Ameren Missouri and KidSmart host annual Light Up Learning event
Teacher drive-thru part of $1 million effort to put school supplies and learning resources in the hands of thousands of students
Ameren Missouri and KidSmart hosted their annual Light Up Learning event, a teacher drive-thru, on Nov. 3 in St. Louis to give the gift of learning to students throughout the region. The event was part of a broader effort to supply $1 million worth of school supplies and educational resources to students and teachers throughout the state.
Volunteers provide school supplies and other materials during a drive-thru event in St. Louis on Nov. 3. Photo provided by KidSmart.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to walk into a classroom equipped with the tools they need to learn, grow and succeed,” said Jennifer Miller, founder and CEO of KidSmart. “But for thousands of students in our community, access to even the most basic school supplies remains a daily challenge. Learning doesn't stop after the first day of school, and neither does the need for essential educational resources. Through our incredible partnership with Ameren Missouri, Light Up Learning brings renewed energy and opportunity to classrooms, empowering teachers to teach and giving thousands of students the tools they need to shine. Together, we're doing more than filling backpacks and classrooms. We're helping build brighter futures.”
At the Nov. 3 drive-thru on the KidSmart campus, volunteers loaded teachers’ cars with backpacks, paper, pencils, crayons and other essentials, along with books and literacy materials. The partnership extended its reach on Nov. 5 with a distribution event in Jefferson City, serving mid-Missouri students and teachers. Since 2024, the two organizations have held several distribution events in mid-Missouri, equipping pre-K through 12th-grade students in underserved classrooms with the tools and resources they need to help close the educational gap.
Missouri First Lady Claudia Kehoe, Ameren Missouri, KidSmart and others provide school supplies and educational materials to students at Thorpe Gordon STEM Academy in Jefferson City. Photo courtesy of the Governor's Office.
“Powering our region means more than keeping the lights on. It means investing in the next generation,” said Connie Taylor, director of community engagement at Ameren. “No student in our community should go without the tools they need to succeed in the classroom. When we come together, we can make sure every child knows we are behind them.”
The funds for Ameren Missouri's support of KidSmart come from the Ameren Corporation Charitable Trust, which was established in 1944 to serve as a principal source of the company’s philanthropic investments in community projects and programs. Allocations from the Trust come entirely from corporate earnings and are not charged to customers as a business expense.
KidSmart’s mission is to empower students in need to succeed by providing free, essential tools for learning. The organization is driven by its commitment to enhance access to quality education for all 300,000 Missouri students who are eligible for its services, by 2032. To learn more about the organization, please visit kidsmartstl.org.