Bank3 + Ramblin’ Joe’s = GiVE901
I can’t believe how close the City Leadership 15th anniversary is. As we’re counting down, I find myself thinking about the impact you all have had in the city of Memphis over the last 15 years —and maybe even more importantly, the kind of impact we all hope to have in the next 15.
Which brings me to something inspiring that happened this week—something that, to me, really embodies what we’re trying to do here at City Leadership.
Monday Morning at 6:30 AM.
As the sun was rising, a crew of volunteers from City Leadership and Bank3 gathered at Ramblin' Joe's roasting plant for a volunteer event organized by Teach901:
Pick up coffee and deliver it to the heroes holding it down during TCAP week—our teachers.
Now, we didn’t hit every school in the city (though we’d love to someday), but we rolled up to 12 campuses with boxes full of Ramblin’ Joe’s hot (and cold) brew to say thank you to some of our city's heroes!
The teachers were so excited when we got there, and the energy behind it was awesome. Exactly what Memphis needs more of. All in all, 415 Memphis educators got a well-deserved moment of appreciation.
This is What Workplace Giving Looks Like.
If you don’t know Bank3, let me brag on them for a sec. They’re one of our Give901 workplace giving partners, which means their employees don’t just give monthly—they show up and volunteer. And this week, they showed up big time.
We had a full squad from City Leadership out there, too. Because this is what we believe:
If we’re going to ask everyone in the city to give an hour of pay and an hour of time each month, that obviously includes our team too.
It's not just monthly donations—it’s moments like this, where generosity meets action at 7:30AM in a local school to serve coffee to teachers.
A Shoutout to Ramblin' Joe's.
The amazing coffee was courtesy of Ramblin’ Joe’s—a Memphis brand built on doing things the right way. If you haven’t been, go. These folks care deeply about their city. They’ve been giving back for years, and now we're honored to partner with them and give back by their side.
They don’t just serve good coffee. They live by what they call Joe’s Way—philosophical, ethical guidelines that steer every decision they make, putting community above all else.
Looking Ahead: More Giving. More Impact.
Give901 has grown so much since we launched it in 2019. What started as a way to connect generous people with high-impact nonprofits has become a powerful force supporting teachers, schools, and mentors all across the city.
It was born from a desire to make generosity easier and real impact possible—from large donations supporting Memphis schools to something as simple as serving coffee to teachers.
For the next 15 years, here’s our dream: more relationships like this. More businesses stepping in. More volunteers showing up. We were able to bring coffee to 12 schools, but what if next time we can encourage 50 or 100 more?
Super grateful for our team, Bank3, and Ramblin Joe’s for making this happen. Let's keep going. Let’s keep giving. Let’s keep loving this city.
