May Is Already In Full Swing!
It's only the first week of May, and I'm already behind on sleep. But it's totally worth it.
Choose901 was at Riverbeat all weekend. Before that awesome weekend, your Choose901 Alumni pulled off one of the best events they have ever done. Teacher Appreciation Month is in full swing and coordinated by Teach901. And somewhere in the middle of all of this fun,
City Leadership turned the sweet age of 16.
May doesn't waste any time, and neither should we!
Riverbeat
This past weekend, we connected with thousands of people out at Riverbeat Music Festival, and there is nothing quite like being on the bluff with tens of thousands of Memphians. Music pouring out of every corner of the park. The river right there behind it all.
We weren't just there to set up a tent and hand out stickers. We were there because that's where Memphis was. And when Memphis gathers, we want to be in the middle of it.
Riverbeat is one of those events that reminds you what makes this city worth fighting for. The food, the music, the people, and the sheer range of who shows up and how much joy is in the air.
We exist to connect people to this city and to each other. And sometimes the most important thing we can do is just show up, right in the middle of it all, and say: we're glad to be part of the Memphis community.
Create Yours
Choose901 Alumni recently hosted Create Yours, a women's empowerment brunch at the Sheet Cake Gallery in the Edge District.
More than 50 alumni showed up. The space was woman-owned. The art on the walls was made by women. The panel was four Memphis women doing serious, meaningful work in this city.
Chandell Ryan is shaping the future of Downtown Memphis. Dr. Jamesha Hayes is developing the next generation of educators and civic leaders at Teach For America Memphis. Jada Mitchell is advancing justice in the Shelby County DA's office. Tensia Echols is building a community through faith, beauty, and intentional living.
They sat down together and talked about what it means to lead in Memphis as a woman. And our alumni, graduates from Memphis schools who are figuring out their own paths, got to be in the room.
Choose901 Alumni exists because a diploma isn't enough. We stay connected to graduates for ten years after they walk across that stage. We make sure they don't just leave the classroom, and they step into a real community. A network. A future they can actually see themselves in.
Create Yours was exactly that.
Teacher Appreciation is Going Strong!
And while all of this is happening, we're in the middle of something else: a whole month of showing love to Memphis teachers.
Teach901 and Give901 have been at it since April 29th, when we kicked off Teacher Appreciation Month with a yoga night at Sana Yoga Downtown. This week, teachers gathered at Crosstown Concourse for a creative night with Anna House.
There's still more coming:
Brew School at Flyway Brewing- May 13, with guided tastings, a brewery tour, and two sessions to choose from.
Summer Kick-Off Party at Swamp Bar- May 20, with a DJ, Grizzlies entertainment, goodie bags, and the first drink on us.
Memphis teachers deserve more than a week. They get a whole month.
And if you want to be part of it, write a thank-you note, buy a goodie bag, or become a sponsor, there's a place for you in this, too.
Huge thank you to current sponsors, Memphis Medical District Collaborative, Leaders Credit Union, and Meredith and Greg Martin.
May is full. Memphis is moving. And we're right in the middle of all of it.
If you want to stay up on everything happening in the city this month, head over to the Choose901 blog. That's where we keep the good stuff.
See you out there.
