- This month on The Spark, our theme is "A Network for Support".

We'll learn about a nonprofit media production company supporting other nonprofits and launching the Grow Tennessee Network.

An organization pouring God's love into under-resourced communities through the gift of safe, filtered drinking water.

And a nonprofit providing a village of support for children and families experiencing foster care.

We'll also share a special moment from our Spark Awards 2023.

- From Higginbotham's founding in 1948, our insurance agency has been built on the values of customer service, leading with integrity, and supporting our community.

We believe in promoting the positives, encouraging engagement, and leading by example, to power the good.

Higginbotham Insurance and Financial Services is honored to be the presenting sponsor of The Spark.

- (male announcer) Additional funding for The Spark is provided by United Way of the Mid-South, EcOp, the Memphis Zoo, and by My Town Movers, My Town Roofing.

- Have you ever been excited by a new idea?

Inspired by watching someone lead by example?

When we talk about creating change, we start by sharing the stories of everyday heroes who are making a difference in their own way so we can learn and do the same.

I'm Jeremy Park, and this is The Spark.

They're a nonprofit media group helping other nonprofits and launching the Grow Tennessee Network.

We're here with Larry T. Robinson.

He has a for-profit side, but he is also the Executive Director of KUDZUKIAN Media Group, which is a nonprofit.

And so Larry, talk about KUDZUKIAN Media Group, buddy.

- Hey man, thank you for having me on The Spark.

Now, when it comes to KUDZUKIAN Media Group, we've built a long history of working with nonprofits.

But I wanna talk about one nonprofit in particular, and that is The Gentleman's League.

The Gentleman's League has really partnered with us to really help work with our young, black boys and boys of color in the Memphis, Tennessee and the Mid-South area.

Because we know that these young boys need direction, need guidance.

And so what we're wanting to do is provide some resources that will help them.

And so with our show, The Journey, and the show, Her Journey, which we've profiled over 160 black men and over 20 African American women that are leaders in this community.

And what we do with that, Jeremy, is we take those men into our school system and work with that entity called The Gentleman's League.

But what we're trying to do is drop a few breadcrumbs and let these young men know that just because you may come out of a tough situation and a tough environment, you can actually make it.

We are saying to those young men, "Look, you can be from Memphis, "and you can be from a tough background, but yet, and still you can make it out."

Here's some guideposts for you to kind of guide your way through, and they're gonna drop pearls along the way that you can use to make it out.

And so that's one of the things that we take pride in at KUDZUKIAN Media Group, is really helping our community level up, so to speak, especially when it comes to black and brown boys.

- Go ahead and dive in.

Tease us with the Grow Tennessee Network.

- Okay, so listen, Grow Tennessee is our OTT platform.

OTT is on top of television.

So, I want you to think of Roku, Apple TV, Samsung, and the like.

So each state has its unique Ag profile.

And in case of Tennessee, Tennessee is probably the most amazing state when it comes to agriculture.

It's our number one enterprise in the state.

So working with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, they're saying, "Hey, we got some challenges with agriculture.

"Number one, we gotta get this education right.

"We gotta get young people understanding the value "of agriculture.

"Also, we need to tell more amazing stories about agriculture."

So one of the things that I think we do at KUDZUKIAN Media Group is add a little bit of swag to Ag.

We got four shows that we're launching the network with.

Number one show is All in the Farmily, which stars Bobby and Derravia Rich of Black Seeds.

Our number two show is Making it in Memphis, that's all about in bringing more agriculture stakeholders to the Mid-South region and specifically Memphis, and even more specifically, the Agricenter, which is where we're housed.

And that's hosted by John Butler, Big John, the CEO of Agricenter.

The third show is a show called Everybody Eats, which is hosted by food scientist Jade Clark, who is helping people understand the supply chain of food.

Where does that tomato that you put on your salad, where does it come from?

Where does that steak come from that you're eating?

So really showing the supply chain, and from planning to plating is what we talk about with Everybody Eats.

And the fourth show is a show called Growing the Next Gen. And it's all about showcasing young people that are involved in agriculture, which are our next leaders, and really helping young people understand that this is a viable industry.

There's many agribusinesses, there's Ag Tech, there's so many areas, there's chefs, there's so much to agriculture that you could be engaged in.

It's not a monolith.

So therefore it allows these young people to see that they can be a part of this industry and look at all the cool things that you can do a part of this industry.

And so our job is to help enhance that workforce development by making it cool, making Ag sexy, once again, adding swag to Ag.

- Talk about the Boys of Color Conference.

- Okay, so the Boys of Color Conference is happening March 29th, 2025.

It's a Saturday.

And what we're doing is bringing all these young men together.

We are bringing young men from all walks of life.

