ST. LOUIS (February 24, 2026) – St. Louis Children’s Hospital has awarded Missouri Representative LaKeySha Bosley and Kendra Copanas the 2025 Advocacy Award in recognition of their leadership, collaboration, and dedication to improving access to health care for children and families in the St. Louis region.
Rep. Bosley serves as the representative for District 79 in St. Louis City in the Missouri House of Representatives. She has made a significant mark on Missouri politics as a dedicated advocate with a passion for helping others. She is a former Certified Nursing Assistant who worked in nursing homes.
One of her most notable accomplishments is her advocacy for maternal health, securing $1 million in funding for the CFW Doula Training Grant Program, which aims to train and certify more doulas to assist pregnant women, and another $1 million in funding for Generate Health, an organization focused on reducing health disparities.
For more than 25 years, Copanas has worked alongside community partners to improve the health and wellbeing of mothers, infants, and children in the St. Louis region. As Executive Director of Generate Health STL for 20 years, she helped cultivate a coalition committed to maternal-child health equity.
A longtime advocate for children's health, Copanas serves on the Community & Faith Advisory Board at St. Louis Children's and has contributed to collaborative efforts through the Missouri Perinatal Quality Collaborative, the St. Louis Mayor's Commission on Children, Youth, and Families, and the National Children's Study.
“This award recognizes the incredible efforts of Rep. LaKeySha Bosley and Kendra Copanas to ensure all children and families in our region have access to high-quality, compassionate health care,” said Trish Lollo, president of St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “We are grateful for their advocacy and leadership in making our community a better place and helping us fulfill our mission of doing what is right for kids.”
Established in 1994 by St. Louis Children’s, the Advocacy Awards recognize local and state leaders who leverage their positions, resources, and influence to do what’s right for kids.
About St. Louis Children’s Hospital
St. Louis Children’s Hospital is part of BJC Health, one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States and has provided exceptional care for children from all 50 states and 80 countries around the world for more than 140 years. With its academic partner, WashU Medicine, St. Louis Children’s is consistently ranked among the nation’s best pediatric hospitals by U.S. News & World Report and earns national distinction for comprehensive services that include heart, cancer, neurology, and orthopedics. St. Louis Children’s is among an elite group of pediatric hospitals worldwide that have achieved a fifth consecutive, four-year Magnet Distinction® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. St. Louis Children’s is also one of the few pediatric hospitals in the Midwest nationally recognized by the American College of Surgeons as a Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center, which is the highest classification of trauma care.
