Tuesday, March 23, 2010
MIFA Handyman volunteers painted the town green for St. Patty’s day. Well really it was only one house. Our volunteers painted a house off South Parkway. And it just happened to go from white to green on St. Patty’s day. The house at 1558 Humber belongs to Curtisene Johnson. Handyman already treated her house for termites, fixed her floors and floor furnace, and upgraded her electrical system. ouse painting was the icing on the cake for Ms. Johnson. Many people walking and driving by the house...
Monday, February 15, 2010
Looking through the newspaper last week, I came across a letter to the editor in The Commercial Appeal that mentions MIFA as something that the city can't afford to lose. Below is a section of the letter, you can find the whole letter here.
The Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins got my attention right away and kept it all the way to the end of his Feb. 6 column "Let's make a deal / If visiting mayor is in mood to buy, don't stop at Pippin."
Other things Green Bay...
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
MIFA is hosting our annual birthday celebration for Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 18 at 10 a.m. at our midtown headquarters at 910 Vance Avenue. All are welcome to come join us. Below are the details from the press release about the event:
Memphis, Tennessee (December 21, 2009) – MIFA (Metropolitan Inter-Faith
Association) will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with
a birthday celebration on January 18 at 10 a.m. at its...
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
We are almost halfway to our goal of offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions produced by MIFA's Transit program. So far 34 people have pledged to change their behaviors by recycling bottles, planting trees, or turning off lights at night. Their pledges mean that the greenhouse gas emissions in Memphis will be reduced by 340,610 pounds during the course of a year. We have 347,050 pounds to go, so we are really almost halfway there. That is a huge difference, and we want...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Are you a contractor in the Memphis area?
Please join us for the MIFA Handyman Annual Contractors' Luncheon!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
12 - 1 p.m.
MIFA, 910 Vance Avenue
The Annual Contractors' Luncheon is open to contractors interested in working for MIFA Handyman. Jobs include plumbing, HVAC, roofing, electrical, and some structural.
To participate, please bring:
Current contractor's license
Shelby County business license
...
Thursday, July 09, 2009
On Wednesday, BRIDGES’ Future Builders came to MIFA to present their research on the carbon footprint of MIFA Transit’s fleet, as well as to suggest some changes MIFA employees can make to offset the organization’s carbon output. Being a volunteer at MIFA, I was interested to see what these Future Builders could tell me about the effects of greenhouse gases, as well as ways to reduce our daily emissions. The Future Builders were split up into eleven teams. Each team presented a...
Monday, July 06, 2009
Dear MIFA supporters,
The devastating winds and rain that swept through the Mid-South on June 12 left thousands without power and, like most emergencies, had the greatest impact on those who were least prepared to deal with it. But thanks to the community's overwhelming support, MIFA was quickly able to mobilize resources to help hundreds of individuals and families who were without food because of the power outages that came in the wake of the storm.
During the week of June...
Monday, June 29, 2009
On Wednesday, Ellen Whitten, Scotta Allen, Ron Jackson, and I went to BRIDGES to follow up with the Future Builders after our initial meeting two weeks ago. Through their Ordinary to Extraordinary (O2E) program, the Future Builders are working to lower Memphis’ carbon footprint by over 10,000,000 pounds! MIFA partnered with the students to determine MIFA Transit’s carbon output, and now our challenge is to offset those emissions by making changes at work and at home.
...
Thursday, June 25, 2009
"Dedicated to working with the community to cultivate a viable economic
engine for Memphis by providing musicians and the music industry
with resources and opportunities for growth and independence."
-Memphis Music Foundation
Today our friends from the Memphis Music Foundation came to MIFA to help pack shelf-stable food to go to MIFA Meals clients that lost frozen food due to power outages from the recent storms that hit Memphis. The Memphis Music Foundation is a...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Hi, folks.
As you all know, lots of Memphians are still waiting for their utilities to be restored after the storms that moved through our area several days ago. We're doing all we can to take care of those in need in the community, and MIFA Meals needs your help!
Every day this week (June 22-26), MIFA Meals will be preparing bags of shelf-stable food items for 300-600 new clients, since many of them have lost their refrigerated and frozen food due to spoilage. We need all the...
Monday, June 15, 2009
On Saturday, May 16, the Memphis Chapter of The Links, Inc. , led by chapter president Jozelle Booker and MIFA board members Peggy Brewer and Wilma McGee, hosted an open house at the newly-renovated MIFA Store at 910 Vance Ave.
The Links recently sponsored the thrift store’s repainting, and this improvement, along with a reorganization of merchandise, has done wonders for the appearance of the store’s interior. During the event, shoppers were greeted by WMCTV’s Kym Clark, enjoyed...
Monday, June 15, 2009
Earlier this year, MIFA’s Love Caps Program moved to First Baptist Church!
