General Questions
For general information, call our office during office hours (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) at 314-720-7700 or email us at Info@VarietySTL.org. To contact a staff member directly, visit our Staff page.
Thank you for your generosity! You may donate securely online at VarietySTL.org/Donate or give us a call at 314-720-7700. To discuss additional giving options such as named endowments, planned giving, and more, call Mary Murawski at 314-720-7712.
To get more information, including news, event updates, Variety Kid stories, and more, sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our e-mail list.
If you are looking for a position in the Variety office, we list our job openings on our Career Opportunities page. For more information about our seasonal paid and volunteer opportunities on our Adventure Camp staff team, visit the Camp Staff page.
Our number one priority during the COVID-19 pandemic is keeping Variety Kids, their families, and our staff and volunteers safe and healthy. As such, we have implemented several policies and procedures so that we may continue to provide uninterrupted access to critical programs and services.
In regards to the COVID-19 vaccine, it is Variety’s policy that all vaccine-eligible participants in Variety in-person programs will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to those eligible for accommodation. The policy will apply to all employees, independent contractors, volunteers, and program participants.
Questions about Applying for Assistance
Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis serves children who have not yet reached their 21st birthday and have a medically diagnosed disability. Their primary residence must also be located within one of the 15 Missouri and 15 Illinois counties in our service area in the greater St. Louis region.
Our Durable Medical Equipment program and TherHappy Kids program, which provide financial assistance with medical equipment and therapy, do require a demonstrated level of financial need in order to receive assistance. All other programs, events, outings, etc. do NOT require financial need.
To apply to receive financial assistance for a physician-prescribed piece of durable medical equipment, including wheelchairs, communication devices, hearing aids, standers, orthotics, and much more, you will need to fill our our Medical Equipment & Therapy Application. This application does require you to submit details that may include financial statements, a prescription, a cost estimate, and more. To learn more about this process, visit our Get Help page first.
To apply to receive financial assistance for your child’s physical, occupational, or speech therapy sessions (including aquatic therapy, hippotherapy, and virtual therapy), you will need to fill our our Medical Equipment & Therapy Application. This application does require you to submit details that may include financial statements, a prescription, a cost estimate, and more. To learn more about this process, visit our Get Help page first.
There is no financial need requirement for our enrichment programs, including Adventure Camp, Variety Theatre, Variety Children’s Chorus, and Variety Dance. You also do not need to demonstrate financial need to join us for our free family events and outings. To apply to become a Variety Family, simply fill out our brief General Application. Once you are approved as a Variety Family, you will be added to our exclusive e-mail list and will start receiving details about our programs, free events, and more.
Note: If you apply for assistance for equipment or therapy, or register for our programs such as Adventure Camp or Variety Theatre auditions, you do NOT need to fill out this form in addition to those forms.
Questions about Adventure Camp
Children and teens, ages 4 – 20, who have a medically diagnosed physical or developmental disability and live in the greater St. Louis region are invited to apply for Variety’s free Adventure Camp program.
The location of Adventure Camp changes weekly or daily (sometimes throughout the day) to accommodate different activities and adventures, but each is located within the greater St. Louis region.
Adventure Camp begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. At this time, we do not offer care before or after these hours.
At this time, Variety St. Louis does not provide transportation to or from our Adventure Camp locations. If we change locations within a Camp day, such as moving from a park to a pool, we will provide accessible transportation between those locations.
So, yes, you need to be able to drop your child off and pick him or her up from Camp (or arrange for another caregiver to do so).
Find our Camp schedule for Summer Adventure Camp 2022 on our Recreation page.