To make a donation now, click here to visit our secure, online donation form.

There's a story we would like to share with you.

In Memphis, 76 percent of people living in poverty are women and children. For our community, this startling statistic means that the poverty rate among women and children is twice the national rate.

In the former Lamar Terrace and Dixie Homes public housing communities, most of the residents lived in poverty, unemployment rates were high, and only half of the residents had a high school diploma or GED. This is a story of HOPE.

Linda and Genesis: A Family Story

Linda is a single mom living at University Place (formerly Lamar Terrace). Her 18-year-old daughter, Genesis, is a senior in high school. Before Memphis HOPE, Linda and Genesis lived in the Lamar Terrace housing project. Known for high poverty, crime, and unemployment rates, it was an unsafe and unhealthy community.

When Linda learned about Memphis HOPE, she immediately signed up. She worked closely with her case manager, part of the WFGM-funded Community Supportive Services (CSS) program, and set goals for herself. She attended workshops through Memphis HOPE and was hired as Unit Secretary of Methodist Germantown Hospital; where she works full-time earning $10.00 an hour including healthcare coverage.

Meanwhile, Genesis worked in two Memphis HOPE-sponsored programs: Technology & Community Youth Employment Program (TCYEP) and Memphis Youth Leadership Program (MYLP). TCYEP taught Genesis aspects of technology, entrepreneurship, financial management, and life skills. Through MYLP, Genesis learned about employability, leadership, and education. Once shy, Genesis is now confident and responsible.

Memphis HOPE empowered Linda to set higher goals for herselfshe plans to attend Southwest Tennessee Community College. Genesis shares her Moms belief in the power of education and has applied to several local colleges. They now live in a safe, clean environment providing an opportunity for both to achieve their dreams.

---

Help us create more success stories by making a gift today.

To make a donation now, click here to visit our secure, online donation form.

You may also postal mail a check or money order to:

Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis
8 S. Third St., Suite 110
Memphis, TN 38103-6600

Or call us at:

Phone: 901-578-9346

Make Your Mark as a Philanthropist

Women all over Memphis are speaking with an increasingly strong and united voice. A new kind of philanthropy is emerging as women share their resources, empower each other and work together to decide and discern solutions. They understand that through the power of collective finance resources, positive changes are possible for women and children in our community. Women and men across the city are making their mark as philanthropists - they are giving consistently and with intent in order to improve the lives of women and children.

A recent study by the Women's Foundation revealed that 80 percent of those living in poverty in Memphis and Shelby County are women and children. The obstacles faced by these women are enormous - unsafe neighborhoods, inadequate daycare, insufficient job training, lack of educational opportunity - the list goes on and the statistics are sobering. The Women's Foundation is committed by its mission to help make a change. We focus on empowerment, opportunity, financial stability, education, choice, resources and independence through grants award to agencies for programs that are specifically designed for women and children. We ask you to join us in our commitment.

When you help a woman, you help her family. When you help her family, you save our future. Make your mark as a philanthropist - please give generously of your resources to empower women and children. Together, we can lift the quality of life for everyone in the greater Memphis community.