A cloudy Sunday afternoon did not hold back people from coming out and supporting the annual Annie Malone May Day Parade. “These children are our future. We should support them,” Willla Ray said.
A Beaumont high school teacher, Ray has been coming out to the parade since she performed in it herself as a girl scout.
With the 2010 parade presented by the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center, the theme was “Our Children, Our Community … Our Priority.” The parade was filled with local high school bands and college students, plus establishments and businesses throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The parade started off with the grand marshal, St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom, and recording artist P-Dub.
This year Soldan International Studies High School and University City High School had the crowd hyped with their old-school music melodies. A black-owned dog grooming business came and showed out their coloring skills for dogs with a pink and purple poodle. Various St. Louis chapters of Greek organizations supported the parade.
Also, various colleges participated in the parade, such as Harris-Stowe State University and Vatterott College with its beauty and cosmetology program. AmerenUE had children mesmerized by a huge lightbulb helium balloon.
Since it was moved from its original North City route, the May Day Parade now travels east along Market Street between Jefferson and Broadway in downtown St. Louis. Some participants travel from Kansas City and Omaha, Nebraska to support the center’s fundraising efforts and enjoy the spectacle.
The parade was followed by the McDonald’s May Day Blues Festival with local blues artists. Annie Malone now raises funds and celebrates with a weekend of scheduled activities, beginning with the Kickoff Barbecue Benefit and continuing through auctions, a gospel music celebration and the parade.
The mission of Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center is to improve the quality of life for children, families, elderly and the community by providing social services, educational programs, advocacy and entrepreneurship.
The non-profit center is also deeply involved in efforts to revitalize St. Louis’ historic Greater Ville neighborhood through community initiatives. The renovation of the Homer G. Phillips Nurses’ Residence and the opening of Emerson Academy Therapeutic School are two recent successes. Future projects for the area include a food service training program, a mini market, a training center. Plans are the development of low- and moderate-income housing.
As Wills Ray said, “The black community should come together.”
For more information on the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center, go to anniemalone.com.
