About us
To transform communities one individual at a time by inspiring people within our neighborhoods to open their minds and hearts and accept that all people should be given the opportunity to achieve his/her fullest potential and participate in and contribute to all aspects of life.
OUR VISION
OUR MISSION
“Our mission is to empower individuals facing hardship and adversity to improve their quality of life and become productive citizens in their community by helping them find the necessary resources to help improve their situation.
President
Stephanie R. Griffin has always had a caregiver mentality. Stephanie started her career in the caregiving field after graduating from Sumner High School in 1985. She worked at Malcom Bliss Mental Hospital in St. Louis, MO. as well as Always Care Home Health Services. From 1991-2003. Stephanie went on to become a Unit Secretary at Barnes-Jewish Hospital; she flourished as a dedicated employee and a much appreciated helping hand in the Post-Partum unit of the hospital.
Growing weary of working in the healthcare field; in 2004, Stephanie decided to switch her career path and start working for a payday loan company. That endeavor lasted until 2008; despite the fact that Stephanie worked in the financial sector, she found herself volunteering with homeless shelters and other non-profit organizations. Stephanie went back to her roots and started working as a Health Care Provider for Preferred Alternatives. Preferred Alternatives provides independent living for individuals within the mental health system.
In May of 2008, Stephanie Griffin became, Mrs. Stephanie Hendrix. In an unexpected turn of events, less than one year of her happy marriage, Stephanie’s husband fell ill to an illness called: Panhypopituitarism, with Diabetes Insipidus and adrenal failure. Stephanie’s main focus then, was to become the strict caregiver to her husband. The more Stephanie took care of her husband’s needs, the more she came to realize, she tried to run from it. Her calling from God was to be a caregiver to those in need.
In 2012, a friend asked Stephanie to be a part of a non-profit organization that focused on helping others within the community. After working with the organization for an indiscriminant amount of time, Stephanie and other volunteers came to the realization that the organization was not going in the right direction. Stephanie and two colleagues went on to form a second non-profit organization called: S.I.S. (Sista’s Inspiring Sisters). This non-profit organization focuses on helping women within the community change their lives through mentoring and acquiring resources for various needs such as, food, shelter, day care and employment assistance.
With S.I.S. moving forward within the community, Stephanie still worked with various non-profit groups and saw that there was a need for youth in impoverished areas to get the same help she had been offering to woman. With that being the case, Stephanie started yet another non-profit organization primarily focusing all age groups. Stephanie’s caregiving endeavors were forever set in stone when she was asked to be a Godmother to her nephew. Stephanie realized more than ever that she wanted to be a positive role model in her Godson’s life. In 2014 DENIM’S World was formed. This non-profit sector focuses on the community as whole.
Stephanie is proud of the woman she has become. God has placed in her a heart of gold, in which she shares with her community unselfishly. Stephanie is at peace, when she helps others feel better on the inside.
Vice President
Angela Thomas was born July 10, 1965 in St Louis, Missouri. I am mother of three and grandmother of three including “Denim” who has worked in the Healthcare Industry for the past 30 years. Currently, she is an employee of Anthem Blue Cross working as a Health Program Representative assisting clients with utilizing their Health Benefits to their maximum capacity. Angela was educated within the St Louis Public School District where she graduated from Charles Sumner High in 1983.
After completing high school she traveled to New Orleans Louisiana to attend college at Dillard University where she remained for 3 years. While studying in New Orleans she made the decision to return back to St Louis to continue my education at St Louis Community College at Forest Park where she received a certificate in Respiratory Care in 1986. Soon after in 1986 she began working at Barnes Hospital as a Respiratory Technician and a profession that she held for 15 years. During her tenure at Barnes she noticed several changes to the Healthcare System and made the decision to try new things. In began attending Sanford Brown College in 1992 where she graduated with a Associates Degree in Paralegal Science in 1994. She worked in several Law Offices doing general paralegal positions but ultimately had to return to her true love of Healthcare. She really enjoyed working for a small company called Home Decorator’s Collection for 12 years where she developed a passion for Interior Design. Growing up very poor taught her that hard work and thrift are sometimes the only things a person can afford. She planned to utilize those skills to ensure that Denim’s World provides quality resources to individuals who need help.
