Memphis Allies community relations team making vital connections.
In 2022, when Memphis Allies began sending outreach specialists into neighborhoods, they also formed a community relations team.
Blog & Community Events
Pain is Universal
Jennifer Davis, a clinical supervisor in the SWITCH program, said many participants began experiencing trauma before they were old enough to have memory of it.
Power shift
At age 13, with his parents not getting along and his father mostly absent, Deangelo Luckett joined a gang. It didn’t take long for him to find a gun in his hand. With his mother struggling to feed the family, Luckett felt like he now had the means to help.
Journey of Change
A professional overview of Memphis Allies and its goal of reducing gun violence comes with slides, statistics, graphs and a few words from the leadership team.
Engaging One Block at a Time
Memphis Allies’ mission to reduce gun violence is carried out daily by going into the city’s neighborhoods. Sometimes when there is trouble, and other times to simply meet people where they are: to share some food and a conversation, or a laugh and provide a bouncy house and a water slide for the neighborhood kids on a hot summer day.
This is ‘Heart Work’
This is ‘heart work,’ says Memphis Allies SWITCH supervisor
His name is Earve Mathis, but around Memphis Allies’ South Memphis office, he is better known as “Mr. E.”
A life coach supervisor in the adult SWITCH program, Mr. E knows well the cost of making bad decisions.
Nothing to Lose
‘These guys have nothing to lose’ is why Memphis Allies’ Tito Porter does what he does A gun, Tito Porter says, is just a means to an end. In fact, at age 19, it enabled Porter to have his own place. “My first apartment on my own was a jail cell,” he said. Porter stayed more than four years. By the time he got out, he had learned money was worthless compared to freedom.
Not Left Behind
Memphis Allies Stories Not left behind, Calvin Sanford finds his mission as a SWITCH Youth life coach In 2010, Calvin Sanford was staring at a potential 66-year prison sentence...
Memphis Allies at Autozone Park
Awareness knows no bounds. So, it does not matter that in the Memphis neighborhoods with the most gun violence, pick-up basketball games are far more common than impromptu soccer matches.
SWITCH Hosts Community Event
Raleigh/Frayser SWITCH participants put on event for the community