First Tennessee presents MAM with a $20,000 check to fund our career readiness program. From left to right are Randy Odom, MAM president, Dondi Black, Senior Vice President, Community Development and Revitalization- West Tennessee, First Tennessee Bank, Kim Cherry, Executive Vice President, First Horizon Corporation, and Jonathan Torres, MAM community engagement director.
May 24, 2016
The Commercial Appeal, Community Page, June 14, 2016
Memphis Athletic Ministries (MAM) is the inaugural recipient of the new First Tennessee Community Development Grant Fund. The award in the amount of $20,000 will be used to help fund MAM’s career readiness and training program.
First Tennessee has recently created a $50 million Community Development Fund, from which the bank will award $3 million a year to organizations serving low- to moderate-income people and neighborhoods. The new Community Development Fund gives money both to nonprofit and for-profit organizations that promote efforts like financial literacy, workforce training, affordable housing or down-payment help.
“I would like to congratulate Memphis Athletic Ministries,” said Dondi Black, the bank’s community development manager. “The work you do in our community is phenomenal and we could not be more pleased to support your ability to do more throughout the region.”
The MAM career readiness program combines work and training in order to develop employable, prepared individuals for success in the workforce. Youth earn money by getting a program stipend through working a job and attending training classes. The goal is for our inner city youth, as adults, to gain employment and transition to permanent career track employment.
Thank you, First Tennessee, for believing in and supporting MAM!
