Vision:
For all children with disabilities to reach their full potential.
Mission: To help local children with disabilities reach their full potential by providing services every time they need assistance.
• Variety the Children’s Charity was founded in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1928 when a baby girl was abandoned in the Sheridan Theatre. Variety the Children’s Charity has become known as the entertainment industry's charity.
• Variety International comprises 43 chapters in 13 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 27 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 nearly $3 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 102 Sunshine Coaches on the streets of St. Louis.
• Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis annually helps 19,000 children in 487 zip codes in the Greater St. Louis region. This year, Variety allocated funds to 86 partner agency programs in the St. Louis region 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 1,350 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.
• KMOV Channel 4 has televised the annual Variety telethon for more than 20 years. During those 20 years, Variety has raised more than $50.3 million. Since 1967, Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis has produced 42 telethons, raising more than $73.2 million for children with physical and mental disabilities in the Greater St. Louis region.
• Charity Navigator has awarded Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis three out of a possible four stars! Variety also complies with the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance Standards.
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