Cathryn Shaw worked at a construction company in downtown St. Louis in 2006. During orientation, she was instructed not to turn right out of the building when leaving because the Powell Building, a heroin addicts’ shelter, was just a block away.

Across the street from Powell, there were several homeless camps and settlements in abandoned warehouses. Cathryn met a young couple lying on a pier with only their sleeping bags one evening as she was leaving work. She built a friendship with the couple over the course of several months, providing them with necessities and assisting them in securing and moving into a permanent home. Cathryn was so moved by the couple’s achievement that she decided to devote her life to helping the chronically homeless and impoverished single mothers of St. Louis City.

Cathryn founded All Among Us to devote her full time and attention to those living in generational poverty. After serving hundreds of people each year for eleven years, she has developed a significant volunteer network to aid her efforts.