Local St. Louis news spotlights Spire's Men's Mentoring Program

The program, in its second year, pairs Spire employees with boys who face barriers to their success

KTVI-TV's (Fox 2 St. Louis) program The Pulse of St. Louis highlighted Spire's Men's Mentoring Program. Host Jasmine Huda interviewed Employee Engagement Specialist and Mentor Rex Thompson, Sigel Elementary School Principal Laura Owca and Me'Jer Green, a sixth-grade mentee.  

"There are some barriers that make it difficult to be successful," Principal Owca explained during the segment. "In St. Louis, we have a large population of people who are unhoused or in transition or face food insecurity or other challenges. Partnerships like Spire really help us to provide every layer of support we can to be successful."

Rex shared how rewarding it is to see the boys grow as the school year progresses.

"We just want the boys to understand how we want them to look at life, how we want them to partner together, to work together as teams, so we do a lot of team activities with them," Rex explained. "Seeing them develop and grow and listen and change over time is huge, and our guys really love doing it." 

The idea for the mentoring program first came about when Spire employees were passing out school supplies and necessities at the annual backpack giveaway at Sigel Elementary. During the event, employees asked if there were other ways they could support the students, and an incredible mentoring program was soon to follow.

Watch the interview on The Pulse of St. Louis below, in two parts.