The Most Generous City

I traveled to Spokane, Washington last fall for a seminar at Gonzaga University. I am a graduate student through Gonzaga’s online communications program, and I looked forward to finally meeting many of my classmates in person.


At the opening session, we did the usual “go around the room and tell us about yourselves.” I mentioned I live in St. Louis in my opening sentence. It didn’t take long before the comments started.

“They have a lot of crime in St. Louis. It’s worse than Detroit.”

“Isn’t St. Louis one of the most dangerous cities? I thought I read that somewhere.”

“Wow, St. Louis, huh? I don’t think I could live there because of the crime.”

I spent most of my time during that three day seminar conducting damage control for my city. Yes, there is crime in St. Louis, but there is crime in any city. We have a lot to offer: culture, sports, great restaurants, a world class zoo, and of course, the Arch. I was exhausted at the end of the three day seminar, yet hopeful that I had changed one or two people’s viewpoints about St. Louis.

St. Louis was in the national spotlight again last weekend when tornadoes slammed into the area on Good Friday evening. While the damage and destruction was breathtaking, no one was killed or even seriously injured.

I turned on my television the morning after the storms and couldn’t believe the images of homes that now resembled matchsticks. Our airport was in shambles. The destruction was heartbreaking. Again, I was amazed no one was killed.

But I was amazed by something else as well: generosity. Donations were pouring into the local American Red Cross and United Way chapters. Neighbors were helping neighbors clean up from this nightmare. Strangers were calling charities, volunteering to help clean up, too. Offers were made for places to stay to those who could no longer stay in their own homes.

I was, and still am, proud of St. Louis for coming together to help their own in this time of crisis. The outpouring of generosity is inspiring.

The St. Louis storms made national news. I hope my Gonzaga classmates saw the tornado coverage, and I hope they give St. Louis a new nickname: The Most Generous City.