Hey friends,

 

It’s National Mentoring Month and around here, we’ve got a lot to celebrate.

If you’ve ever had someone who believed in you when you didn’t quite believe in yourself yet, you know how powerful mentorship can be. A teacher, a coach, a neighbor, an employer… someone who saw your potential and helped you get one step closer to the person you were becoming.

 

For Breunna Lovett, that someone came through the Choose901 Alumni Program and now, she’s passing it on as our Alumni Director at City Leadership.

 

"The Alumni Program created meaningful space for me to connect with professionals and engage in opportunities like "The Exchange". Through this event, I met a mentor who became a great friend and ultimately encouraged me to join the Junior League of Memphis—an experience that has had a lasting impact on my personal and professional growth."

 

That’s the kind of full-circle story that gives us hope for Memphis, and that’s exactly what we’re here to spotlight this month.

 

Why Mentorship Matters

Mentorship meets one of the deepest human needs: to know we matter. And the numbers back it up:

 

74% of folks with mentors say it shaped their futures.

85% of students say their mentor helped them succeed in school.

58% found crucial mental health support from their mentor.

 

And maybe most beautiful of all? 60% of people under 40 still lean on wisdom from a mentor they had as a kid.

 

So yeah, mentorship is powerful. And Memphis is full of it.

 

 

At the center of our mentoring efforts is the Choose901 Alumni Program, a growing movement of over 3,000 graduates from our six partner schools. These young adults are pushing toward their goals, but not doing it alone.

 

Thanks to your support through Give901, here’s what mentorship looks like in action:

 

🧭 Real Check-ins
Every month, alumni get personalized support, whether they’re job hunting, trying to level up professionally, or just looking for their people in the city.

 

🤝 Career & Networking Events
Think of The Exchange, a place where alumni and Memphis professionals link up, trade wisdom, share opportunity, and build community.

 

📈 A Big Vision
By 2030, we’re projected to have 5,000 alumni in the program, but we’ll need even more mentors and Give901 members to continue this level of support. It takes roughly $25 per alumni per month to fuel the alumni program, and we need 5,000 Give901 members to represent each grad. 

 

If you’ve been wondering how to jump in, here’s your sign.

We’ve got three simple ways you can make a difference right now:

Want to do one (or all three)? Hit me up at john@cityleadership.org, and we’ll plug you in!

 

🔥 Partnering with Memphis Mentorship Champions

We’re not the only ones doing the work, and we love it that way. We’re honored to support and collaborate with some of the most trusted mentoring spaces in the city:

 

🏀 Memphis Grizzlies Foundation

The Memphis Grizzlies Foundation unites a broad range of local community organizations, businesses and civic leaders to promote, support, and advocate youth mentoring. With a focus on increasing the number and impact of mentor relationships in Memphis, the partnership provides resources, leadership, and, in some cases, funding to more than 57 local mentoring programs serving over 12,600 young people across Memphis.

👉 Sign up to mentor through the Grizzlies

 

 

🎶 Stax Music Academy

Mentorship meets music. Students get coaching in both creativity and life readiness.  At Stax Music Academy, mentorship is about legacy, leadership, and launching the next generation of musicians.

 

Located beside the legendary Stax Records, this after-school and summer program equips Memphis students with skills in music theory, composition, and business while also building character, discipline, and confidence.

 

Since 2008, 100% of their seniors have been accepted into college, many with full scholarships.

👉 Learn more or get involved

 

🏙️ Streets Ministries

At Streets Ministries, mentorship shows up where it’s needed most: building real relationships with Memphis youth and walking with them through life’s hardest challenges. Through after-school programs, outdoor adventures, and spiritual support, they engage, encourage, and equip students with the tools, mentors, and safe spaces they need to chase their full potential.

 

Become a Give901 Member.

Your monthly donation goes directly toward mentorship programs like the Choose901 Alumni Program and supports groups like Stax, Streets, and the Grizzlies Foundation, too.

 

We’re so grateful for every one of you who shows up to support this work.

Because every hour given, every conversation had, every moment spent pouring into someone else, and it all adds up.

 

One mentor at a time, we’re building a better Memphis. And it starts with us.

 

John R Carroll || Founder & CEO

P.S. Let us know if you've had a mentor who's changed your life! Respond to this email or tag us on Instagram, and we'll share it!