Love Caps is still a MIFA program, but it will be operated by Pam
Stokes at First Baptist (pictured above).
This program mobilizes creative volunteers to
knit and crochet over 3,000 caps and lap robes each year to be
distributed during the holidays to our neighbors in need of warmth and
encouragement. Participants of all ages work at their own pace, either
individually or in groups, without the...
Friday, June 12, 2009
On Wednesday, we welcomed about 65 Bridges Future Builders to MIFA to begin work on our Ordinary 2 Extraordinary: Learning and Leading Green (O2E) partnership. With their O2E program, Bridges is trying to reduce gas emissions in Memphis by 10 million pounds before 2010. I’ll explain this partnership in a mock interview with myself:
So, how did 65 6th-9th grade Future Builders end up volunteering at MIFA?
For two reasons: First, the O2E program is a natural fit for MIFA, as we are...
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Thomas made this discovery today: our website is listed by Vandelay Design in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, as one of the 40 best nonprofit websites out there!
Vandelay Design explains in an introduction to the list, "Budget limitations are common with non-profit and charitable
organizations. As a result, organizations often compromise on the need
for an effective and attractive website. However, the websites shown
here represent some of the most well-designed websites of non-profits."...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
While we work out a technical glitch that's keeping Margaret from posting her own blog, I'd like to pass on the following message about last week's event at Graham's Lighting :
Good things walk in the door of MIFA every day. The call I received a few weeks ago from Bob Myers at Graham’s Lighting is a recent example.
Bob’s great idea was to begin Graham’s Showcase Windows and bring in different interior designers every six weeks to “decorate” the Graham’s Front Porch. This...
Monday, May 11, 2009
This summer, MIFA Handyman has six large out-of-town volunteer groups coming to perform home improvements for MIFA clients. These groups range in size from 20 to 200! Simultaneous projects may take place at up to ten project sites, and MIFA Handyman only has 3 staff members - so we need volunteers who can serve as project liaisons or project captains!
A project liaison meets Handyman staff at the site before the project beings. He/she meets the homeowner and gets a list of chores for the...
Friday, May 08, 2009
Mark your calendars!
You are invited to celebrate the grand opening of the new and improved
The MIFA Store
We will celebrate the hard work and dedication of The Links, Inc. Memphis Chapter for making The MIFA Store a much better place to shop. WMC-TV 's Kym Clark, Fox13 's Mearl Purvis, and Eyewitness News' Dee Griffin, along with other local celebrities, will greet attendees!
Please join us for refreshments and entertainment:
Saturday, May 16, 2009
12...
Friday, May 08, 2009
Mark your calendars!
You are invited to the opening reception of
Graham's Designer Showcase Windows
Friday, May 15
6:00 to 8:00 pm
Graham's Lighting
550 South Cooper
featuring designer Kenneth Cummins
benefiting MIFA
Please join us for this first-time event!
Friday, May 08, 2009
Over 26 years, 40 members of the Exxon Annuitant Club of Memphis have contributed their time to MIFA’s Home-Delivered Meals program. In addition to the volunteer hours the group has logged since 1983, they have also brought a significant financial contribution to MIFA through the ExxonMobil Foundation’s Volunteer Involvement Program. This initiative was created by the foundation to encourage ExxonMobil employees and retirees to contribute to charitable organizations, as individuals or...
Friday, May 08, 2009
True Light Baptist Church 's senior group, The Lamplighters, recently visited MIFA for a tour! Members of this group, led by 89-year-old Lois Taylor (pictured: back row, far left), wear t-shirts that have rocking chairs on the back, with the motto "No rocking chair for us!"
Taylor was an active MIFA volunteer for 15 years and once won the MIFA Volunteer of the Year Award. Her eighties certainly haven't slowed her down - she won medals in the annual Civitan 5K when she was 80, 81,...
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
It's time for MIFA's No-Go Gala again! For the 22nd annual No-Go Gala, we are cooking up change with our Recipes For a Night In cookbook. By supporting the No-Go Gala, you are assuring assistance for families in crisis, supporting seniors in need, and helping teens go to college. All by staying home!
Follow our recipe for a great night in:
Take a look at the online cookbook and pick out your favorite recipes.
Make a donation to the No-Go...
Monday, May 04, 2009
Several items from The MIFA Store are featured in this month's Downtowner Magazine , in an article entitled "Econo-Spree: When frugal meets fashion, a savvy wardrobe unfolds." Our affordable pieces look fantastic paired with items from local boutiques! Check it out! (We're on pages 12 & 13.)
