St. Louis, Mo. - Washington University in St. Louis has awarded St. Patrick Center $15,000 as a winner of the 3rd Annual Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation Competition (SEIC). St. Patrick Center received the in-kind support award for the BEGIN New Venture Center, a trades training center and small business incubator currently under construction on the agency's 4th floor. 

"We are honored that Washington University has recognized the social value of our innovative BEGIN New Venture Center," said St. Patrick Center CEO Dan Buck. "When BEGIN opens in September, it will have a strong impact on our community because it will create permanent employment opportunities for our homeless and poor neighbors."

BEGIN stands for Businesses, Employment, Growth, Incomes & Neighborhoods. The BEGIN trades training center will give low-income individuals, including ex-offenders, the necessary knowledge and job skills to obtain entry-level trades jobs. The BEGIN small business incubator will allow start-up and small companies to operate at little or no overhead cost by providing a low-rent, centrally located facility at The Partnership Center. Companies will have a steady pool of job candidates and a built-in incentive for hiring St. Patrick Center clients through the agency's employment department.

Washington University honored four local non-profits at an awards dinner April 17. St. Patrick Center; StudioSTL; LiveFeed; and Indego Africa received a total of $110,000 in cash and in-kind support. Winners were selected from a field of 24 applicants. St. Patrick Center's award is funded by Washington University's Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and the YouthBridge Community Foundation.

MISSION:  
St. Patrick Center provides opportunities for self-sufficiency and dignity to persons who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Individuals achieve permanent, positive changes in their lives through affordable housing, sound mental health, employment and financial stability.

FOR MORE INFO:
Kelly Peach
Director of Communications
St. Patrick Center
Direct Line 314.802.0687
Cell 314.581.7126
kpeach@stpatrickcenter.org
www.stpatrickcenter.org.