In loving memory of Sundy Whiteside, Co-Founder of the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative, recipient of our 2024 Lifetime Dedication to Community Building Award.
The Lifetime Dedication to Community Building Award recognizes a person who:
Has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to community building work.
Has exhibited leadership, vision, and a commitment to action and results.
Has catalyzed outstanding impact in community building policy, investment, and/or community change.
Has worked to challenge the status quo in the St. Louis region.
CBN staff met with Haley McKenzie, Sundy’s daughter, to learn more about Sundy and her passion for the community. Here’s some of what Haley had to say about Sundy and her life’s work.
"Sundy was very much a dreamer, but she also executed her plans relentlessly and gracefully. She was very assertive, a voice for the voiceless. She had a degree in electrical engineering and once worked in that field, but I believe that she was most fulfilled in life by the passion-driven work that she dedicated herself to within the community. I loved seeing her delight from the growth, development, connections, and positive change she influenced and witnessed. My mother was a force. She never took no for an answer, and she always sought out ways to aid others. Her work brought awareness to the need for revitalization within blighted areas suffering from disinvestment. She sought out and applied for resources and funding, teamed up with others, and spearheaded initiatives to provide the services that the community needed then and continues to benefit from today.
As the Board President of St. Louis Association of Community Organizations (SLACO), my mother founded the Keeping it Clean Initiative as a way to clean up neglected communities of debris, trash, and overgrown shrubbery, and SLACO and volunteers will continue to host cleanups in multiple St. Louis neighborhoods throughout the summer and early fall for years to come. On a daily basis I saw her preparing for community events, embracing neighbors in the community, attending community planning meetings, and being an advocate. I learned from her that fearless pursuit is necessary when taking action for the greater good. I’ve never known anyone to outwork my mother, not in a competitive way or for recognition. She had a friendly, passion driven energy that made it happen. She had an intense love for St. Louis, each and every neighborhood. She’d organize groups of individuals from all walks of life to come together for real change. She didn't allow anything to sway or compromise her efforts, and I will carry forward her example of being the change you want to see. Along with being a community advocate and leader, she was an amazing mother and grandmother. She was mine and my family's whole world. We are most proud of her accomplishments and outstanding legacy."
Sundy with daughter Haley, son-in-law Demetri, and grandson DJ
