Ebonee Shaw has devoted her life to the safety and care of children from birth to early childhood. Her work ensures children are prepared to meet their educational and career goals, becoming future community leaders and reversing the cycle of poverty.
Shaw has been recognized by the St. Louis Business Journal’s ‘40 Under 40’ Class of 2019.
Shaw serves as the development director for the Walker Scottish Rite Clinic, which provides free speech and language therapy services for children ages two to six. Since joining the Clinic in December 2017, Shaw and the Clinic staff have raised nearly $500,000, surpassing the previous year by 15 percent. She recently planned and executed the largest KidTalk Celebration Gala in Clinic history, hosting more than 300 attendees and raising $85,000 over goal. But there is still work to do.
“Many need children need help, but their families do not qualify for state-funded programs nor do they have insurance that covers the cost of private therapy,” Shaw said. “The more gifts we receive, the more children we are able to serve. Through my work, I want to ensure every child receives the care he or she needs. It’s also my goal to help create evening and weekend programs as well as expand our Spanish language services to give more children access to care.”
Prior to joining Maryville, Shaw served as senior director of special events for the Saint Louis Crisis Nursery. She planned and coordinated fundraising and networking events including the Razzle Dazzle Ball, the Charity Golf Classic and the Celebrity Waitresses and Waiters Night.
During the Ferguson unrest, Shaw led the Crisis Nursery’s support of area families. She coordinated the distribution of baby supplies including diapers, formula, wipes and food. That effort grew over the years and resulted in the creation of the Crisis Nursery Ferguson Outreach Center located in the Ferguson-Dellwood Community Resource Center.
Shaw is deeply invested in the St. Louis community and volunteers for a number of local organizations including St. Martin’s Child Center, TEDx Gateway Arch, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Mid Missouri and the Ora Lee Foundation. She wants to make her mark by investing in the residents of North St. Louis County.
“Providing successful programming that uplifts and educates people is the initial step on the journey of restoring North County to its former glory,” Shaw said. “In all things, we’re only as strong as the people we serve. Since that is a tall order, I have begun by making change around me. In the future, I hope to partner with others to create a stronger ripple
of support.”
About the ‘40 Under 40’ Award
The 40 Under 40 awards recognize the future leaders of the region and the local business community. Honorees were chosen from a pool of 650 nominations by a panel of previous 40 Under 40 winners and the Business Journal editorial board.