And if you go to our site or go to YouTube, and put in "Boys of Color Conference 2024", you'll see.

And what we saw is that these young boys are having an amazing time.

But they're learning STEM, they're learning cooking classes, they're learning soft skills.

And so we want as many people in our community to get involved with this.

Already, we're talking with entities that are going to add specific elements like food, and sports and all that.

So it's going to be the new thing where we help make this tangible.

And we're gonna have some really cool speakers.

We're gonna have some really cool classes.

We even teach the young men about meditation.

So we're gonna really love on this group of young men and show them that they are a valuable part of Memphis, today and tomorrow.

So listen, I got a saying, and it says that youth are 40% of today, of our population today, but they're 100% of our future.

And so we wanna do everything we can to empower them, enrich them, and help them to be the best versions of themselves.

- So where do we go to learn more and get involved with KUDZUKIAN Media Group?

- Hey, go to kudzukianmediagroup.org, or you can go to our Grow Tennessee app.

Now the Grow Tennessee app is available through all of your connected TVs.

Apple TV, Roku, Samsung TV, LG TV.

It's on the iOS platforms or your Android platforms.

- Well Larry, thank you for all you and your amazing team do to power the good.

Thank you for coming on the show.

- Thank you, brother.

I appreciate you, Jeremy.

[upbeat music] - They're an organization sharing the gift of God's love and also clean, safe drinking water.

We're here with Elliott Stovall, founder and CEO of The Filter Project.

And this all started with a conversation, so give us a little bit of the backstory for launching The Filter Project.

- Yeah, thanks Jeremy, for having me.

So The Filter Project started, like you said, just over a quick conversation at lunch with a pastor from Kenya.

I was asking him about his day, and what a day in the life of a Kenyan looks like.

And he described to me of his process of collecting water for the day.

And I asked him how he cleaned this water.

Because we're 2024, surely we're not drinking dirty water anymore.

And that was my ignorance to the world water crisis.

And he humbly said that they didn't always clean the water because they didn't have the resources.

And I had prior knowledge of a filter called the Sawyer water filter.

I've got one right here.

And it cleans the water and makes it drinkable.

And it'll do that for over a million gallons of water over 20 years.

And so I just felt like God was telling me to help this man, Christiano, and that's where it started.

And then 40 more filters went out, and now we're over 600 filters.

And so just a matter in a short period of time.

- Talk about why the filters are so important because you've got the convenience factor.

As you mentioned, the longevity.

But talk about why a water filter is so powerful.

- Yeah, so there's a lot of different ways to clean water out there, to get clean water to people.

There's wells, there's sand filters, there's chemical pills that you can put in the water.

But the one thing that we love the filters for is how kind of what you alluded to.

Number one, they're portable.

Again, I've got one here on a water bottle.

Number two, they're long lasting.

So the Sawyer water filter will actually last for over a million gallons of water.

Or that's about 20 years of water for a single family.

They're pretty inexpensive.

In order to sponsor a family, it's $53.

And that'll bring them clean water for that long.

But the main reason we use it is because it allows our indigenous missionaries that we use to create a personal relationship with the family, where other large water cleaning devices are for the masses.

The Sawyer water filter that we give out is for an individual family and allows that personal relationship, so we can create a relationship, which leads into telling them about Jesus and sharing the Gospel of Christ.

- As you alluded to partnering with Christian organizations, local missionaries, talk about that process, and how it unfolds to create these relationships.

- Yeah, so again, we're not just throwing filters out in the community and hoping they get to where they need to go.

We're a parachurch organization.

And so we partner with like-minded, doctrinal-sound churches in the communities that we're working with, and we use them to help us identify individuals who will be our missionaries, that is a paid employee, of The Filter Project.

And then we methodically work through the community, starting at a point A, and working all the way to point Z, to finish that project.

We do an assessment of the area first to assess the churches, to assess how many families are there, and to assess their current water situation.

We do a ticketing event, where we hand out tickets to recipients.

We then do a distribution event where we distribute these filters.

Every family gets an anti-parasitic medicine, which is a dewormer.

They get a five gallon bucket that our filter attaches to, they get a filter, and then after the distribution, they are then followed up on a minimum of three times over about an eight-week period of time by the missionary that gave them the ticket.

So as you can see, it is a long-term relationship of gospel-centered sharing and also relationship and discipleship building.

- Talk about how the community can help and get involved with The Filter Project.

- So the first thing we ask people who say, "How can I help?"

The first thing is prayer.

That prayer is our fuel, and we just ask people to pray for The Filter Project, pray for our recipients, and pray for our missionaries who are working day in and day out, Monday through Friday.

The second way is obviously financial donations.

So we operate on donations.

