I had the opportunity to learn about a few of the many services the Neighborhood Christian Center provides. The organization has several different locations that serve various purposes. They assist individuals in specific residential areas, such as Chikasaw, Greenbrior and Robinhood. They are meeting the needs of women in the Orange Mound community where they recently opened “The House,” a women’s resource center. The organization serves 41 zip codes throughout the city of Memphis.

The staff at the center stays busy year-round. They offer a variety of family and child centered programs, which include classes, afterschool programs, nightly events and assistance for mothers of newborn babies. The holiday season is an especially busy time of year for NCC as a result of their large donation of Christmas gifts to the community. This year, NCC will be providing 9,500 Christmas tubs to families all over the city. The tubs will feed a family of four for four days. Churches, individual donors and foundations make the work and gifts provided by the center possible.

The Vesta homes show is hosted by a group of realtors and business owners in the Memphis area each year around Christmas time. As a token of gratitude for their work toward the communities of Memphis this year, Vesta has chosen the Neighborhood Christian Center as their charity The home show includes six houses that guests may buy a $12 ticket to view. A percentage of the profits from the home show will be given to NCC. I was able to celebrate Vesta’s generous offer by volunteering for NCC at the home show. I collected tickets and greeted guests as they entered the tour. I was excited to see the organization gaining support.

A woman named JoeAnn Ballard was behind the inspiration of the Neighborhood Christian Center. She and her husband expanded their home in order to house a large number of people when they were out of a home. Other members of the community began to open their eyes to a need for a community center where people could find hope and refuge. NCC has done just that for the communities they serve. Volunteers are needed in every aspect of their work. There is work with children, young adults, and parents. The organization serves thousands of people in the city of Memphis, and they depend on a large number of volunteers to continue their service.

Thank you for reading! I’m searching for a job that allows me to provide public relations for a faith based non-profit or Christian organization using my strengths in relationship development, social media and writing.  If you know of a great fit, please send it our way: jobleads@volunteerodyssey.com or sjarnagi@mc.edu.