- This month on The Spark, our theme is "Engaging and Empowering Youth".

We'll learn more about the Mid-South's passport to wildlife from across the globe, with a focus on conservation and education.

An outreach ministry using football to help lift and develop youth.

And a technology platform empowering young people with a personalized team of Backrs.

We'll also share a special moment from our Spark Awards 2021.

- From our very beginnings in 1954, Lipscomb and Pitts Insurance 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.

Lipscomb and Pitt's Insurance is honored to be a presenting sponsor of The Spark.

- (male announcer) Additional funding for The Spark is provided by EcOp, the Memphis Zoo, My Town Movers, My Town Roofing, My Town Miracles and by Meritan.

- 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.

[upbeat music] They're the Mid-South's passport to wildlife from around the globe, with a focus on education and conservation.

We're here with the President and CEO of the Memphis Zoo, Matt Thompson.

And let's start out, you've got some new additions to the family, some new experiences.

Give us a little bit of the exciting new news for the Memphis Zoo.

- Awesome, great to be here thank you, Jeremy.

We do indeed, a couple months ago we had a baby aardvark that was born here at the zoo, which a lot of people are gonna go, "A what?"

But if you haven't seen the pictures already, and you're on social media, you probably have.

His name is Grogu, which if you don't know that, that's Baby Yoda.

And then if you know what Grogu looks like, you can see the similarity.

So he's definitely been a big splash on social media.

So been a fun addition here, to the zoo family, for sure.

- Well, when you talk about conservation education, that is a big part of the Memphis Zoo.

It's also a big part of your plan, your master plan.

So for you now, as President and CEO, talk about the master plan.

- Okay, yeah, we do, you know, we do a lot of things well here at the zoo, I really, I really feel like that.

And our mission is creating ad ventures and saving wildlife.

And we're doing, I think, a great job of both, and we want to do more of both.

But as we talk about conservation, I wanna really lean into that part, and help people understand what we do.

Because traditionally, a lot of our conservation work is done kind of behind the scenes, whether it's a lab, or whether it's some sort of breeding project, or something like that, and it's not always seen.

And it's amazing, amazing work, you know, literally repopulating the wi ld with some of these species that were going extinct.

And so we wanna talk about that, you know, the zoo is obviously a wonderful pl ace to come see animals, but these animals serve a purpose.

You know, they're very often, most oftentimes, part of a breeding program that's gonna make sure that these populations, these captive populations of these animals, are very strong.

Because unfortunately, in some cases, the captive population might be the only population.

And so we work very, very hard at that.

But in relating to master plans, super exciting work.

So those of you who have kept up with the zoo, you know that the Zambezi River Hippo Camp is our newest, very large exhibit.

That was actually the last plan, or last project, of our previous 20-year master plan.

So we need a new one, so we're working on that right now.

So we recently finished our kickoff meeting with some world-renowned architects that work with zoos and aquariums, and walking us through the process.

We just started it, it's an 8- to 12-month process, but we're gonna be mapping out our master plan for the next 10 years, so can't wait.

So we're looking at our whole campus, what do we need to do, what do we need to finish, what do we need to refurb, what do we need to tear down, you know?

And continue on our path of being a world-class zoo.

So, great things to come, super pumped about our master plan.

- Give us an idea of what goes into the planning process to put together the experiences, because there is a piece of this, obviously, that is the safety for the animals' natural habitat, and surrounding visibility.

So what all goes into creating the perfect experience?

- That's an excellent question, and that's exactly what we're talking about.

So I, you know, really want to lean into like, three different things, now that I'm in this position.

So one is a master plan, very, very important to us, lean into our conservation-research part of our mission, but that adventure part too, and that's on-grounds experiences.

So as we're planning new things, we're looking at really all of that, and how does that translate into new adventures we're creating?

But also make it all about the animals.

And so one of the things that we're frequently complimented on, which I'm very proud of, is we've kind of hit the middle pretty well, on being able to see animals in their exhibits, but also feel like they're in a naturalistic exhibit that's good for them.

So not everything's in a little box, which we obviously don't want, and not everything's in something so huge you can't see it.

And so we want to continue to strike that balance that really seems to resonate with people.

And of course we want people to feel engaged when they come.

And even more so, like lean in a little bit more into that adventure side of it, and create some unique experiences.

And we have some wonderful ideas.

So we'll be talking about that more and more as we're going through the process.

And of course, when we get to the end, we'll roll out what we want our master plan to be.

But we're really trying to think outside of the box here, and step up, you know, to the next level, so, fun stuff.

- You have ongoing events, you have memberships, you have all sorts of ways that we can support your efforts.

So talk about the community engagement, and how can we plug-in and be a part of the Memphis Zoo.

- Yeah, there's so much like, you know, we've got Zoo Lights going on right now, that definitely supports us, that, you know, that makes our December.

We try to make that more fun every year.

And that does, and of course we're known for some of our events like Zoo Rendezvous.

