Success Stories
Leading to Influence the Next Generation
The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis along with our grantee partners connect families in the communities we serve to resources and opportunities that empower both adults and children and bring families towards self-sufficiency and stability. Yolanda Robinson, a former Foote Homes resident, is a mother of five and a grandmother of nine. She was a participant of the first Getting Ahead class at WFGM.
Once a teen mother, Robinson says she always put her focus on her kids first. She worked several jobs but was rejected from careers she wanted to pursue because she dropped out of high school. With encouragement from the staff, Robinson enrolled in the Excel Center, a free program for Mid-South adults to receive their high school diploma.
“At the age of 45, I graduated with honors. I felt so whole that I did it after all these years. My main focus was my kids and grandkids. Now they look at me with proudness. I wanted my children to be able to see me as an inspiration to them and to see that it's never too late to get where you want to be,” she said.
Robinson is now enrolled at Southwest Community College, majoring in Criminal Justice.
“I would like to thank the Women's Foundation for everything that they do for me, my family and all the families of 38126 and the surrounding communities. I would like to thank you guys for being there, being an inspiration to us and just being leaders of women.”
Finding New Pathways to Success
The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis is committed to building a community where women and children see hope for the future. Thanks to your support, women like Leanne P. get an opportunity to find their new pathway to success.
After her release from prison, Leanne needed a place to stay and was accepted at Karat Place, a transitional housing facility where women ex-offenders are rehabilitated to reduce recidivism and become productive citizens in Greater Memphis.
Leanne enrolled in forklift training classes and was offered a job at the Advance Memphis Warehouse, “A job that I love,” she said. “Since then, I have received an increase in wages and I started saving money. The program at Karat Place has taught me responsibility and how to be accountable for all of my actions. I know I can have everything I need and want if I just keep doing what is right.”
Together with our Grantee Partners, Advance Memphis and Karat Place, we are helping break the cycle of poverty and create systemic change for the Memphis community.
Girl Scouts Heart of the South
Donna York loves being a Girl Scout troop leader. Like many troop leaders, York has a passion for creating a community and showing the next generation of girls what makes them unique. Her troop, #12378, has girls of all ages and her favorite part is leading the girls, including her daughter, to different experiences.
“Many of our girls are used to crime in the neighborhood and we want them to experience something different,” she said.
Over the past five years, York has overcome obstacles with her work schedule, limited funding and securing a meeting space. Due to COVID-19, they shifted to virtual meetings via Zoom. The challenges, however, have not deterred her commitment to the troop as she strives to expose the girls to things outside their neighborhood and bring the Girl Scout program to life.
“If we could secure a building we would invite people from different fields like nurses, doctors, engineers, police and firemen to talk to the girls,” she explained.
York is grateful for donations from organizations like the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis, and they are also putting in their own fundraising efforts for the troop.
“We have a multi-level troop and the Women’s Foundation helped out a lot because many of the girls’ parents couldn’t afford to pay for registration or many of the things we need to have a Girl Scout troop. Now, we are doing a lot of fundraising on our own through bake sales.”
The rewards of being a Girl Scout are limitless as it creates a sense of belonging and a community of forever friends which gives girls the courage to try new things, test their limits, and work toward goals as a team. It’s what drives Girl Scouts to explore their communities, help others and solve problems.
“There are so many benefits of being a Girl Scout and I want my daughter to gain those skills and go all the way through the program,” York proclaimed.
Your gifts make it possible for Troops like #12378 to operate and obtain resources such as consistent transportation and a meeting location to share the benefits of scouting with the next generation of girls ─ regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Grantee Partner Spotlight - Urban Strategies, Inc.
Lontina McGary (pictured right) personifies resilience. A former Foote Homes resident, she has overcome many barriers as a single mother of two daughters. Lontina was a recipient of wraparound services from Urban Strategies, Inc. (USI) and in a true full-circle moment, she is now an employee at USI and gives back to others in her community.
In 2022, Lontina worked on family, personal and career goals with a family support specialist at USI. Her goal was to find a better job to connect with people.
Later that year, USI hired Lontina as an ambassador outreach specialist to recruit participants to the Renters Advantage Program for help with financial services and repairing their credit. She has excelled in her new role and enjoys giving back to others.
“I go to places in the community such as libraries and community centers and reach out to people to educate them on how to remove some of the barriers that are keeping them from moving forward in life,” she said.
She is thankful for the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) for providing services and opportunities for personal growth when she needed it as a Foote Homes resident. She also expressed gratitude for WFGM’s investment in programs that meet the needs of the community.
“I am grateful to the Women’s Foundation for being in my life, for helping me make a change in my life and for showing me how important my life is. Because once you realize how important your own life is, you’re able to help others as well.
Giving back is now a ministry for me. It’s important for me to give back because I was helped.”
Self-determined and optimistic, Lontina’s next goal is to obtain her associate’s degree.
WFGM is committed to building a community where women and children have access to social and economic mobility. Together with our Grantee Partners like Urban Strategies, Inc., we will continue to help break the cycle of poverty and create systemic change for the Memphis community, one family at a time.
Can you make a difference today? Support the Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis as we strive to empower thousands of women and children in Memphis by providing funding and resources to nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing economic and social mobility.
