Provident
Counseling
Adapting to the Times
By Pam Droog
From the Civil War to the current war on terrorism, Provident Counseling
has adapted its services, locations, structure, even its name. A
dedicated board of directors has guided the counseling and community-service
organization purposefully and effectively through it all.
"Provident has re-engineered itself many times since it was founded
in 1860," says Kathleen Buescher, president and CEO since 1989.
"We need to be what the community needs us to be at any given time."
At this time, Provident's board of directors feels the organization
needs to offer programs and services in three areas: counseling,
community services and social enterprise, Buescher says. This includes
providing solution-focused counseling for adults and children and
addictive treatment services at five locations throughout the region;
youth-oriented community services that offer hope and self-determination;
and self-sufficient social enterprises that improve the overall
quality of life.
"We're a broad-based board, representing a wide variety of backgrounds
in the community. Each member is committed to our mission of increasing
the well-being and self-sufficiency of those we serve," says board
chairman Timothy Beecher, senior vice president and senior partner
at Fleishman-Hillard, Inc. (who notes, "It's quite an honor" to
serve as Provident's board chairman, the same post held by the late
Bob Hillard, "one of the most revered Public Relations practitioners
in the business."
The board meets six times a year, and members can serve two three-year
terms. When a seat opens, "we look for people who have an interest
in what we do, who are good thinkers and ask good questions," Buescher
says. She believes Provident attracts board members "who respond
to needs that aren't necessarily sexy but are important." Also,
due to the organization's age and staff's abilities, "board members
don't have to roll up their sleeves and do the day-to-day work,
but instead can add value and offer guidance to the staff."
Board members serve on three committees: board development, which
recruits and educates members; finance, which oversees Provident's
assets and endowment; and the resource and enterprise development
committee, which looks for new opportunities for the agency to serve
the community.
But make no mistake-it's a board with backbone. The word "courage"
frequently is mentioned. For example, Beecher says, "What is a common
bond is the courage of the board members and of Provident. They
have taken on some tough challenges." Adds Buescher, Provident's
board is "courageous and willing to be innovative. This is a board
with the tolerance to take a calculated risk, which allows us to
be responsive and hopefully succeed."
Some notable successes include Men Ending Domestic Violence, a year-long
intervention program that teaches alternatives to violent behavior;
Heritage House, the first supervised access and safe custody exchange
center in Missouri; Work Futures Mentoring, a work preparedness
program for youth ages 16 to 20; and the two-year- old Cyber Community
Center, a social enterprise that provides residents of the Penrose,
O'Fallon and College Hill neighborhoods with access to technology,
computers and educational and employment resources.
The Cyber Center grew out of a small community center Provident
had operated for six years. "It took almost a year to renovate the
building. We took it down to the studs and started over, to make
it more reflective of a workplace," Buescher says. State and federal
grants helped, as well as the corporate partnership of A. G. Edwards
& Sons. "They helped us get things off the ground and agreed to
consider hiring people who complete the training program," she says.
But grants don't last forever, Buescher explains, so the Provident
board is looking for ways to develop revenue-producing services
at the Cyber Center. It won't be the first time a Provident social
enterprise becomes a business; At Ease Home Care, Inc., was established
two years ago.
"The board is always seeking opportunities to earn more of our own
revenue," Buescher says. "Fundraising is one way to do it. But at
Provident we're better at designing programs that have income generation
as a feature. That way we can stretch our resources further." Beecher
adds, scoping out for-profit ventures is "very leading-edge thinking,"
and it's a major focus of Provident's new strategic plan, which
the board hopes to complete this spring.
"It's our fourth strategic plan since I've been here," Buescher
says, "but we can't just sit comfortably in our rut and think what
we do is what the community needs for us to do in perpetuity." Nor
will the status quo perpetually provide for Provident's $5 million
annual operating budget, including 60 full-time and 30 part-time
employees.
In the meantime, Provident Counseling and its board will continue
to adapt to the world around them. "In 1860, people were concerned
about not having jobs or the skills to get them, and today the issues
are similar," Buescher says. "That's not to say we didn't do a good
job in between, but here we are 140 years later responding to the
same types of needs."
It just proves, Beecher believes, "Provident Counseling is a good
organization to have in times of stress, like the world and St.
Louis are experiencing."
Above: Front
Row (left to right): Frank J. Bush III, Daniel & Henry Insurance
Company; Sarah B. Smith, immediate past chairman, Arts In Transit,
Bi-State Development Agency; Sharon A. Tucker, chairman-elect, Tucker
Consulting; Nathan S. Cohen, Attorney At Law; Jo Curran, Tenet Healthcare
St. Louis; David L. Cronin, George Warren Brown School of Social
Work, Washington University; Sheila Feldman, Solutia, Inc.
Back Row
(left to right): Phil Parker, treasurer, Deloitte & Touche;
Paul M. Midden, St. Louis Consultation Center; David C. Mason,
secretary, 22nd Judicial Court, State of Missouri; Timothy J.
Beecher, chairman of the board, Fleishman-Hillard, Inc.; Kathleen
E. Buescher, president and chief executive officer, Provident
Counseling; Donald H. Swan, Waldorf Corporation (retired); Peter
J. Krane, Armstrong, Teasdale, Schlafly & Davis; Michael Ferman;
Bruce Buckland, Honorary Consul General of Japan; Patrick J. Cacchione,
Advocacy Strategies, Inc.
Not pictured:
Carol Clark, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.; Trudi McCollum Foushee,
Charter Communications; David A. Gutting, Adamson, Inc.; Robert
A. Kottmeier, Kottmeier & Associates.
Pam Droog is a St. Louis-based free-lance writer.
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