She reflects a varied personality including ambition, and the qualities of generosity and thoughtfulness. She encourages fighting for what you desire and believe in, and doing it through GOD because nothing great comes easy and with GOD everything is possible. Life to Angela means friends and family who you can trust and who trust you.
Born and raised in St. Louis, MO Eric began his formal education in the St. Louis City Public School System and then completed his high school years in the St. Louis County system graduating from Parkway South High School.
After high school Eric attended Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri with a degree in Marketing Management. While attending SEMO he was inducted into the prestigious fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha.
Eric is known as an expert in the not for profit sector and loves the growth the community has seen over recent years. Prior to joining Denim's World, Eric gained experience in sales, communications and human relations. Eric's greatest strengths are his creativity, drive and leadership. He thrives on challenges, particularly those that expand the company’s reach. He has also done volunteer work for the United Way as well as various nonprofit groups including heading up the 2015-2016 Help Busch Stadium Warm The Community campaign in his community.
Secretary
Everlena Necole Gandy was born in Starkville MS, in August of 1973. Her mother relocated the family to St. Louis, MO in 1978. Everlena has always been a caring and giving person; she has the special gift of writing. She writes poems, short stories/novellas, as well as plays for her church. On occasion, Everlena will get a request from family members, friends and her church family to write something special for weddings, funerals, and anniversaries. Everlena graduated from Sumner High School in 1992; after high school, Everlena was not ready for college, she decided to join the workforce. Everlena at the time knew that she wanted to be in the business field, but had not decided on what she wanted to pursue. Being the caring person that she was, she started working for HDC (Human Development Corporation). She worked for the WIC Program (Woman, Infants and Children); she printed WIC food vouchers for low-income families.
After being laid off from HDC and called back numerous times, and laid off again, Everlena saw an opportunity to apply for a position at a local bank working in the mailroom. During her stint of delivering mail to different departments within the bank, Everlena saw some co-workers keying very fast and decided to see what they were doing. That department was called the Proof Department; the department was a very important tool the banking industry. The Proof Department, balanced the bank; it balanced customer and business accounts as well as processed end of day balancing for the entire bank. Everlena applied for the position and got the job as a Proof Operator. Keying very fast was an important aspect of the job and was a requirement just to get the job. Everlena held on to that job for over five years until the bank downsized, and laid off her entire department.
Over the years, Everlena has worked in over six banks doing the exact same thing balancing the bank all while specializing in business clerical, data entry and alpha numeric keyboarding. Everlena became so good at data entry; she quickly became a very devoted employee who loved running her fingers quickly across the keyboard and quickly keying numbers very fast. Everlena’s keystrokes per hour exceeded 14,500; which was way more than her job required at the hiring stage. The banking field has changed over the years therefore phasing out Proof Operator jobs, Everlena has been laid off from every Proof Operator job she has had. In Between being laid off from her banking positions, Everlena has also worked for the American Red Cross as a Data Entry Specialist II; she did data entry, entering blood donation records for the company. After being in that position for three years, Red Cross laid off her entire department, because the company decided they wanted to become “paperless”, not needing humans to do their data entry work. After being laid off from one of her banking positions, Everlena decided that it was time to go back to school. In 2009, Everlena applied to attend Missouri College, her major was Business Administration. For an entire year, Everlena was not a part of the workforce but she was in school, filling her time with textbooks and learning new things within the business field, a field in which loved.
Everlena was a success as a student; she was on the Dean’s list and honor roll her entire time in college. She graduated with honors and a GPA of 3.79; with an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration. As crazy as it may sound, Everlena wants to go back to school to pursue a degree in Forensic Science, another field that she would love to conquer. Everlena has always been a kind and giving person that is why she’s always held positions of support. After years of working in the banking sector and being laid off, Everlena decided to change her field, but not her devotion to the caring and support of others; she decided to apply for a position at BJC Healthcare. She is now a Provider Data Management Representative for BJC, she is still doing data entry on a daily basis, and she is still learning more every day. If you ever need a poem, a play or a short story, or just want to show someone just how much you love and appreciate them, contact Everlena Necole Gandy, she would love to write something for you. It is her dream to open her own personalized greeting card company someday.