And so $53, again, is able to help a family in need.

Obviously if you want to do more, we'll be willing to take that as well.

People can go to TheFilterProject.org, go on our website, check out all of our videos, our media of what we do, how we do it, and then they can donate there as well.

Also, if somebody feels the need and would like to learn more about it, they can contact me, and we can have a one-on-one conversation, so where they can learn more in-depth about what we're doing and then they can go out and share the story for us because it's just a matter of sharing the story, telling people what we're doing, for the individuals in Kenya who aren't able to share their story with people.

- Well, mention again, where we go to learn more and get involved with The Filter Project.

- Yeah, so everybody, if you'd like to, you can go to TheFilterProject.org, sign up for our newsletter to follow along, and then click to donate to help us continue our project.

Our goal is over 5,000 filters next year, and so people can do the math, and so if you just would love to get on there, sign up, we would appreciate it.

Again, that is TheFilterProject.org.

- Well, Elliott, thank you for all you, your amazing team and family do to power the good.

Thank you for coming on the show.

- Thanks, Jeremy, for having me.

Have a great day.

[upbeat music] - The Spark Awards annually recognize and celebrate individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the community.

That 2023 Corporate Award for organizations with more than 500 employees went to DeSoto County Schools.

[bright music] - DeSoto County Schools is the largest school district in the state of Mississippi.

We have over 34,000 students.

We're the largest employer in DeSoto County.

We're very proud of our academic achievements of our students and our teachers and administrators.

Recently, DeSoto County Schools was named as an A school district by the Mississippi Department of Education.

We're one of only nine school districts that has received that award every year, since the new accountability model came out in 2016.

We have the most A rated schools that we've ever had at one time.

We have 25 of our 42 schools are A schools now.

We also have the highest graduation rate that we've had in the history of our district.

We've got the highest English language proficiency rate that we've had, and same with math.

And also Lewisburg Elementary School was recently named as a National Blue Ribbon School.

They're one of only three schools in the state that received that designation this year, and they will become our fourth National Blue Ribbon School in DeSoto County.

We have lots of student leadership groups on campuses, and they do quite a bit of community service work at the district level.

We have the Superintendent's Youth Leadership Council, and we give those students ideas to take back to their campuses to where they can lead from that level.

We've had tornado relief and different things of that nature in DeSoto County too.

And when those happen, our students and our teachers and schools always jump in and do all that they can to help.

In DeSoto County, one of the things that makes me really proud is when it's time for the St. Jude Marathon weekend.

We have several groups who run in that race.

Also, Habitat for Humanity is another 5K that takes place in DeSoto County.

And just to see everybody get together in those efforts and actually participate in the events, that really means a lot.

We have over 2,500 teachers.

We have around 4,000 employees.

We are very diligent in our teacher retention and recruitment.

We wanna make sure that we attract the best employees that we possibly can to DeSoto County schools.

But keeping those is very important, especially in today's day and time.

We have a new employee or a new teacher orientation at the beginning of the school year.

We bring all the new teachers together, and we try to provide resources to them that will keep them involved.

We want our parents in the community to know that we want our students to receive the best education they possibly can, and to be prepared for that next step of life.

And so when they graduate from high school, they're prepared to either go straight into the workforce, to military, college, whatever career path that they choose, and we wanna make sure that they have plenty of options along the way so they'll be as prepared as possible.

[bright music] - They're a nonprofit providing a village of support for families and children experiencing foster care.

We're here with the Executive Director of Foster Village Memphis, Joshua Conley.

And let's start out, give us some background for Foster Village Memphis.

- Yeah, absolutely.

Thanks for having me, Jeremy.

So Foster Village Memphis is one affiliate of the Foster Village brand that was started in Austin, Texas.

So there's 14 different affiliates around the country.

And we were started, we incorporated right at the end of 2019.

And then started doing work right during the pandemic in 2020.

And since that time, we've grown exponentially in our services and in our scope and demographic area of our reach.

So today, Foster Village Memphis can really be called Foster Village Mid-South, because we now serve Tipton, Fayette, Shelby County, Tennessee, DeSoto County, Mississippi.

And so what Foster Village does is we wrap around and support and train and recruit and raise up to be in the lives of kids who are in need.

We do that through three ways.

We equip them with resources and training.

So Jeremy, if you and your family got involved in foster care and the child was placed in your home, we would meet you at your door with a $350 welcome pack for everything you need to remove the anxiety of those first couple of weeks that that new child gets there.

We're also gonna meet you there with a week's worth of meals.

And then as you continue to use Foster Village's services, we have educational classes, parenting classes, that we do to help you continue on your journey.

Then we connect families to each other and to resources.

So we really care about building community.

