Day 5. In high school, I got up before the sun rose to compete in crew regattas. Waking up this morning took me back to that time, when I had the privilege of experiencing the world Ready for action! before it succumbs to the hustle and bustle of
Day 4. Porter-Leath was originally created to help parentless children sustain life in Memphis when war and disease became widespread in the 1800s. It has since transformed from an orphanage to an organization that aids more than 10,000 at-risk families and children each year in becoming healthier physically, intellectually, developmentally,
Day 3. I had no idea what to expect driving up to the Refugee Empowerment Program since I had never interacted with refugees before. My experience tonight was different from the Alexandra reminiscing about teaching previous two odysseys because I was able to directly interact with the members
Day 2. Off to The Memphis Challenge! Founded in 1989 by Joseph R. “Pitt” Hyde, The Memphis Challenge, Inc. is an organization that helps guide minority high-school juniors and seniors all the way through college graduation in hopes they will return back to Memphis as local community leaders. Not just
Day 1. I feel like there should be some sort of dramatic “Law and Order” music playing right now. This morning I shadowed Jeremy Park – an important mover and shaker you should know if you don’t already. He is the vice president of communications for Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance,
Keeping families together. Homelessness is unfortunately a huge problem within the city of Memphis. Memphis also has a high rate of poverty, which at times leads to homelessness. Thankfully we have the Dorothy Day House of Hospitality. The Dorothy Day House provides temporary housing and support services for
The traditional first step of any introduction begins with stating your name. My name is Alexandra. Why did my parents give such a petite girl such a big name? Well, it’s not just a name - It means “Protector of Mankind” and that’s who I strive to be. I was
I am with Dee Dee and the pricing cart. The Memphis ReStore is operated by Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis. All proceeds from the ReStore benefit the programs of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis. The ReStore is a place where you can purchase gently used furniture,
I am making cheese sandwiches. Yum! St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen is such a humbling experience. When I arrived I met Martin, Ron, and Becky. There was truly a sense of God’s presence with Christian music playing in the background and watching the other volunteers' faces show just how
World Relief Memphis is located at Union Avenue Baptist Church, which is where I met Kate Foster. Kate is the Volunteer Coordinator/Church Mobilizer. She sat down with me and explained what World Relief is and what their mission is. Their mission is to help refugees that have fled his or