If you like what you see, be sure to stop by The MIFA Store inside MIFA headquarters (910 Vance Avenue) Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. And keep an eye on the store's blog ...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Thanks to S&K Menswear for listing MIFA among the charities benefited by their S&K Gives Back program! When you make a purchase at any S&K location, 5% will go to MIFA or another church, school, or charity of your choice. With 4,365 organizations to choose from, you can support the cause closest to your heart. This is a tremendous gesture on the part of S&K, and we are so glad to be among the beneficiaries!
So next time you shop at S&K Menswear, be sure to give 5% of...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
...here are some common-sense, stay-healthy tips that were passed around to our employees. Stay well, folks!
Help Keep the Swine Flu Away!
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it!
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way. Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Influenza is...
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Yesterday, Amy Beth Dudley, Amy Poag, Milton Lovell, and Paul Morris announced the initiation of the MIFA E-Team Challenge. They challenged their contacts to raise money for MIFA by signing up for The MIFA Minute .
For every new sign-up to the e-newsletter, each E-Team member will donate $1 until we raise $1,000.
So help raise $4 for MIFA right now by signing up!
Thank you, Amy Beth, Amy, Milton, and Paul for coming up with a great way to raise money...
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
On April 4, at MIFA’s 10th annual Day of
Reflection and Service, sponsored by ServiceMaster, individuals, groups,
corporations, and congregations were recognized for their service to MIFA.
ServiceMaster has generously sponsored this event since 2001, in addition to
providing countless other resources to MIFA. ServiceMaster employees and their
families attended the program and delivered MIFA Meals afterward.
I went on a Meals delivery route with an American Home...
Friday, April 03, 2009
It has been a difficult week for Memphis basketball
fans! After losing to Missouri last Thursday, we were able to look forward to
next season. Unfortunately, we will head into the season without John Calipari,
who led
Memphis to national prominence during his nine years at the helm of
the Tigers. With emotions running from sad to angry to understanding to
hopeful after his move to Kentucky, it is
important to realize that Coach Cal did way more for our community than lead us
to a...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
I got this lovely email yesterday from Bessie Nelson-Cohran, a long-time MIFA volunteer and supporter:
Hello,
I was honored to be a part of a wonderful event at MIFA. I am referring to the oratorical contest for The Day of Reflection. As a volunteer I had the opportunity to meet some outstanding students from various schools. These students wrote essays on “As it pertains to Martin Luther King’s Dream, what is the significance of the 2008 presidential election?”
The staff...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tops Bar-B-Q on Lamar Ave. has March for Meals pin-ups posted everywhere! This Tops location is the biggest March for Meals pin-up seller for two years running - they have sold over 2,500 pin-ups in just three weeks!
We're going out to film their staff in action later today (and to eat some BBQ, of course), so be on the lookout for a video later in the week!
And don't forget - only one week of March for Meals action left! Get out there and support MIFA and your favorite local...
Monday, March 16, 2009
We haven't done a great job of branching out for our March for Meals lunches so far...we went to Memphis Pizza Cafe in Midtown for the first two weeks of March for Meals. Maybe we'll move on to something different this week - Pizza Cafe is just so good!
Here's a picture of the MIFA team with their pin-up purchases:
Left to right: Thomas Robinson, Anna Kathryn Word, Sally Heinz, Cindy
Cates Moore, Dot Gilbertson, Linda Marks, Scotta Allen, and Jessica
Jones.
And check out the...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Yesterday a group of us went down to Calvary Episcopal Church for their Lenten Preaching Series . Calvary is a long-time friend and supporter of MIFA's, and their Lenten Series is a great opportunity to get downtown and listen to some inspirational speakers from Memphis and all over. Before the speaker, Rev. Andy MacBeth recognized MIFA as being a partner of Calvary, and after explaining MIFA's involvement in Memphis, he asked that anyone in the crowd that had ever volunteered...
Friday, March 06, 2009
On Friday, February 20, MIFA lost dear friend, dedicated supporter, and former board president, Nancy Fulmer.
Words from MIFA Executive Director Margaret Craddock: "We give thanks for the life and works of Nancy Fulmer; for the time, talent, and treasure she shared with MIFA and so many others; and for all of Nancy's efforts to bring her diverse networks into unity for the greater good she saw in MIFA."
Thank you, Nancy, for your years of service. You will be greatly missed.
...
Friday, March 06, 2009
We had our first official March for Meals lunch outing yesterday! Seven of us went to Memphis Pizza Cafe in Overton Square to enjoy some of the best pizza around and show our collective support for March for Meals! They already have pin-ups lining the door frames, and it's only the first week of the campaign - we're so glad to see that Memphis is showing support for MIFA. Thanks to everyone who has already contributed - let's make 2009 a record-breaking year for March for Meals!
When we...
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
I hope you all tuned into Action News 5 at 10pm last night. If so, you probably saw the MIFA Store on Andy Wise's Stand Your Ground segment of the show. Watch the video here. The segment had to do with safety issues at second-hand stores. MIFA was shown as an example of a great store that makes sure to avoid potential safety issues with the goods that we sell.
