LAVONDA HENDERSON

Collaboration Support Partner

BIOGRAPHY

LaVonda’s passion has always been helping those in need. She has worked with children at the earliest stage of their development and grown to love working with families, which has led to her career in the community. LaVonda has strong ties with the community she serves; she lives there and has worked in Hyde Park for over nine years. Known in the community for always keeping residents informed on resources and events to better their families, LaVonda ran a summer camp in Hyde Park for five years and an after-school program for two years. She partnered with like-minded organizations to help communities and families flourish. 

LaVonda delved deep into her career after serving two years in AmeriCorps as a Vista at a non-profit. As she grew into her role as an Executive Director of a neighborhood-based non-profit, LaVonda built strong relationships with families, neighbors, partners, and many children. Under LaVonda’s leadership as ED, she organized events that the community of Hyde Park will always remember, such as their annual Spooktacular, Christmas Parties, Movie Nights in the Park, and more. She led family programs to bring families closer, like cooking classes, group therapy, money-smart classes, and parenting classes. LaVonda has two boys she is raising who love sports, and their favorite is football. Because of their passion for the sport, LaVonda is the team manager for her son’s team and sits on the board. Her hobbies are making sweet treats and clothes. She loves to travel with friends and family to see new places. LaVonda enjoys being a mentor to youth and volunteering at her kids’ schools. 

All of the hard work LaVonda has done over the years hasn’t gone unnoticed. In fact, in 2023, the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis awarded LaVonda the Rising Star in Community Building! This award recognizes a person who demonstrates a strong dedication to and passion for community-building work; exhibits leadership, vision, and a commitment to action and results; shows promising potential to catalyze outstanding impact in community-building policy, investment, and/or community change; and works to challenge the status quo in the St. Louis region. This award led LaVonda on the path to joining the team at Invest STL, where she is furthering her career in the community and learning more ways to be a big help.

CONTACT INFO
Phone: (314) 735-0481
Email: lhenderson@investstl.org