Morgan Stanley provides meals at Evelyn’s House for Global Volunteer Month

Each year in June, Morgan Stanley, an American multinational investment bank and financial services company, holds Global Volunteer Month, an opportunity for staff to come together as a firm and give back in their communities around the world through volunteering.

The Morgan Stanley St. Louis Sub-Complex adopted Evelyn’s House, BJC’s hospice house, for the month of June.
Rick Lindquist, executive director at Morgan Stanley, BJC Foundation board member and organizer of Global Volunteer Month for the St. Louis office, is familiar with Evelyn’s House through his role on the BJC Foundation board. He also donated a guest suite at the house. 

Lindquist was taking a tour of the house with a group from the Foundation when the idea of providing meals at the House came to mind, so he called Laura Matson, volunteer coordinator, to set it up.

Morgan Stanley managers, advisors, teams and staff joined together to provide 24 meals at the house for patients, their families and staff using the family kitchen and dining room, making the house smell just like home.

“At Morgan Stanley, our culture is built on the value of ‘giving back’ as we celebrate Global Volunteer Month,” says Lindquist. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and staff at Evelyn’s House and their loved ones, and we offer these meals as our way of showing support during this difficult time.”

Patients, families and staff of Evelyn’s House enjoyed meals of breakfast, lunch and dinner, including spaghetti and homemade meatballs with garlic bread, fried chicken with pasta and salad, grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, egg dishes and potato casserole, cold-cut sandwiches, bagels and cream cheese, pastries, fruit, yogurt parfaits, and much more.

For the last meal of the month, Lindquist invited BJC Foundation board members and Rich Liekweg, BJC president and CEO, to join them for dinner. “Evelyn’s House employees made a touching thank you video for Morgan Stanley employees, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” says Ann Short, Evelyn’s House manager. “Many employees said this experience made a big impact on them.” 

One Morgan Stanley employee said, “I have been doing ‘volunteer June’ for 13 years, and this is the first time all teams have wanted to continue the experience past the month of June.” Morgan Stanley will continue to provide meals at Evelyn’s House throughout the year.

“We’re grateful to Rick Lindquist and the St. Louis Morgan Stanley team for adopting BJC HealthCare’s Evelyn’s House during their Global Volunteer Month,” says Liekweg. “Their generosity touched the hearts of the patients, families and staff, giving comfort to those approaching the end of life and their loved ones.” 

For more information, to volunteer or to provide a donation of items, contact Laura Matson, Evelyn’s House volunteer coordinator, 314.996.8125 or email [email protected].

Evelyn’s House is always in need of:

• Flower donations
• New or gently used T-shirts, shorts and sleep pants (both men’s and women’s sizes)
• Hotel-size toiletries, especially disposable razors and deodorant
• Snack foods, including chips, trail mix, granola bars, etc. – members bring a basket of snacks to each guest room every afternoon
• Cookie dough – staff members like to bake at 3 p.m. daily; the guests love the cookies, and the baking makes the house smell like home