The post Literacy Mid-South Promoting Lifelong Learning here in Memphis appeared first on We Are Memphis.
]]>Imagine that after a long job hunt, you’ve landed a position with great benefits. After three months with the company, you attend a benefit enrollment session. The HR representative gives you a heavy packet and says all needed information can be found inside. What would you do if you couldn’t read the information provided? Would you ask for help in a room filled with your coworkers or stay silent? Would you take a guess at the best option hoping it’s the right plan for you and your family?
Basic literacy skills are required to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Think about reading prescription labels, medical paperwork, and job applications. The ability to read and write at a 6th-grade level is a quality of life issue affecting more than 100,000 adults in our community.
The ability to read and write at a 6th-grade level is a quality of life issue affecting more than 100,000 adults in our community.
Now, imagine you’re a 4th grader who reads on a 2nd grade level. You’ve managed to make it this far despite the stress, anxiety, and isolation that often comes with low literacy. What would you do if the language on your standardized test, in your textbook, and your daily worksheet was too difficult to understand? What if your parents also read at a 2nd grade level? Would you become the class clown so everyone would focus on your behavior and not your schoolwork?
76% of 4th graders in Shelby County left 3rd grade without reading on grade level. 3rd grade is the final year students are taught to read. It is assumed and expected that all students are reading at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Shelby County.
Literacy Mid-South is transforming Grind City into a community engaged in lifelong learning.
Literacy Mid-South provides education resources to children and adults of all ages and backgrounds. They serve as a literacy hub for local nonprofits by providing them with the tools needed to influence literacy education in Memphis. Literacy Mid-South provides a platform for local organizations to collaborate and maximize their impact on the community. They address low literacy through two programs: The Adult Learning Program and Read901.
Literacy Mid-South is the only organization in Memphis providing adult basic education services to the 100,000+ adults reading at or below a 6th-grade level. They have a dedicated team of 250+ trained volunteer tutors facilitating both one-on-one and classroom sessions for over 600 Adult Basic Education and English Language Learning learners. More than 80% of learners have reached their personal and academic goals.
The Adult Learning Program supports learners like Darlene, who dreams of one day becoming a Pharmacy Technician. Darlene always knew she struggled with reading, but never imagined she was on a 3rd grade level until entering the Adult Learning Program. Darlene was matched with a one-on-one tutor and quickly began making progress. She moved up 3 reading levels every year for four years and exited the program reading at a 10th-grade level!
Read901 is a citywide initiative on one of the most important indicators of academic success: grade-level reading by the end of 3rd grade. Read901 combines the strength of community-based organizations, funders, city agencies, and corporations around 3rd grade reading proficiency. Through partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club, Memphis Athletic Ministries, the Refugee Empowerment Program, Streets Ministries, and many others, Read 901 provides out of school time literacy education to over 3,500 students in Shelby County.
Read901 helps partner organizations bridge the gap between student’s current reading levels and their academic success. Without their support, students like 9-year-old old Sandibel would continue to fall behind in school. When Sandibel entered the program, she tested at a very low reading level. She has since made great strides, even surpassing some of the students that entered the program with her. Now, Sanidibel has empowered herself to become an extremely successful reader and wants to be a police officer one day. Her love of reading has also impacted her family. Sandibel reads a bedtime story to her two baby brothers every night! A love of reading like Sandibel’s is contagious, and Literacy Mid-South is helping it spread to every corner of the city.
Want to join Literacy Mid-South in transforming Grind City into a community actively engaged in lifelong learning? Click Here to get involved!
Sign up to participate in the upcoming New Tutor Training Session on November 10th.
Visit their website at www.LiteracyMidSouth.org to learn more or contact the Literacy Mid-South Team.
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]]>The post Project WET Water Workshop appeared first on We Are Memphis.
]]>Held in July of this year, the first Project WET Water Workshop of 2018 was a resounding success. Educators from across Memphis and beyond came together to try out both classroom-based and outdoor activities while educating themselves on the habitats that exist within the Wolf River watershed, local and global water issues, the Wolf River Greenway project and more. If you’re a teacher who missed the July workshop but are eager to take part, there’s good news: Another Project WET Water Workshop is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at the Memphis Botanic Garden. Pre-registration is required, and the workshop will include a copy of the Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0 for every attendee along with a signed certificate of attendance.
