Latest news with #GreaterMemphisonaMission
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Memphis nonprofit provides safe haven and aid for men in need
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday, as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes in stability and 2nd chances. Justin Frakes was homeless and living in his van when he heard about Brotha 2 Brotha, a drop-in center located in Binghampton that proved a safe and supportive space for men facing life challenges. 'Shows that somebody cares, you know? Someone will listen to you and not treat you like crap,' said Frakes. 'Helped me get back on my feet. I'm not stuck in the cycle no more. That was a big advantage.' Eikon Ministries: Shaping Memphis leaders, one child at a time Dennis Boyd is the founder and executive director. 'Some guys are battling with drug addiction, homelessness, just getting released from jail. Just having a hard time and need a helping hand,' said Boyd. Every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m., they offer a meal, clean clothes, toiletries, and an opportunity to take a hot shower. For Boyd, those offerings are intentional. 'For me, personally, my background, I've been homeless before. I know how it is to go hungry or not know where your next meal is going to come from. Not knowing if I can get a hot shower,' said Boyd. For Frakes, the availability of hot showers was a lifeline. 'I had food all the time. Food wasn't the problem, but a shower was the one thing I didn't have. I would come religiously every week,' he said. 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. Thanks to the helping hand of Brotha 2 Brotha and the Binghamton Development Corporation's business hub, Frakes has a full-time job and is no longer homeless. Boyd makes sure everyone who walks in the door is treated with dignity. 'When we sit down, we're talking Brotha 2 Brotha. No judgment. I'm here for you. How can I help, or if I can't help, I know somebody that can help,' Boyd said. That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to Brotha 2 Brotha. Because when life's struggles knock you down, they will help lift you back up. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Eikon Ministries: Shaping Memphis leaders, one child at a time
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday, as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes in building leaders from the inside out. Willie Baldwin met Roy Campbell, who goes by the nickname 'Soup', when he was only 10 years old. Willie was outside playing basketball, Soup was just starting Eikon Ministries. 'If this man hadn't saw the potential for me in my life enough to take me under his wing and to mentor disciple to my life, I wouldn't be here,' said Baldwin. Recycling ehances economic opportunities with on-the-job training program 'I pulled up on that tree, and I had Jesus paint across the tailgate. And when they looked like they were really hot and thirsty, I called them over to my truck and I said, 'Hey, would you like some donuts and some juice?' They said, 'Yes,' and I said, 'Well, can I share the most important thing that ever happened in my life?' And they allowed me to share that,' said Soup. Fast forward 36 years — Willie is still with Soup as his assistant director of Eikon Ministries. Eikon Ministries has grown into an organization that builds leaders who will change their communities from the inside out. 'I began to see a void in the training of the next generation of leaders. And I said, 'We've got to do something about that,'' Soup said. Strategically located in Binghampton, Soup has done just that with numerous programs that serve boys and girls ages 4-18. Willie created 'Club Nathan' as part of the Nathan Street Ministries. 'It's a safe haven for kids to come and hear the gospel, different relationships are being developed. We feed them,' said Baldwin. Team Eikon is a basketball team that uses the game to mentor, share the gospel, and encourage good grades. They also offer a summer job program, which is a way for students to earn and learn. 'We hire about 30 kids every summer here in the neighborhood. We paid them $225. We teach them life skills, cutting grass, going into the community, cutting debris down from people's backyards. We teach entrepreneurship, interview etiquette, checking and savings accounts,' said Baldwin. 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. Marcus Mcree's son and daughter grew up attending Eikon Ministries. He was so impressed with the organization, he ended up becoming the assistant coach of Team Eikon. 'When kids are with other kids, they learn faster when you start talking about things that they see. So if you have one kid, man is cool to come to our Eikon Ministries and do the things we do, all the kids want to join,' said Mcree. That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to Eikon/Nathan Street Ministries. Because when all the kids want to join, you are building a stronger community from the inside. Eikon Ministries is currently in need of a reliable suburban or a similar SUV to transport kids to their programs. If you can help them out or would like to learn more about the group, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bridges equips Memphis youth with civic leadership skills
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. Fifteen-year-old Jasmine Bernard has been part of Bridges for the last four years. Bridges is a youth empowerment organization that helps 7th through 12th graders develop the skills to lead, collaborate, and engage in positive community action. 'I've learned how to advocate for myself, how to make my voice heard, and how to communicate and network with different people who I would have never been able to do so without bridges,' said Bernard. Everbloom Farmacy boosts food security and community in Memphis They focus on civic leadership and offer different tracks a youth can take. 'The youth of Memphis are the future of Memphis. So, think of it as a return on an investment. If we invest in them now, we will have great returns later on,' said CEO Sam O'bryant. 'There's health and wellness. There's arts and culture and there's business and environmentalism.' In the business track, students learn about balancing a checkbook, the stock market, and what it takes to establish a business. The arts and culture track consists of building up writing skills. 