About Us
Service International (SI) is a non-profit humanitarian organization based in St. Louis, Missouri. Since its establishment in 1985, SI has responded to natural disasters and other crises in the U.S. and abroad by providing reconstruction, on-site management, leadership training, and volunteer workforces.
While SI also provides immediate disaster relief, our focus is on complete, long-term recovery. Our primary goal is to make each community we serve capable of continuing its own restoration program long after we have gone. In order to accomplish that task, we train residents and local authorities in volunteer and material coordination as well as reconstruction techniques.
Origin
Service International began in 1985 as a support agency for missionaries and other charitable organizations, but its focus took a critical turn in the summer of 1993. The Great Flood of ‘93 left our headquarters and the whole valley around it underwater. Our home state of Missouri as well as so many Midwestern communities suffered.
Service International decided accepting defeat was not an option. Our founder, Jeff Perry, was appointed to the Mayor’s Task Force on disaster recovery as we spearheaded the local clean-up effort. SI coordinated over 8,000 volunteers and provided $350,000 in resources to help clean up and rebuild the Chesterfield Valley, assisting all businesses or individuals who asked.
Today, the Chesterfield Valley is booming! Commercial and residential property in Chesterfield is a valuable commodity. Many new homes have been built and several large corporations have set up operations in the area. The Valley didn’t just recover; it’s better and stronger than ever before.
In 1993 the Flood kicked SI into a new gear. With expertise gained through personal experience, SI now reaches into devastated communities around the world with leadership training, volunteer coordination, materials, supplies, and hands-on rebuilding.
