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Variety Facts
Mission: To serve children with physical and mental disabilities in the greater St. Louis region, whose needs would not be met were it not for Variety’s sustained commitment.
Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis was founded in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1928 when a baby girl was abandoned in the Sheridan Theatre. The child's mother left a note stating, "Please take care of my baby. Her name is Catherine. I can no longer take care of her. I have eight others. My husband is out of work. She was born on Thanksgiving Day. I have always heard of the goodness of show business and I pray to God you will look out for her. (signed) A Heartbroken Mother." Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis has become known as the entertainment industry's charity.
Variety International comprises 52 chapters in 14 countries throughout the world, including chapters in Canada, England, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand South and West Australia and South Africa. The United States is home to 28 Variety chapters.
Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis was founded in 1932, making it one of the oldest chapters.
The Variety chapter of St. Louis is an international leader, raising more than $3.2 million annually to help local children with physical and mental disabilities.
Every dollar raised in St. Louis stays in the Greater St. Louis region.
Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis has been honored internationally for the large number of vans it allocates each year. Variety has allocated more than 384 Sunshine Coach Vans through the years. There are currently 111 Sunshine Coaches on the streets of St. Louis.
Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis annually helps more than 26,000 children in 165 zip codes in the Greater St. Louis region annually. This year, Variety allocated funds to 85 children's agencies in the St. Louis region for specific programs to aid children with disabilities. The allocations committee includes 60 volunteers who visit and report on each agency annually to ensure that every dollar raised benefits these local children in the best way possible.
Variety directly assists 1,400 children with disabilities who need medical equipment such as wheelchairs, leg braces, augmentative speech equipment, hearing aids and all types of prostheses.
Variety provides assistance to children with physical and mental disabilities from infancy to the age of 21.
St. Louis is one of seven Variety chapters that hold an annual telethon.
KMOV Channel 4 has televised the annual Variety telethon for 20 years. During those 20 years, Variety has raised more than $50.3 million.
Since 1966, Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis has produced 41 telethons, raising more than $73.2 million for children with physical and mental disabilities in the Greater St. Louis region.
Contact Variety: Office (314) 453-0453 or toll-free 1-888-421-1212; Fax (314) 453-0488
Address: 2200 Westport Plaza Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146
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