05/29/2026
On Tuesday, the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging (SLAAA) was honored for its work at the Senior Fund of St. Louis City Partner Recognition & Awards.
On behalf of SLAAA, Anneliese Stoever, Director of the SLAAA, a Division of the Department of Human Services, was the 2025 awardee for the Heart of a Leader Award. Stoever was nominated for the award by Dr. Adam Pearson, Director of the Department of Human Services, citing her leadership of SLAAA, especially following the 2025 tornado. Stoever continues to help host weekly virtual calls where organizations share resources and speakers discuss services for those impacted.
After receiving the award, Stoever took her turn at the podium to then introduce Samantha Ferguson Knight, Director of Senior Programming at LifeWise STL, who was the 2026 awardee for the Heart of a Leader Award. Stoever noted that, along with Knight, Dallas Adams, Disaster Case Manager Supervisor at LifeWise, Senior Fund, and Tracy Fantini, Executive Director of Housing Options Provided for the Elderly, Inc. (HOPE), created the first purely senior-focused Disaster Case Management effort in the country.
Congratulations to all of the other awardees!
In top photo, from left to right: Bill Siedhoff, Board Chair of the St. Louis City Senior Fund, Tracy Fantini, Samantha Ferguson Knight, Dallas Adams, and Anneliese Stoever.