Anthony (Tony) Thompson, president and CEO of KWAME Building Group, wants the company he founded to do better. “It’s not to make more money, it’s so I can give more,” Thompson said.
Thompson, a member of United Way’s Charmaine Chapman Society, is passionate about giving back. It’s evident from his stated intention to teach fourth grade when he retires. It’s also apparent at St. Louis-based KWAME, a construction management firm.
There, he leads by example. Currently Thompson, along with five of KWAME’s male engineers, mentor about 15 students at the Carnahan School in South City.
“Once a week we go and eat lunch with these kids. We don’t tutor them. We talk with them – recently, about the economy,” Thompson said.
“I’ve gotten each of them a book, and we discuss the book. A lot of these kids don’t have any African-American male role models; we’re there to help with that. My goal is for each of the student’s grades to go up one level.”
Thompson and his wife, Kim, began the KWAME Foundation in 2000 to give away scholarships for African-American students at several colleges and universities throughout the country, including many in St. Louis.
While Thompson’s mother, Betty, was being treated at a BJC facility, Thompson asked why there weren’t more black doctors. He was told most doctors practice where they do their residency and do most of their residencies where they went to medical school.
“I found out that there weren’t many African Americans in the Wash U med school and they had very few scholarships available for African Americans, so I started one there and named it after my mother,” he said.
Currently 15 schools have scholarships through the KWAME Foundation.
For the past five years, KAME has held a golf tournament to raise funds for the foundation. The next tournament is set for August 27 at Forest Park. The foundation has already raised $400,000 for scholarships with a final goal of $1 million.
“I used to be involved in so many different organizations,” Thompson said. “But I was gone every night at a different board meeting. I wasn’t able to be involved. I had to narrow my focus.”
Children’s education and health have become the two causes he champions.
While his focus is on those two causes and the KWAME Foundation, he still supports other organizations that align with his passions. For example, he served on the board of directors for United Way of Greater St. Louis for seven years.
“United Way is a great organization to give to. I still give,” Thompson said. “Why wouldn’t you give to United Way if you’re black? More than one-third of the people its agencies serve are black.”
In particular, he believes it’s necessary for black males to give back.
“African-American kids need to see black role models,” Thompson said.
“Most of their teachers are women, most are probably white women. Without black males as role models, these kids can get lost.”
If he doesn’t teach fourth grade as a retiree, he said, it will be because he’ll have qualified to play in the U.S. Senior Open Golf Tournament.
For the sake of the community, here is hoping he doesn’t qualify.
“You should leave the world a better place than when you got here,” Thompson said.
“I believe African Americans need to give. Unless African Americans give back, we’re not going to bridge the gap.”
For more information on United Way of Greater St. Louis’ African-American Giving Initiative: Charmaine Chapman Society, contact Orvin Kimbrough, senior vice president of United Way, at 314-539-4249.
