This weekend’s May Day Parade will be her last as Annie Malone CEO
Of the St. Louis American
Jean Patterson Neal is stepping away from her life’s mission following this year’s Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center’s annual Annie Malone May Day Weekend.
After 27 years of distinguished service to the multi-faceted social service organization, she now refers to the agency to which she devoted much of life simply as “Annie.”
Neal will be honored during Friday’s annual Soiree and will then watch as more than 100,000 people celebrate her organization’s history and continuing service to the community during the Annie Malone May Day Parade.
With the big weekend and her May 17th retirement before her, and more than a quarter century of civic dedication behind her, Neal says she wants to be remembered as a person “who might have been tough when it came to expectation of services to clients, but compassionate and fair.”
Neal said she knows “it’s time” to step away from Annie Malone. “When a person knows that, you begin to mentally remove yourself from that situation,” she said.
“Of course, it is sad in some ways. I’ll miss seeing people I’ve known and worked with for a number of years. There are some board members who have been here since I have. But I’m leaving knowing that I did the best I could do.”
When created, Annie Malone’s sole purpose was to provide haven for neglected and orphaned children.
Today, Annie Malone annually serves more than 130 children in residential care, 200 families in its Crisis Center, 400 daycare clients and more than 1,000 teenagers through community-based programs throughout the city’s North Side.
Mayor Francis Slay said, “The work Jean Neal has done over the years has been remarkable. Her efforts to address the needs of children and youth, as well as to preserve The Ville neighborhood, have been important elements as we revive neighborhoods on the North Side.”
Neal earned a sociology degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1972 and then a Master’s degree from the Washington University George Warren Brown School of Social Work in 1974.
She worked with the United Way of Greater St. Louis as an allocation associate, served as a mental health counselor and case manager for the Missouri Division of Family Services and as a counselor for the St. Louis Municipal School of Nursing before taking over administrative responsibilities at Annie Malone.
“The thing that I find most rewarding is when we alter a child’s life. That’s what it is all about. When we see them as adults or they send a correspondence telling us how we helped them, it’s great,” she said.
She said the growth of the organization from single-purpose to multi-service is one of her key achievements, along with the support she helped garner from the corporate community and individuals willing to volunteer their time.
She added, “Annie was able to change with the times. It always found a way to do better, and to expand.”
Neal says she won’t be disappearing completely from the St. Louis social and civic scene.
“I’m going to spend some time in Dallas with my daughter and her husband and my grandchildren,” she said.
“I also will continue doing work with my church (Union Memorial United Methodist).”
But, before she heads to the Southwest, Neal will celebrate one more time during the Annie Malone May Day Weekend as she views the parade she helped expand to the second-largest African-American parade in the nation.
“It’s time,” she said. “And I know Annie will be in good hands in the future.”
Annie Malone May Day Weekend Events
Friday, May 13
Soiree Dinner – 31 women advocates for children and family, and retiring Annie Malone Chairman Jean Neal will be honored at 6:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Grand Hotel, 800 Washington.
Saturday, May 14
Gospel Celebration at 6 p.m. at the Antioch Baptist Church, 4213 Market St., featuring gospel music acts.
Sunday, May 15
May Day Parade will begin at 1 p.m., starting at Union Boulevard and Natural Bridge Road and ending at Fairgrounds Park. This parade, which is more than 100 years old, attracts more than 100,000 people along its route.