And I know, Jeremy, you've been, it's a fun event, when the weather's great, it's awesome.

It's one of the best parties in town.

As I spoke earlier about leaning into conservation, we've actually added, just this year, in our calendar, six different events related to conservation.

So we did one already, actually, we've done actually three.

But one was a kind of a higher-dollar ticket item that we call Conservation and Cocktails, which we're gonna make it an annual thing, where we focus on a conservation project.

This year it was on elephants, so we brought in a speaker from South Africa.

She talked about elephants and what they work on in the field that we support, with elephants.

And then we've done, we recently did another called Pancakes for Primates, that was a $20 ticket.

And you sit in Primate Canyon at a table, and you hear about primate research and conservation.

So we're gonna have more things than ever, from a $20 ticket, to $100 ticket, to Zoo Rendezvous.

You know, where all of these things either support the zoo directly, or support a, you know, hundred percent support a particular conservation project.

So you'll see more of that, but lots of opportunities.

- We'll wrap up with website, where do we go to learn more about the Memphis Zoo?

- Yeah, that's an easy one, memphiszoo.org.

We have a new website we just rolled out that talks a lot about some of those projects, also our different events.

And you can do ticketing, online ticketing, the whole nine yards.

So yeah, check us out at memphiszoo.org.

- Well, Matt, thank you for all you and your amazing team do, thank you for coming on the show.

- Thanks for highlighting us, Jeremy, good to talk to you.

[upbeat music] - They're a ministry using football to lift and develop youth.

We're here with the Executive Director of Memphis Gridiron Ministries, Nyrone Hawkins.

And let's start out, give us a little bit of history for launching Memphis Gridiron Ministries.

- Oh, well first, Jeremy, thank you for having us on.

We're excited to share our story.

We're actually finishing our ninth year of the program this year, ending in 2022.

And we're moving forward to our 10th year.

And we had Wade West, and a couple of other gentlemen, who were members of Second Pres, and they just started this nine years ago, wanting to do something outside of the box, and serve in a community that didn't look like them.

And they chose Binghampton.

And we've been growing and moving the word of God and playing football ever since.

- Talk about the number of youth, and how it works, in terms of practices and games, the season, give us some of the details.

- Well, first of all, I have to say, we're not a win-at-all-cost football league.

So our goal is to work with the kids so they know Christ, so they understand the game of football, and to build community.

So coming off of COVID, we di dn't have a season last year, it was just flag football.

So this is our first season back playing tackle football, and it is really great.

So we have about 55 kids, we have 2 teams, a 12U and an 8U team.

And it is just been a joy for us, and the coaches, and the board, to pour into the lives of these young people, and to get them in a position where they can be better people, not better football players, but better people.

- Carry that into the character development, overcoming adversity, teamwork, some of the things that football teaches the youth.

- You know, I'll tell you, me and my coaches, Tommy Ferrari is the head coach of our 12-year team, and we played football together at Memphis State.

Every day the kids come to practice, it's a win for us.

We're not concerned about Saturday games or Tuesday games.

They have a lots to navigate to get to practice.

And they have a lot of stuff that they have to go to, to get to practice.

And for them to show up every day, and trust us to invest our time, energy, and resources in them, that's a win.

So what we do on Saturday, or what we do on game day, is obsolete.

It's about the wins that we get when we get them to come to practice every day.

- You mentioned, obviously, the faith-based aspect to this, homework and academics is another piece of this.

So talk about some of the other elements.

- We're excited, Dr. Kathy Tuberville and her class, at the University of Memphis, has selected our organization to be their senior project.

So Jeremy, it's actually 40% of their grade.

So we're gonna be blessed on November the 16th.

Our youth are going to be able to go to the University of Memphis with their parents, tour the University of Memphis, have lunch at the University of Memphis.

And those classrooms are, that class is gonna split up, they're gonna spend time talking to the young people, the students, they're gonna spend time talking to the parents.

And what we're trying to do is to start people to dream.

So when the parents and the kids leave each other, hopefully they'll be talking about college, and "I want to go."

And they'll have a reference point for going to college.

The parent have reference points for what they need to be getting together now, and they won't be doing this in the 11th and the 10th grade, they'll be doing this in the 5th and 6th grade.

- One of the things that I appreciate is it's not just about engaging the youth, it's also about engaging the family.

And so talk about the importance of engaging everyone.

- It is very important.

We spend a lot of time saying we're gonna help kids, but we have to help the whole family unit.

Putting the child back into a, spending time with 'em daily, and putting them back into a family that's not functional, or that may be a little dysfunctional, it makes the transition harder.

So we work hard with families.

We're putting together some stuff where a financial planner is gonna come in, and he's gonna talk to the families about financial planning.

We're working with the Binghampton Development Coalition to start saying, "Hey, they have a program like Habitat for Humanity."

So we're gonna start getting some of our parents on the list to help them build that generational stuff that can help them move past where they are, to get a house, you know, to get gainful employment.

