A St. Louis Organization Dedicated to Community and Philanthropy
The R. Whittington Foundation is a resource for the region from St. Louis to Chicago. This charity organization is dedicated to philanthropy and positively impacting the lives of those underserved, overlooked and disenfranchised. Rickey Whittington is the founder of the Foundation and knows firsthand the heartbreak of growing up in a neighborhood ravaged by poverty, drugs and lack of opportunity, yet overcoming it all!
Introducing Rickey Whittington
Rickey Whittington is a man of God, an unapologetic philanthropist extraordinaire, committed and passionate about serving the community, and a lifelong advocate for our youth by providing access and opportunity.
Rickey comes from very humble beginnings and understands the unfortunate harsh realities of growing up without means, access nor the opportunity that would afford a young person to thrive and succeed in a global economy. Oftentimes referred to as the "Quiet Storm", Dr. Whittington is nothing less than a patron of goodwill
Dr. Whittington's "Why" is deeply connected to his own childhood and yearning for more for those that come behind him. He believes our youth has more than one story and it is impossible to engage properly with a person without learning all sides of that person. Dr. Whittington believes adults have the power of choosing to see or ignore the needs of a child, to give or withhold attention. Neglecting the tribulations of a person not only hurts the party involved, but it also robs them of their dignity. We must see our youth. This is Mr. Whittington's personal mission in life. They are more than the psychological, political, or social conditions that can hinder them. They are curious, strong, resilient, and full of capacity; we must treat them as such. We must use their stories to empower and humanize them. It is our responsibility to work tirelessly to build them up and give them a fighting chance at life!
Over the span of 22 years, Rickey Whittington has raised over $20,000,000 in scholarships, graduated over 359 scholars from local universities, more than 159 scholarships to at-risk university students, creating workforce pipelines for more than 500 young adults (with various corporations), feeding the homeless and less fortunate for the past 16 years, mentoring over 100 young adults, co-founded the Annual Black & White Ball with Nelly, created scholarship programs with Ron Isley and Jackie Joyner-Kerse, partnered with Dr. Duan Womack, Bill Dewitt III, and Nelly to renovate Harris-Stowe State University’s baseball field, established partnerships with local universities, provided internship and job placement programs, partnered with Biking4Books to raise over $155,000 for textbooks and awarded over 500 brand new bikes to scholars, donated 29 Sets of brand new washers and dryers for inner-city St. Louis elementary schools, supplied 20,000 care packages that contained undergarments, socks, t-shirts, and hygiene products, has blessed over 3200 kids for Christmas and feeding over 20,000 families for thanksgiving for the last 20 years, and has mentored 500 students all while working a full-time job as a Brand Ambassador for Mercedes-Benz.
This is only a synopsis of Dr. Whittington's accomplishments as there are many more, but each event listed has positively impacted our communities. Through faith, wisdom, and his vigorous work ethic, Mr. Whittington has become the change he wanted to see in our community. A man that walks by faith and serves with selflessness; the Quiet Storm of the Midwest. LOVE WINS
“It is the right thing to do.”
Founder/President
Rickey Whittington
The Big Guy with the Big Heart
As one of the most best kept secrets of the midwest, Rickey Whittington has fed over 100,000 families and has given over $800,000 in contributions over a 20-year span of service.
Such blessings have been distributed through several initiatives such as full ride scholarships, school uniforms, book bags and school supplies giveaways, toy and turkey drives, Biking4Books event, “Wigging Out for a Cause,” a celebration of breast cancer survivors, and donations of washers and dryers to local St. Louis Public Schools that fight against childhood homelessness.
His clients refer to him as the "big guy with the big heart."
Dedicated to Empowering Today’s Youth
The R. Whittington Foundation is dedicated to empowering today’s youth and community to lead constructive and prosperous lives. This is accomplished by minimizing and eliminating some of the challenges faced in our surrounding communities such as poverty, quality educational opportunities, and equal access to resources.
We believe the change we seek starts with us. Over the last 20 years, the foundation has helped over 100,000 families during the holiday season, donated over 250,000 toys over the years at Christmas, and fed over 100,000 families throughout the year. The foundation also believes in quality education and has helped disperse over 145 full ride scholarships including room and board.
In addition to the full ride scholarships, the foundation has also appropriated over $22 million in scholarship money to local youth of St. Louis City County Schools. In a league of our own, we also host back to school drives giving out thousands of books, book bags, laptops, iPads and school supplies to students in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The R. Whittington Foundation believes in being part of the solution in our community. Therefore, with the help of all community members, we can make our city and world a better place.
Based in St. Louis, our non-profit organization inspires young people to make a change for the better. Call (314) 960-2924 for donations or inquiries.
Business Info
St. Louis, MO
Monday - Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Saturday - Sunday: Closed