Des Peres branch of Great Southern Bank sponsors 2nd Annual Annie’s Hope event ‘Kids in Candy Land’ to help brighten the day of grieving children

Annie’s Hope is a community based nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide comprehensive support services for children, teens and their families who are grieving the death of someone significant. Through various services, like camps, support groups and retreats, Annie’s Hope serves kids ages 3-18 along with their families in the greater St. Louis area and surrounding counties. Services are offered at no cost; the organization is supported solely through donations and grants.

Annie’s Hope recently hosted the second annual Kids in Candy Land event on January 26, 2013 with sponsorship from Great Southern Bank. Kids in Candy Land is a sweet adventure through a life-sized Candy Land experience where kids and their families can come together for a great time to play games, make crafts, win prizes and participate in a silent auction. Without the support of Kendra Young, manager/ lender, and staff at the Des Peres branch of Great Southern Bank, Kids in Candy Land wouldn’t have been such a sweet success.   

Branch members worked countless hours creating the theme for Candy Land, putting together props, painting murals, and decorating Litzinger School where the event was held.  Employees of Great Southern Bank support Annie’s Hope in a number of different ways through financial sponsorship and volunteer hours provided.

 Since Great Southern was first founded in downtown Springfield in 1923, its owners and management have recognized the importance of being a vital part of the community. Today, the commitment to community is stated very simply in their mission statement, to “build winning relationships with communities”. The company’s leadership understands that they can only be as strong as the communities they serve.

Through sponsoring Kids in Candy Land, Great Southern Bank has truly helped make a difference to many in our community by supporting grieving children and their families. They know that it takes both monetary resources and hard work to effect community change, and that is exactly what they provided to Annie’s Hope.  A heartfelt thank you goes out to a wonderful sponsor; Kendra Young at Great Southern Bank, Des Peres branch and her staff.