Gifted Resource Council
Gifted Resource Council
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Co-Founder Reflects on GRC’s Beginnings, Progress

Beverly Berla, now a gifted specialist at Old Bonhomme Elementary School in the Ladue School District, was one of three women who identified the need for special programs for gifted students in St. Louis and decided to do something about it. The other co-founders in 1983 were Linda McCall and Michele Peters. McCall served as the first executive director until 1984 when she moved out of the area. Berla succeeded McCall as executive director in 1985 and served until 1995 when she left her administrative work at GRC to return to full time teaching. However, she remains involved with GRC because "it is a great organization with a steady, focused mission. It's also a great group of people I enjoy being with." Here Berla reflects on those early days.

What were your motives and initial challenges?

Our motives were simple. We knew gifted children who were looking for after-school learning opportunities beyond what was being offered in St. Louis at the time, especially in science. We also knew adults who wished they had had such opportunities in their own lives. And the memory of my own sister who would have thrived in our programs was also an ongoing inspiration. Back then, none of our cultural institutions were offering challenging classes for young kids, and they would not permit children to go into classes for advanced grades. So we decided to make that happen.

Our major challenges were having no funds to start with, gathering the people to make things happen, and simply getting the word out. We also ran into some objection about our open policy of not requiring strict test scores for participation in our programs. However, we believed that a student's depth of interest and passion for a subject were also appropriate indicators, and we used these criteria for participation from the start.

How did you deal with these challenges?

Primarily by networking. We talked to everyone we knew and anyone who we thought might have an interest in gifted children. We learned about not-for-profit organizations. And we used the motto of walk, talk, act, think and conduct yourself in every matter of your affairs as if you have already accomplished what you are about to do. We just didn’t see any barriers. We had a mission, and we had fun working toward it.

Why has GRC survived for 25 years, grown and thrived when many other nonprofits have not?

That is pretty simple—need, quality and leadership. The need was obviously there in our community for high quality resources for gifted youngsters. Schools alone cannot do the whole job for gifted kids and their families. So we tried to fill the gap. We had great board members who shared their creativity and expertise in areas of education, business and fundraising. With Sue Flesch as director, the programs have remained strong and evolved with the times.

Has GRC produced the benefits for children you hoped for? What are they?

I think it has. When I talk to former students who tell me how much they enjoyed programs, I know we are accomplishing something. When I see young men and women in their twenties and early thirties who met at GRC camps and are still friends, I know we served a purpose in their lives. When I talk to a young professor of astrophysics who as a boy was looking for challenging classes about space in St. Louis in 1982, and never gave up his dream, I know we have provided a valuable service in our community.

GRC has remained a small, strong and focused organization, but we have had an impact on larger ones by encouraging educational programs. Without needing to label youngsters, we have encouraged opportunities for so many children. It is a great feeling to look back and see the growth from a tiny grassroots program to one that has had a great impact on St. Louis and continues to serve gifted youngsters so well.
For more information regarding Gifted Resource Council, please call the GRC office at 314-962-5920.