Serving St. Louis: Our Partnership with Grassroots Redeeming Love
10.21.25
There’s something special about St. Louis: the rhythm of its streets, the strength of its people and its enduring air of resilience. In the wake of a devastating tornado this May, we saw the spirit of our city rise yet again — and one fledgling organization caught our eye.
Grassroots Redeeming Love was formed for the sole purpose of helping our neighbors in North City St. Louis. Touched by the team’s compassion, we offered to create a website on their behalf, free of charge. Here’s how our journey began.
Back to the Beginning
On May 16, 2025, an EF-3 tornado tore through St. Louis, leaving over $1.6 billion worth of damage in its wake. Debris filled the streets and countless people were left without water, power or a place to safely lay their heads.
Ginelle Bess quickly headed to North City after the storm passed. She was struck not only by the devastation but also by the lack of response. St. Louis tornado relief officials seemingly prioritized other areas while real people were left in limbo.
Ginelle resolved to stop waiting. She rolled up her sleeves and began clearing the debris herself. Over time, others joined her restoration efforts — and Grassroots Redeeming Love was born.
Where We Came In
Paradigm New Media Group heard the nonprofit’s story and was inspired to lend a hand. We offered to create a website that would help its team reach residents, volunteers and donors alike. Here’s how we did it:
1. Copywriting
Love. Labor. Advocacy. These three pillars lie at the heart of Grassroots Redeeming Love’s mission — our job was to bring them to life online.
Our copywriters captured the organization’s spirit through the voices of those they’ve helped, the dedication of their team and the generosity of sponsors. We placed authenticity at the forefront of every page, showcasing the power of community in driving St. Louis tornado relief efforts.
We structured content in a way that would create a seamless user experience for donors sending support, residents seeking assistance and volunteers hoping to serve. Through our strategy, all users gained the ability to engage with the organization intentionally.
2. Design
Prior to our partnership, Grassroots Redeeming Love’s visual identity lived solely on social media. Our designers set out to bring that identity to a larger scale — translating what we saw on the feed into an immersive website experience.
We pulled a signature green from the logo and paired it with complementary peach and purple hues, yielding a palette that feels both restorative and warm. Additionally, we utilized distressed textures with imagery of real people to make a mission of restoration feel tangible.
Ultimately, our website design keeps users engaged on each page while still guiding them to key actions, whether that be donating or diving deeper.
3. Development
Grassroots Redeeming Love previously relied on Google Docs and emails to coordinate restoration efforts. But our team wanted to centralize everything on one platform via added functionalities.
Our website developers incorporated multiple forms throughout the website, including volunteer sign-ups, resident assistance requests and general contact submissions. For donors, we created a user-friendly form with pre-populated amounts, making support as simple as a few clicks.
To support ongoing outreach, we also integrated a blog and newsletter sign-up — opening new platforms for storytelling. Taken as a whole, the new website streamlines how the organization operates and connects with its community.
Where the Site Stands
Grassroots Redeeming Love’s website officially launched on October 21, just in time for their inaugural benefit event. The platform now stands as a source of pride — empowering the organization to amplify its efforts in St. Louis tornado relief.
We’re proud to have played a small part in the restoration of North City in St. Louis — but please note that efforts are still ongoing. To send your support or lend a hand, visit Grassroots Redeeming Love’s website.
