Youth Villages employees learn about Memphis Allies’ tireless work to reduce gun violence Each year, the Youth...
Memphis Allies Posts
Most Recent Memphis Allies Posts
Not Left Behind
Not left behind, Calvin Sanford finds his mission as a SWITCH Youth life coach In 2010, Calvin Sanford was staring at...
Memphis Allies at Autozone Park
Memphis Allies visits the ‘pitch’ at AutoZone Park Awareness knows no bounds. So, it does not matter that in the...
More Memphis Allies Posts
Meet Case Manager Alejandro
Case Manager Alejandro Salinas 'goes the extra mile' Memphis Allies Case Manager Alejandro Salinas sees it all the time: trauma that impacts decision-making. The trauma might show up in the form of poverty and gun violence. It might be inspired by a lack of love and...
Community Attends ‘Walk Against Gun Violence’
Change will require the ’collective us,’ Mayor Young says Jevonte Porter, Memphis Allies’ community relations director, was pushing a stroller at the Ninth Annual Walk Against Gun Violence in Orange Mound. Porter’s passengers in that stroller were precious to him:...
TWINS Founders Brandon and Bryan
Partners Spotlight: TWINS founders Brandon and Bryan Mathis When Brandon Mathis recalls how he and his twin brother Bryan grew up, he describes gunshots as “normal” and joining a gang at age 10 as like being in a fraternity. “You got a color, a letter, a family, a...
Outreach Never Stops
Memphis Allies: Interrupting the drumbeat of gun violence Life coach Briant Kelly, also known as B Radical, has a routine with the guys he works with in Memphis Allies’ SWITCH program: he calls them first thing in the morning and again before they go to bed at night....
Leadership Promotions at Memphis Allies
Memphis Allies announces two leadership promotions As Memphis Allies moves into its third year of providing direct services to those most at risk for gun violence, Executive Director Susan Deason has announced two staff promotions: Jevonte Porter has been promoted to...
Meet Regional Supervisor Aviance
Right where she is supposed to be, Aviance Brown-Austin was meant for this work Aviance Brown-Austin was born to a 15-year-old mother, and partially raised by a youngish grandmother. “Technically, I raised myself,” she said. “Along with the streets.” Aviance made her...
The Pattern of Change Has Started
For partner organizations, the pattern of change has started Ephie Johnson, president and CEO of Neighborhood Christian Centers, Inc., was a co-host of the first Breakthrough Conference in 2023. She liked what the national speakers on community violence intervention,...
CVI Work is Like Running a Marathon
CVI work is like running a marathon at a sprinter’s pace Attendance at second Breakthrough Conference in Memphis doubles from 2023. In a large ballroom at the Memphis Hilton, almost 500 people had gathered for the 2024 Breakthrough Conference dedicated to community...
Self-Care Isn’t Selfish
The danger of being on the front lines is never just immediate. Sometimes, it’s the collateral damage that hits home. This is true for combat veterans – many of whom suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), for law enforcement, for firefighters and...