Weekly Update

Friends,

 

I have said this many times, but the true long-term solution to crime is young people picking the right path instead of the wrong one. Young people need something productive to do if they’re not in school. If you did not know, our community has one of the largest opportunity youth populations in the nation.

 

Opportunity youth are young people from the ages of 16-24 who are not in school and not working. The importance of reaching this segment of our population and connecting them with the chance to better themselves and their future cannot be overstated. It’s why we recently created, in partnership with the city council, our Opportunity R3 (Rethinking, Rebuilding, and Rebranding) program.

 

Opportunity R3 offers a guided path to further education or to prepare our young people for workforce readiness. The program works to remove barriers and connect the gap between preparation and opportunity for young people to realize their full potential to transform lives and the stability of our communities.

 

To learn more, go here.

 

Earlier this week, I visited with our first graduates and the city team who are leading the program.

 

 

Commendations: On Thursday, the Memphis Police Department held a commendation ceremony recognizing 85 police officers and civilians for their heroic acts. From saving citizens’ lives to risking their own lives or even giving up their life in the line of duty, the stories behind these awards you often don't see on the news, but they have a huge impact. Take a look at the Awards Booklet from the ceremony.

 

Topgolf: As you may have seen this week, Memphis will at long-last have a Topgolf location. This is something our team has been working towards for a long time now, and I couldn’t be happier to welcome them here.

 

Topgolf ‘s proposed location will be near the FedEx World Headquarters, off of Callis-Cutoff Road slightly north of Winchester Road. Stay tuned for more as this exciting new development progresses.

 

Dinner with friends: Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to share a meal and say thank you to some new friends. You may or may not remember, but very early during the pandemic Memphis’s own, Project Pat, cut a public service announcement for us encouraging people to social distance and to wear a mask.

 

When we asked him to do it, there was no hesitation. He simply said, “Of course, anything to get the city up and moving”. We agreed that once things were safer, we should grab dinner. That finally happened this week.

 

 

We had a great time, some good laughs and great conversation. While we both come from very different backgrounds, we have one very important thing in common—we both love our city and would do anything to help it thrive. I look forward to growing the relationship.

 

National Public Safety Communications Week: This week is National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 10th -16th)! We take this time to recognize dispatchers who are an invaluable part of public safety.

 

We are thankful for the men and women that work every day to ensure that citizens receive a rapid response from law enforcement officers, firefighters, and medical personnel during emergencies.

 

Please join me in showing appreciation and sincere gratitude to our public safety telecommunicators. Thank you, dispatchers, for your service. You are truly appreciated!

 

Spring Book Sale: For the first time since the pandemic hit, Friends of the Memphis Library will be holding a spring book sale. Check out below for more information.

 

 

Finally—Go Grizz! And more importantly, enjoy your Easter weekend with friends and family!

 

Yours,