'This is a chance for us to really build in what it means to piece together a sentence. To piece together a paragraph. To piece together the best ways of communication through writing,' said O'bryant. For the health and wellness track, Bridges brings in instructors to demonstrate exercises and the best dietary options. 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. 'As someone who likes to write, I really am better expressing myself in written word. And when we would have our group circle-ups, we would debrief which is something really important to our experience during the learning process,' said Meridith Rucker. Rucker is the senior director of programming at Bridges and a bridge builder alumna. Even after high school graduation and college, the connections you make at Bridges are always there. 'When I moved to New York, I did not know anyone there. I reached out to a few other bridge builders who had gone to Morehouse and they had moved to New York as well. Those were the only people that I knew. So, they really helped me adjust and acclimate to the city,' said Rucker. That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to Bridges. Because helping the youth find their voice will always strengthen our community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Non-profit aids Memphis artists, promotes sustainable music careers
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes music is necessary and supporting local artists is vital. Talibah Safiya is a singer, songwriter, and recording artist who has over the years utilized Music Export Memphis, a non-profit organization that creates opportunities for Memphis musicians to showcase outside the city and help them build sustainable music careers right here in Memphis. Elizabeth Cawein is the founder and executive director. 'I saw that there was a way where we could sort of hit the center of this Venn Diagram and create true mutual benefit for our city and for our artists with really meaningful opportunities to get them on national and international stages,' said Elizabeth Cawein, founder and executive director. Memphis woman makes history scuba diving on all 7 continents They don't want financial barriers to stand in the way of possible opportunities, that's why they have multiple grant programs. In 2016, they started providing tour grants to artists. 'If you are an artist who lives here, you book five or more dates outside the city. you can get money from us to support that tour,' Cawein said. They don't pay for your tour but the unrestricted cash grant can be used however an artist needs. Such as gas money, fixing a flat tire, or even if a gig gets canceled it can help soften the financial hit. Their merch grants help support the creation of merchandise like hats, t-shirts, and vinyls. Through their export bank program, they can even customize a grant for artists like Talibah who was invited to a writers' camp in Los Angeles. 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. 'I told her what the opportunity was. We listed out what we would need and we were able to get the support needed for me to go to LA,' she said. 'Which led to me being able to do more writers' camp, more television, and have sustainable income in a whole new way that I didn't even have before.' In a city like memphis, where music is our culture, it is our history. The musicians that are here are carrying that forward, and so any small part that we can play in keeping them here is absolutely essential to, I think, the fabric of Memphis,' said Cawein. That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to Music Export Memphis. Because when you help build our city's local, national, and international music reputation, it will always be the best investment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Community organization transforms Medical District through collaboration
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Every Tuesday as part of our Greater Memphis on a Mission series, we highlight organizations making Memphis better. This week, we caught up with a group that believes in collaboration. Rory Thomas is the president of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative, a community organization development that focuses on revitalizing and improving the Medical District. 'We work with the hospitals and colleges in the Memphis Medical District to make it a better place to live, work and play,' said Thomas. 'The Medical District has kind of been a pass-through between Midtown and Downtown but not really a destination on its own. So we're really trying to change that.' They do just that by enhancing public spaces for the many residents, employees, and students with their ambassador program which is made up of 10 men and 10 women. 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. 'They go around collecting litter, recycling, removing graffiti. I believe they did about over 9000 bags of litter removal in 2024,' said Tomas. For residents in the district, they have a hire local program. 'We work with residents to get them trained for in-demand jobs at the hospitals and a living wage with full benefits but also have a clear career path for them to be able to provide economic mobility opportunities,' he said. There are also numerous grant opportunities for local businesses, from predevelopment grants to improvement grants that help with signage, lighting, sidewalk repair, as well as interior improvements. 'Memphis Medical District Collaborative has been great in making sure we partner with not only the students but the hospitals and the businesses all around us,' said Thomas. Carmella Rogers is the franchise owner of Hotworx, Edge District. She brought her 24-hour infrared fitness studio into the Medical District in 2022. In addition to lighting and exterior signage, she was able to improve her space even more by utilizing the Memphis Medical District's improvement grant. 'We had to pretty much gut our bathrooms completely from the way they were made,' she said. That is why Brown Missionary Baptist Church and the Mid-South Genesis CDC donated $1,000 to the Memphis Medical District Collaborative. Because when you transform a pass-through section into a destination, your return on investment will be sustainable. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
