ASAP FUNDER SPOTLIGHT: Civic Progress is a quiet presence in St. Louis. But its actions have been making big statements, and delivering big results, since 1953.

Civic Progress has been a top influential organization in the St. Louis area for decades, and has a strong commitment to improve the region through projects related to infrastructure, healthcare, safety and other big ticket items. However, Civic Progress understands that supporting education lays an important foundation for the entire community.

To enhance education for the St. Louis region, Civic Progress has provided $200,000 in funding for the After School for All Partnership for St. Louis (ASAP) during the past four years to help increase access to after school services that benefit youth, families and the community.

"I believe that when you have programs like ASAP that are well-run, well-administered and have an impressive network of after school providers, then it is really benefits St. Louis students because they are assured of a structured and learning-focused environment. This isn't babysitting," said Tom Irwin, Civic Progress Executive Director. "The other thing is that these children are safe at the various after school sites and are around positive influences that are certainly going to rub off on somebody. Maybe the positive influences won't rub off on everybody, but I guarantee that somebody will look at these positive people involved in after school and say they want to be like that."

Irwin said Civic Progress is such a strong backer of education and after school because the organization has a "civic responsibility" to St. Louis Public Schools students and other inner-city children to provide them with the wherewithal to make sure they have the same opportunities to succeed as students in Clayton and Ladue have.

"A lot of students in St. Louis don't have supervision when they get home. ASAP's after school programs provide supervision to continue the learning atmosphere created that day, and also provides benefits that are crystal clear to that child," Irwin said. "To a certain degree, kids who go to quality after school programs rather than to an unsupervised home will generally fair better in school. I don't want to make blanket statements but facts are facts and the proof is in the pudding."