If you’re not a Memphis-area educator but still want to get involved in local conservation efforts, the Wolf River Conservancy still wants to hear from you! Although the workshop is centered on educators, it’s open to anyone interested in attending, so why not pre-register and connect with environmentally minded people like yourself? The Wolf River will thank you, and so will the next generation!
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]]>The post September volunteer events you can be a part of appeared first on We Are Memphis.
]]>Wrap and roll for the homeless
Start off September right by providing delicious burritos to homeless Memphians. Stop by the First United Methodist Church at Second and Poplar the morning of Saturday, Sept. 1, and bring a few friends if you can. There will be plenty of wrapping and rolling for all comers.
Let your sense of civic pride blossom
The butterflies that visit Memphis or call it home need your help! The Memphis Botanic Garden is seeking volunteers to record information on butterfly populations and assist with gardening tasks that support butterfly health and migration. Some experience with recording data, basic gardening or conservation is preferred. If you’re willing to get dirty for Memphis’ most glamorous denizens, volunteers are needed on Wednesday afternoons from April to November.
Lend a (second) hand
If you have some weekday mornings free, consider assisting Catholic Charities of West Tennessee with its Clothes Closet, which provides new and gently used clothing and household items to Memphians in need. If you’d like to sort donations and help your neighbors find something that suits them, stop by and lend a hand. Clothes may make the man, but working with those in need makes a community.
Commune with nature
There’s nothing more relaxing than a nature walk. Taking in the sights and sounds is much easier when a trail is well-maintained, and the Lichterman Nature Center would like your assistance in removing debris and non-native plants once a month. If you feel like you’ve been planted in your office chair lately, uproot yourself and take a leaf out of your environmentally minded neighbors’ book.
Get festive
The cultural and ethnic diversity of Memphis is one of its greatest strengths, and the Memphis Japan Festival on Sept. 30 is just one example, providing an opportunity for Memphians of Japanese descent to celebrate their heritage and for all Memphians to explore Japanese art and history. The festival takes place at the Memphis Botanic Garden, and volunteers will assist staff to create an event to remember. Festivals can be physically challenging, so be ready for a full day on your feet as you work to further this culturally rich experience.
The opportunities detailed above are just a small sampling of what Memphis has to offer the civic-minded. If this list whet your appetite for more, stop by Choose 901 for more ways to give back to your fellow Memphians year-round.
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]]>The post Downtown Memphis may see a neighborhood grocery store soon! appeared first on We Are Memphis.
]]>The one thing downtown Memphis is lacking is a grocery store, but that may be about to change, as the Memphis Business Journal recently reported that the wheels are in motion to build a grocery store downtown by the end of 2018.
Downtown hopes for new grocery store
Residents of downtown Memphis have been dreaming of a convenient grocery-shopping option for ages, and that dream might just come true in the form of a 25,000-square-foot building owned by Archer Custom Builders and located just a block off South Main St.
Company owner Tom Archer has been working and investing in the South Main neighborhood for decades, and he shares the widespread opinion that a local grocery store is just what the downtown area needs.
“I’m on a mission to get a grocery store down here,” Archer told the Memphis Business Journal. “If you need something, that’s where you’ll go.”
Plans in motion
Archer has been reaching out to grocery companies to land a tenant for the property, which is located at 136 Webster Ave. If none of the big chains take the bait, he told the Journal that he’s more than willing to take charge and open a grocery store himself, with a plan to “start small and build to the need.”
And considering the recent developments in downtown Memphis, the need for a local grocery store certainly exists—to say nothing of the growing number of families calling the South Main neighborhood home. Archer plans to finish developing the Webster Ave. building by the end of 2018, a feat that would no doubt please many locals and boost Memphis’ already-growing downtown.
Big things downtown
The announcement of a potential future grocery store in the heart of Memphis comes amid a flurry of recent activity in the revitalized downtown area. The Memphis Trolley recently made its much-lauded return to service after a four-year absence, and plans for a four-star hotel and luxury apartment building at One Beale are back on track.