Here is an excerpt from the article that accompanies the video from the segment:
As long as they are safe,...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
This Friday, February 13, The MIFA Store will celebrate its new look with tons of sales and specials for you! Come see us! We’re located inside MIFA’s headquarters at 910 Vance Avenue.
We’ll be serving popcorn and hotdogs, and we will offer special gifts with purchases including coupons for free merchandise and gift certificates! Don't miss this spectacular event!
Also, you can take advantage of this week’s specials:
All couches 50% off
All headboards and footboards $10...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The MIFA Store was closed over the weekend for renovations - it reopened this morning, and it looks FANTASTIC!!
Check out some before and after shots:
...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Check out our awesome video ! And for more information on March for Meals, go to www.mifa.org/marchformeals !
Thursday, February 05, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
For more information, contact:
Elizabeth Maynard-Garrett, APR
(901) 529-4544; emgarrett@mifa.org
SunTrust and MIFA Offer Estate Planning Seminar
Memphis, Tennessee (February 4, 2009) – SunTrust Bank and the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) have partnered to offer a free estate planning seminar scheduled for Thursday, February 5 from 4 to 5 p.m. at The Memphis Hunt & Polo Club, 650 Shady Grove.
Guest speaker will be Attorney...
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
This note from MIFA board member Emily Woodside was featured in January's MIFA Insider, our employee newsletter. But she had such wonderful things to say about the hard-working staff at MIFA that I thought I should share.....Many thanks to Emily for these kind words:
Having grown up in Memphis, I’ve always admired MIFA and all of the work you do. So when I was asked to join the board about four years ago, I jumped at the chance.
MIFA really is the shining star of Memphis. One of the...
Monday, February 02, 2009
I just got sent this link from Sarah Terry's Love Caps blog .
In a story in the most recent Memphis Flyer about homelessness in the area, a man is shown wearing one of the Love Caps that our volunteers make each year. Thank you so much for all of your dedication to Love Caps and to keeping people warm in the winter.
To learn more about Love Caps, click here .
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I want to thank all of our volunteers and staff who braved the snow and ice on the ground to make sure that we were able to deliver all of the MIFA Meals yesterday. Although schools were closed and the roads didn't look good, our volunteers took service to heart to get food into the hands of the seniors that we serve through MIFA Meals . Want to deliver meals? Find out how .
Thanks again!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
At MIFA we have gotten all about using technology to make communication with our supporters, volunteers, clients, and friends easier.
In addition to this blog, our new e-newsletter the MIFA Minute , our facebook page , and all of our other fun ideas, we now have a MIFA Twitter . With Twitter you can keep up with up to the minute updates about what MIFA is up to, whether it is program information, links to MIFA in the media, or updates on new projects. Take a second...
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday February 1 marks the date of the last football game of the year. One way that MIFA helps deal with the sadness of football's ending is with the Souper Bowl of Caring . During the Souper Bowl, youth groups work to fight against hunger by raising money for MIFA Meals , which serves over 2,400 free hot lunches to homebound seniors each weekday!
We would love to have you join our winning team, so if you are interested, please get in touch with Linda Marks at ...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thanks to everyone who came to MIFA to make our Martin Luther King Jr. Day program a success! MIFA Handyman volunteer coordinator Franklin Lockhart got the day started with a rousing chorus of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” We were lucky to have two great speakers: Mayor A C Wharton and Rev. Melvin Lee of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church. Both spoke highly of MIFA and the work that our volunteers do in the community.
As part of MIFA’s mission to equip urban teens for success, MIFA sponsors...
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
That's right - next time you go online to order a new pair of shoes, route your online shopping through GoodShop , and contribute to MIFA in the process!
MIFA is now listed among the charities benefited by GoodSearch and GoodShop . Make them your default search engine and marketplace, and MIFA will receive a donation each time you use the sites!
Here's how it works: you visit these sites, type MIFA in the box, then click "verify" and select MIFA (Metropolitan Inter-Faith...
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's Holiday Hope Chest ! In 2008, our toy drive provided gifts for 463 children from Emergency Services , Teen Job Services , and MIFA Housing Opportunities . Several local organizations contributed to Hope Chest, including InMotion Musculoskeletal Institute, Senatobia First United Methodist Church, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, cheerleaders from LeMoyne-Owen College, FedEx, Hilton Hotels Corporation, WBBP 1480 AM Youth Platform Show,...
Monday, December 15, 2008
Welcome to MIFA's new blog, Helping Change Lives, the blog! We are excited to have this medium to share the stories that happen at MIFA as they happen. We will use this space to give a voice to staff, volunteers, clients, and supporters, so that they may share the ways that they see MIFA creating change in our community.