in history and just may be in the perfect place in the city, right here in our neighborhood.
We learned that the site was chosen based on data and need. The zip code met one of the highest “need” areas for single working women earning right around and below the median income of St. Louis which is ~$42K. As stated above, eligibility to become a member and receive the full level of services is < $50K, so we fit the bill. Many women in our community will qualify and benefit from membership.
And what an amazing place they have built. Every stop on our nearly one hour tour was led by people whose hearts and minds are centered on helping people with high potential overcome any barriers, build confidence, connections and the skills to take off.
I am going to describe this once again as perfect. The mission, the people, the space, the design…everything is awe inspiring. This place should be mentioned on every promotional campaign to get people to live, grow and stay here in St. Louis.
We were blow and away and walked home giddy and inspired by the mission and execution.
Let’s start outside and note that not only did they open the space to the public for tours, they closed Victor Street along the park for a DJ and food trucks…all free to the guests.
The perimeter of the property was planted with a variety of coniferous and deciduous trees, bushes and perennials. New aggregate sidewalks have been poured. The parking lot is porous to allow run off to sink into the ground and not over burden our sewers.
Urban Harvest STL is building a massive garden on the property as well as a caterpillar high tunnel greenhouse. The top soil and fruit/vegetable gardens are just now taking shape.
There is an outdoor shaded and contained play space for kids while mom is taking advantage of the membership resources. There are plenty of spots to relax and do some outdoor learning/coaching.
Both the modern, new construction building and the historic renovation of the Fox Brothers building are flooded with natural light. The design is fluid and contemporary and transitions tremendously well.
The new building has state of the art kitchens to teach culinary skills. Both an industrial and more casual kitchen area are available.
There are many chill/quiet alcoves to concentrate on reading/conversations. There are larger conference rooms for yoga and other activities. Smaller meeting rooms are plentiful, airy, bright and professionally laid out.
The core values are posted throughout providing constant reminders of the mission and goals.
The window to ceiling windows overlook our neighborhood and the building setback is respectful of this historic neighborhood.
Several meeting rooms are named after some amazing women (some with local connections) and have a quote in large white letters on the glass walls. Here’s Shannon’s favorite from Ruth Bader Ginsberg:
The hallways are bright and cheery with varied materials and styles.
The renovated historic space is as bright and inviting as any I’ve seen. They lovingly restored the maple wood floors, front facades as well as kept some of the industrial pulleys.
There are indoor spaces for childcare as well.
They were unable to cut new windows into the some of the brick exterior walls for to comply with historic guidelines, so they used skylights to bring in more natural light and decrease the utility bills.
I asked if they will utilize the park just north of Rung, and they gave a resounding “yes” which warmed my heart as a former Park Committee member.
One of the partners who will be working with members at Rung said she’s been in her field for 40 years and this is the most excited she’s been in her career.
I share that excitement as a neighbor.
Welcome and thank you for your mission and elevating our neighborhood in a most positive and inspiring way.
On to that next rung Fox Parkers!
If you are interested in volunteering or donating, sign up for their newsletter or go online to sign up.