Memphis is often celebrated for its past, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that the city’s future is shaping up to be just as exciting. Be sure to check back for more updates on downtown Memphis!
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]]>The post Mid-South Food bank to give out food this Friday appeared first on We Are Memphis.
]]>The food bank will be distributing the following items:
- Bread
- Produce
- Meats
- Other Proteins
Registration for this event will be on May 21, 2018, from 10-1 pm at the North Frayser Community Center located at 2555 St Elmo Rd. 38127. Attendees must bring proof of residence, ID, and Proof of Income to qualify.
For information about the Mid-South Food Bank, you can check out their website here!
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]]>The post A year to volunteer in Memphis appeared first on We Are Memphis.
]]>One of the ways that Memphis plans on implementing positive change is with the Year to Volunteer effort led by Volunteer Odyssey as part of the #BringYourSoul movement. Year To Volunteer will continue the commemoration of Dr. King and his legacy with a yearlong initiative to mobilize a culture of volunteerism in Memphis. The goal is to engage 10,000 volunteers across the community, generate 85,000 hours of service, and create over $2 million in economic impact by Memphis’ bicentennial in 2019. And now we are challenging you to embody the legacy of Dr. King for the next 365 days and beyond.
The Volunteer Odyssey website will have new service opportunities listed on the 15th of every month, and you can track your volunteer hours through their site. As the numbers rise, their impact tracking system will allow Memphians to see the impact they’re having on this city. Volunteer Odyssey has also created new service days for the city to get involved; on October 19th there will be a day of service for corporations and on October 20th a day of service for individuals and families.
Memphis is revved up for the coming year and we are ready to do even more to make a positive change in our community. We’ve already been named the “Most Charitable City in the Country,” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy magazine in Washington D.C., but we can do even more than that. Dr. King came to our city with a message and a vision of how Memphis could be. Now is the time to make that dream a reality. Inside all of us is the ability to make a positive change in our community, to give the best of yourself to change the world around you. It’s time to bring that energy to the forefront, Memphis. It’s time to #BringYourSoul.
Find Your Year To Volunteer event now.
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]]>The post Kitchen teaches healthy cooking habits for communities in Memphis appeared first on We Are Memphis.
]]>In recent years, premier Memphis-area charity Church Health has stepped up to assist residents in leading healthier lives. Church Health’s push to promote a healthy diet through kitchen teaching sessions falls in line with its larger goal of providing healthcare services to the working uninsured.
How the classes work
Fueled by a focus on Church Health’s aforementioned core mission, the Teaching Kitchen aims to instill proper meal preparation skills in the community. When Church Health founder and CEO Dr. Scott Morris launched the operation, he did so with the vision of promoting a well-balanced lifestyle through medical care, proper nutrition, a vibrant spiritual life and more. Today, Church Health is among the top volunteer organizations in Memphis that emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
Sharing tips for a healthy lifestyle
The Teaching Kitchen at Church Health has expanded in popularity over recent years, and now holds classes at the Crosstown Concourse (formerly the Sears distribution center). This large facility provides enough space and resources for Church Health nutrition professionals to expand upon the theme of using food as a medicine.
Memphis residents may be advised to reduce carbs or eat more protein—but how does this translate into an actual meal on the table? Church Health is one of the few Memphis charities that provides practical nutritional classes for locals to implement in their own homes.
In addition, Church Health works with Tulane University medical students, teaching them how to communicate food benefits and value to their patients.
The Teaching Kitchen runs one day a week for a six-week period. During their training, students work in teams to learn essential cooking skills, optimal use of ingredients and recipes that have the potential to make a big difference to their health over time.
Church Health also maintains a network of health coaches, doctors and providers who work with patients and students at the Teaching Kitchen on an ongoing basis.
Effects on the community
Because the Teaching Kitchen is open to the whole community, it has had a widespread positive influence on the local population. Church Health breaks down the economic barriers often associated with living a healthy lifestyle by using simple and accessible nutritional programs.
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