Q1 2024 Newsletter
From our Executive Director
Dear Friends:
Instability and change is our daily reality. Well, Advance Memphis still believes God’s Word is our stable foundation that doesn’t change! Advance Memphis is fighting for economic stability and flourishing for our neighbors, which means Advance Memphis needs stable and flourishing staff and volunteers as well. All of us contribute instability and stability from our daily lives by the choices we make each day (sin or obedience to God’s Word). Our personal stability and instability is also impacted by broken systems (political, educational, justice, economic, health etc.) outside of our control.
After 25 years of being in relationship with and listening to our neighbors in South Memphis, the very practical ways that we define economic stability have not changed much, although our strategies must adapt to fit the times. Economic stability for many of us living in generational cycles of underemployment looks like:
Securing a permanent job with benefits above $16 p/hr plus subsidies
Having a savings account at a bank
Having an address where we receive mail
Moving from a rooming house with weekly rent to paying monthly rent, and working toward home ownership
Having a transportation plan that functions (car, family, friends, bike, My City Rides Scooter, bus etc.)
Change comes quickly these days and requires a solid grasp on who we are (our identity in Christ) and our purpose in life (why are we living and for whom), which are so anchoring to good decisions that lead to stability and flourishing. Please enjoy the newsletter and look for stability as you read it- a longer class/workday, a permanent job, a biblical foundation, and core competencies.
Please don’t neglect or forget to pray, as this remains foundational to our work. Thank you for your ongoing partnership with Advance Memphis in the long, relational journey of pursuing stability and flourishing through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Peace,
Steve
Celebrating Stability and Second Chances
“It took a near-death experience and rehab for me to start making changes. It’s never too late to change your life…” shared Mr. Alvin Davis. Davis is an Advance Memphis graduate who celebrated his transition from temporary to permanent employment at Memphis Plywood this February.
“I had just graduated from high school and moved in with my granddad in South Memphis. I didn’t have transportation and I liked that Advance Memphis taught job skills and that I could walk there,” Davis shared. He enrolled and graduated from Work Life in 2011 and went on to work, graduated from Tennessee Technical Institute, and even started his own pressure washing and car detail business. While Davis was pursuing his goals and working throughout the years, he also experienced some significant loss with the passing of both of his grandparents who had helped raise him. “I really didn’t know how to deal with my emotions and so I hit the bottle,” said Davis. “I just didn’t want to deal with all the loss…but sometimes you gotta step it up and learn how to process those emotions.”
Toward the end of 2022, Davis reached out to the Advance Memphis Executive Director, Steve Nash, for some support. “Steve kept inviting me to church, but I was pushing him off because I was in my addiction,” said Davis. “I was in an accident where I broke my ankle and flipped my car and I ended up going to rehab. I was hurt real bad.” When Steve Nash couldn’t get a hold of Davis, he ended up reaching out to Davis’s sister to try to track him down.
Davis explained that the car accident was a big turning point in his life, and the wake up call he needed to start making some changes. “I lost everything in my addiction, but I’m working on getting it all back.” Immediately after getting out of his rehabilitation program, Davis reached out to Steve Nash again to apologize and thank him for encouraging him toward sobriety even when he wasn't ready to hear the message. “I got with Ms. Juanita [Director of Employment Development and HR], started working again and I haven’t missed a day of work since!” Davis purchased a car and he’s currently enrolled in Faith & Finances with plans to open a matched savings account as he graduates this month. This April Alvin Davis will celebrate a year of sobriety!
Davis’s story of perseverance, overcoming roadblocks and pursuing emotional health through Christ, is a testimony of his hard work and God’s grace in his life. When asked if he has any advice for others, he said, “I would tell people to never give up. You gotta stay faithful… but faith without works is dead.” We’re grateful for Alvin Davis’s life and we celebrate his successes with him, while continuing to pray for similar courage for all of us to take steps toward healing and restoration in our lives.
Strengthening Work Life and Deepening Work Competencies
Last year, we welcomed Milton Craft to the Advance Memphis team as our part-time Program Liaison, who worked with students to coordinate afternoon work opportunities and assisted with instruction in the classroom. This year, we are thrilled to announce that Milton has joined staff as our full-time Work Life Program Manager.
Our Work Life program (previously named Jobs for Life) is one of the first programs offered at Advance Memphis, and has seen many changes as we work to deepen learning for our participants and keep up with an ever-changing workforce. Last year, Advance Memphis staff met to refine the core competencies we wish to build through the Work Life program. While there are many competencies that are helpful in establishing economic stability, the skills staff identified as most essential for successful graduates are: emotional regulation and resiliency, communication, problem solving, and following directions.
