Emerson today announced the donation of 250 acres of property it owns near Winfield, Missouri, including its former corporate conference center facility, to Concordance, a St. Louis-based re-entry nonprofit that provides essential services and support for individuals released from prison so they can successfully re-enter society and the workforce. Emerson’s in-kind donation was made in support of Concordance’s First Chance Campaign, a $100 million national fundraising initiative to scale the nonprofit’s re-entry program. The campaign is chaired by Concordance board member, David Steward, founder and chairman of World Wide Technology.
“Emerson’s gift comes at a pivotal time for our organization,” said Danny Ludeman, chairman and chief executive officer of Concordance. “As we expand nationally and scale in St. Louis, this facility will not only serve training and administrative purposes, but will also provide critical, life-saving substance use and mental health treatment services to participants locally and from across the country. With 80% of individuals in prison having a substance use disorder, and 83% of individuals in prison having a mental health disorder, the Winfield facility will help us meet the needs of our participants throughout their healing journey. I am so humbled by Emerson’s gift, their belief in our mission and their dedication to fostering racial equity in our community.”
The conference center facility, known as Winfield Manor, was previously used by Emerson for management meetings, leadership training sessions and employee recognition events.
“We are pleased to help Concordance deliver on its mission to support individuals who have served their sentences and are seeking to re-enter society and the workplace,” said Lal Karsanbhai, president and chief executive officer of Emerson. “Emerson has been a supporter of Concordance and the demonstrated success of their approach. With this property donation, Concordance can help create a more stable and more equitable future for these individuals and our communities.”
In the short term, Concordance plans to use Winfield as its residential treatment facility for participants. Concordance plans to expand nationally and open 11 new centers in the next five years in order to serve 6,500 participants nationally. As Concordance scales nationally and increases services in the St. Louis region, Winfield will serve as a multi-use facility spanning both participant and administrative needs, including expanded residential substance use and mental health treatment services, workplace simulation site for participants as part of the education and employment curriculum, and as a national training center for Concordance team members.