Back in 2001, Katie Smythe founded the New Ballet Ensemble (NBE) with a simple goal: for every paying student, she would admit a community student on full or partial scholarship. Thirteen years later, NBE has been recognized by The New York Times, the National Symphony Orchestra, and now—Michelle Obama.
As recently as 1988, Harbor Town was a scrubby sandbar in the Mississippi River. Today, it’s a thriving community of over 3,000 people, a haven for cyclists and pedestrians, and a test tube for city planners. What can Memphis learn from this neo-traditional neighborhood in the shadow of downtown?
According to a 2012 study from the Plough Foundation, more than 10,000 Memphis seniors are currently living below the Federal Poverty Line. Over the next ten years, those numbers are expected to rise. Here’s how one nonprofit is helping poor seniors lead happy, fulfilled lives.
Years behind schedule and millions over budget, the redevelopment of the Memphis riverfront got off to a slow start. But with the rollout of two new parks, the tide may finally be turning.
Before moving back to Memphis, Jammie Poole was a turnaround artist as principal of a Chicago public school. Now at the helm of the struggling Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering, he has big plans for the Memphis charter school.
Over the last two years, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Community Alliance for the Homeless, chronic homelessness in Memphis is down 40 percent. How has the Community Alliance managed to do so much in such a short time?
A 2010 Gallup poll ranked Memphis as the most food-insecure major city in America. Bring It Food Hub seeks to address that problem, connecting low-income Memphians with farm-fresh regional produce.
Earlier this year, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra ran out of money. Its endowment, which peaked at $6 million in the late 1990s, reached a zero balance in April. Can the organization innovate its way back into the black?
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