“The Work Life program equips students with practical skills and on-the-job training across various environments, mirroring God’s directive to Adam and Eve to steward the garden,” Milton shared. “We focus on nurturing skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, communication, emotional regulation, listening, professionalism, and teamwork—skills that hold the potential to positively transform their lives.”
Identifying a skill is one thing, but figuring out how to put it in practice is another. How do we go from simply talking about emotional regulation and effective communication to practicing it on the job? This question inspired another new development in the Work Life program, which has been implemented in every Work Life class so far.
Previously, afternoon work was an option for Work Life participants. Now, in an effort to better prepare our students and help them practice what they are learning in class, afternoon work has been made a requirement for all participants as a space for practical application of topics discussed in class.
“The vision for making afternoon work a requirement stems from a belief in the early cultivation of principles and character essential for success in the workplace,” Milton said. “At Advance Memphis, part of our mission is to restore dignity, recognizing work as a fundamental avenue for this restoration. Witnessing the radiant faces of participants during work activities underscores the profound impact of meaningful work on confidence and self-worth.”
Work Life is a core component of how the Advance Memphis team works to cultivate long-term relationships and promote economic stability in our South Memphis community. We are grateful for Milton’s leadership, his servant’s heart, and the ways he has adapted this program to meet the ever-changing landscape of workforce development while deepening the impact of our programming. For opportunities to partner with Milton and other staff through the Work Life class, please contact Lizzie Miller about ways to volunteer.
Employment Development is Meeting People Where They Are
The Advance Memphis Employment Development team started off 2024 by evaluating their efforts and looking at opportunities to strengthen our ongoing employment support for graduates in the new year. The Employment Development team concentrates on helping Work Life graduates go to work upon graduation, usually entering into temporary positions through Advance Memphis Staffing and Outsourcing Services with the goal of transitioning into permanent employment with benefits. In 2023 we saw six graduates make this transition to permanent employment, and two in 2022.
“The problems we were having was not in having enough [Staffing] clients needing people, but since COVID, it’s been finding graduates ready and wanting to go to work,” explained Juanita Johnson, Director of Employment Development & HR. The Employment Development team wanted to really focus their energy on meeting people where they are at in the job seeking process, giving more opportunity for buy-in, and helping people identify their strengths and interests in order to find a good fit for them- instead of possibly taking a job just to pay the bills.
The team decided to limit the number of temporary placements through our Staffing Services, in order to create more space for ongoing employment development work with graduates. On-Site Supervisor, Curtis Hines is now reaching out to graduates throughout 25 years of Advance Memphis programming, and offering support in the areas of: exploring various career paths, creating an action plan to pursue jobs in a specific industry, filling out online job applications, updating resumes, interview prep and tracking job applications. “It’s allowing them to pilot the direction they want to go. Being able to talk to them and listen to their dreams and goals, and let them determine what they want to do that isn’t limited to the warehousing - it’s renewed relationships for people as they feel cared for,” shared Curtis.
“The assessment we do does help some grads get out of a box that they’ve maybe been in. Some folks just aren’t tech savvy, but as they come in, they’re walking out with their resume in hand and we’re sometimes breaking down the fear of applying online,” he shared.
This type of employment support is not new to the Employment Development Team for the most part, but having fewer staffing customers with immediate temp hiring needs has created more capacity for this kind of individualized support. “It’s all empowerment,” said Curtis, “It’s just the follow up of what they’ve learned in Work Life, but for some it’s been years since Work Life, and the online processes have changed [in applying for jobs], but it’s a continuum of what Advance Memphis has always done."
While the strategies may change throughout the years, the Advance Memphis team continues in our commitment to cultivating long-term relationships that support holistic growth through the power of the Holy Spirit. “We’re seeing people like Bart, Jared and Sam get call backs and getting jobs. It’s been great, and they’re making it happen and seeing the fruit,” shared Curtis. Please consider partnering with Advance Memphis by sharing job openings with the Employment Development team or in networking to provide more outsourcing jobs for Advance Memphis Fulfillment and Distribution Services.
Welcome Our New Staff Member!
In January of this year, we welcomed a new staff member! Meet Reginald Williams, our Shipping and Receiving Coordinator.
Originally from Alabama, Reginald and his family moved to Memphis in 2013. Previously, he worked as a Shipping and Receiving Coordinator for Barrett Distribution, and Reginald said he is glad to be a part of the Advance Memphis team.
“I’m excited to be working at a place that gives back to the community,” Reginald shared, “and I love the Christian background and emphasis.” We’re so glad to have him on board, and hope you’ll stop by the warehouse to say hello!