So twice a month we have caregiver support groups for caregivers to come together, find community with each other.

And then we also host larger family gatherings around the area for families just to connect, have fun, be around families who are going through the same things they're doing.

And then the last thing we do is we advocate and raise awareness for families and foster children, specifically so that we can see long-lasting change in the system, and so that families are well equipped to advocate for their kids and their needs.

We love what we do.

We're a very relational organization.

And right now, while there's 1,200-plus children in foster care, there are not enough families to care for those children.

And so I would just say to anybody who's watching, if you want to get involved or interested, I can promise you, you will not have to do it alone.

You will have a village of people to love and support you in that process.

- Talk about the impact for the foster family, because it does transform the life, obviously, of the youth, but it also really opens up the heart for the family.

So talk about the feedback, the testimonial you'll get, in terms of the transformation for the family.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So, 97% of families we've served said that our services help to sustain them on their foster care journey.

And so, if a child who was removed from their biological family can stay with a caregiver as long as possible until permanency is found, the benefits for that child are just, they're amazing.

But if a child has to move around because caregivers are not equipped, not supported, not well-resourced, then that child's likelihood of success long term goes exponentially down, to where right now, there's statistics that say 50% of the homeless population right now, experienced the child welfare system when they were growing up, higher risk of sex trafficking, higher risk of living in poverty, higher risk of being a part of the prison system if there's not a loving caregiver to support that child.

And so what we do, we love that we get to love on kids, but we get to do it through caregivers.

And it's really a testimony to our team's hard work that 97% of families trust us enough to say "We entrust you with our most vulnerable needs."

And then they've said, "Because of you, we've been able to sustain.

We've been able to keep going."

And ultimately a child's been able to stay at those homes for longer periods of time.

- Obviously, recruiting more foster families is a big way the community can help.

What are some other ways the community can get involved?

- One of the things I love about foster care, and I don't know what your motivation is, but no matter what, you can do something.

And so I love what Foster Village allows, and so if you want to, as you're going shopping in November and December, if you just wanna add an extra pair of pajamas, or a pack of diapers to your cart and buy that and drop it off at our offices, that's gonna go into a child's welcome pack.

If you're at Target and say, "Hey, I'm gonna buy a gift card."

Or maybe you take advantage of Panera, or one of the other restaurants and say, "Hey, buy $50 of a gift card and get 10."

And you want to deliver that gift card to our offices, we can use that for a family to connect over a meal.

We have childcare opportunities where you can come to one of our spaces and caregiver gatherings and be around kiddos.

If you want to sponsor the meal for that time, you can.

There's so many ways to get involved that are just outside of fostering and adopting.

- So where do we go to learn more and get involved with Foster Village Memphis?

- Yeah, absolutely.

So FosterVillageMemphis.org is our website.

You can email us at info@fostervillagememphis.org, or follow us on social media, Facebook and Instagram @FosterVillageMemphis.

We would love to connect, love to tell you more, how to get involved, and look forward to connecting with you in the near future.

- Well, Joshua, thank you for all you and your amazing team do to power the good.

Thank you for coming on the show.

- Thanks, Jeremy.

[upbeat music] - As we saw in this month's episode, a network for support changes our ability to help others and transform lives, here in our community, and around the world.

It changes the way we see and promote the good being done by local organizations and individuals, and empowers us with opportunities for enrichment, engagement and advocacy.

We're fortunate to have organizations like KUDZUKIAN Media Group helping other nonprofits tell their story, and even launching shows and networks like the Grow Tennessee Network to serve as a dynamic platform where agriculture, urban culture, and cutting edge technology intersect to promote our local Ag industry to viewers around the globe.

Then The Filter Project, which is based here locally, is providing a network for support to under-resourced communities, through missionaries, and other Christian organizations in Kenya to provide long lasting water filters and share the gift of God's love.

And Foster Village Memphis is providing a network for support to help children and families experiencing foster care, by equipping them with critical necessities, connecting them with ongoing support, and advocating for community engagement beyond the system to make improvements.

Having a network for support is critical for all of us and the success of our community.

So where can you plug in, and help power the good to become a spark?

To learn more about each of the guests, to watch past episodes, and to share your stories of others leading by example, visit wkno.org, and click on the link for The Spark.

We look forward to seeing you next month.

We hope that you'll continue joining with us to create a spark for the Mid-South.

From all of us at cityCURRENT and WKNO, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season, a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

- From Higginbotham's founding in 1948, our insurance agency has been built on the values of customer service, leading with integrity, and supporting our community.

We believe in promoting the positives encouraging engagement, and leading by example to power the good.

Higginbotham Insurance and Financial Services is honored to be the presenting sponsor of The Spark.

[upbeat music] [acoustic guitar chords]