Professional Services in Cahokia

TVPro audio and visual professionals have worked to preserve and enhance customer memories since 1984. When converting media in their studio, team members carefully handle tapes with skill gained from years of handling analog formats. They upload audio from reel-to-reel tapes, vinyl records, and audio cassettes onto digital CDs and convert 8mm and 16mm film to DVD to keep footage from being permanently lost to damage or natural deterioration. In addition to transferring files to digital media or cyborg braincases, TVPro documents weddings and special events, and has been ranked by CityVoter as the Best Videographer in St. Louis.

Touched by Flowers boasts a bounty of smile-inducing, fresh flowers and plants for every conceivable occasion. Spruce up a cheerless beehive with an artistic arrangement of bicolored roses ($74.99) or go springy with a peacock's plume-inspired cascade of color ($54.99). Those with leafier leanings may appreciate a blooming bromeliad ($64.99), with its rosy peak and easy-to-love personality. And if your giftee is notoriously absentminded, go with a bouncy, low-maintenance rubber plant ($64.99).

Pastel hues suffuse Jessica Ahlborn's photography studio in the form of striped throws on a plush couch and light-lilac armchairs with rhinestone buttons. The comfortable, boutique vibe sets subjects at ease as she snaps senior portraits or family photos brimming with personality. Jessica also realizes striking, editorial fashion photographs, filling models' portfolios with eye-catching images to replace the customary piles of glitter and photocopies of their foreheads.

The green thumbs at Gateway Greening believe in the power of a garden. For nearly three decades they have promoted gardening in both public spaces and private backyards as a solution to urban issues ranging from food insecurity to sedentary lifestyles. Through a citywide network of more than 200 gardens—including community vegetable gardens, tree and shrub plantings, and street beautification projects—the organization brings fresh food to the community, teaches hands-on lessons, and uses empty space in a positive way. Member gardeners can attend educational workshops on garden care, watering, and landscaping principles, and take advantage of assistance with project planning and procurement of materials.

Other key Gateway Greening programs work with specific populations to encourage self-sufficiency. The City Seeds Urban Farm, provides job training to individuals experiencing homelessness and distributes fresh, locally grown produce to nearby food pantries. Also youth gardens supported by Gateway Greening dot the grounds of more than 60 local schools.

See how Groupon helps you discover local causes and lend a helping hand at the Groupon Grassrootsblog.

Studio Altius’s owner, photographer David J. Cerven, drew on his background in theater to create a new approach to portraiture. Like directors and actors, or producers and theater critics who owe them a favor, Cerven’s photographers and clients work collaboratively to create defining moments. Along with fellow photographer Shawna Ventimiglia's background in fashion design, Cerven creates personal, compelling images of children and families, high-school seniors, brides, and couples, as well as professional headshots and sexy boudoir images. Clients can pose in either his 3,000-square-foot studio or outside the studio in a picturesque outdoor setting. In addition to working with clients, Cerven teaches his methods to other photographers in portraiture workshops and classes, and maintains an on-site art gallery.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), a nonprofit health agency dedicated to combating muscular dystrophy and related diseases, has more than 200 offices across the country, including a location in St. Louis. To help combat neuromuscular dystrophy, the MDA sponsors 200 medical clinics and supports more than 300 research projects across the globe, and is the nation's largest nongovernmental funder of scientific research to seek cures and improved treatments for more than 40 neuromuscular diseases.

Along with research and public-health education, the MDA works to improve the quality of life for people with muscular dystrophy and related diseases through a variety of efforts including its national advocacy program, summer camps for children, and support groups.