And then that, just like Junior rubs off on the team, that's the kind of stuff that will rub off and to be infectious to the kids as well.

- Give us a couple of the goals for the future.

I know one of which is incorporating young girls.

- Yes, yes, well, girls always seem to get left out, but having cheerleaders and having somebody to where we can do the same thing that we're doing with the young men, with the girls, is great.

One of the other things that we're going to do, and work really hard to do, is upgrading our alumni.

We don't just, I don't just wanna work with kids until the 5th grade 'til they're 12 and 13, and we lose connection with 'em.

We want to be connected with 'em throughout.

We want to know that when they're in the ninth grade, and they have some troubled times, that they can always come home.

They can always talk to us, and we'll help them navigate the systems that they're going through, because we've been in those systems before.

So that's something that's really near and dear to my heart is we tell 'em that we're a lifetime commitment.

So if we're gonna be a lifetime commitment, we have to be committed to them beyond the their playing days with us.

- Wrap up with where can we go to learn more, and to get involved with Memphis Gridiron Ministries.

- Well again, we thank you guys for thinking of us, but you could go to our website, memphisgridironministries.org.

You could, our Facebook page, MGM.

We're also on Twitter and Instagram.

And I would say read our story, look at some of the pictures, and see what we're doing.

I think that we're a very impactful nonprofit in the community, and I think that we're doing great work in the community.

- 1, 2, 3, Bulldogs!

- Well, Nyrone, thank you for all you and your amazing team do, thank you for coming on the show.

- Thank you again, thank you very much, thank you for this exposure.

And we just pray God continue to bless us, and give us what we need to reach the kids he has designed for us to reach.

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

The 2021 recipient of the Nonprofit Award for Organizations with a Bu dget Greater Than $5 million, is the Palmer Home for Children.

[gentle music] - Palmer Home for Children was born in 1895.

A group of concerned citizens, a lead pastor, women of the church, were paying attention to the fact that there were children, literally in the streets, who needed a place to call home.

And that origin has sort of been the heart and soul of Palmer Home for 126 years.

And we built on that original legacy in so many different ways over so many different decades.

And seems like this past few years has been very exciting with a lot of change.

But the beauty of Palmer Home is that our mission remains the same, and that is to reach out to children who, for different reasons beyond their control, need somewhere to put their head at night, and need people to call fr iends, and ultimately family.

And that's what Palmer Home is really about.

You know, I think Palmer Home is a place that people love, but it's also a place where people want to get involved, they believe in the mission.

They believe that helping children is a part of who we are, as a people.

And we've been really blessed to have people volunteer in a variety of different ways.

So people choose to be mentors, they want to get involved, and they want to influence a child's life.

And then you have folks who want to get a little closer to the project, and as they move from mentor, they might want to foster a child.

We've just seen some incredible fa milies step forward and do those types of things.

We also need respite care, we have folks who are serving all of the time.

Of course, there are many other ways to serve, with our events and on our campus, and just volunteering to extend the message, because we do, of course, depend on private funds.

So we love to spread the reach of our story, involve people in lots of different ways.

And we're so blessed to have so many volunteers from the area be involved.

If there's one thing I think that people should know about Palmer Home is that nobody comes to work, for instance, at Palmer Home, by accident.

They come because they're mission driven, and it's our responsibility to create the right structure and the right process.

But at the heart of Palmer Home, what we're really trying to create is a home for people who need it, and we all need it.

We all need somewhere to call home.

It's really more than a physical space, it's an emotional space, it is a relationship.

And all of those things play into making, what I think, is a very special program, which is Palmer Home for Children.

That's what makes us different.

Everybody involved with Palmer Home is committed to a relationship, and the life and success of the children who come to us.

When we put our shoulder to the wheel, when we work together, that children's lives truly can be changed.

They can be put on a path that's gonna make a complete difference in their world, and in the world of people around them.

And it's so exciting to see what Palmer Home can create.

[gentle music] - They're a technology platform, empowering youth with a personalized group of Backrs.

We're here with Andy Bobowski, he is the Co-founder and Director of Community Engagement with Backrs.

And Andy, let's start out, give us some context, a little bit of history for launching Backrs.

- Absolutely, Backrs is a social impact organization that harnesses a digital platform, to connect first-generation college students and high school students with adults across Tennessee, and across the country, who are excited to invest in them personally, professionally, and financially.

We've been at it for about a year now.

We have close to 150 young people in our community, high school and college students, around 300 adults that come to us from Tennessee and across the country, and a number of employer and other organization partners.

- You have an app, and so that makes it very easy.

But talk about how it works, talk about the model.

- So we're trying to take a traditional model, a traditional mentoring model, and turn it on its head a little bit in three key ways.

So the first is that we're online.

What that's allowing us to do is meet our young people where they're at, we know Generation Z is digital first.

But also it really allows busy adults to support, give back, engage with a young person when it's convenient for them.

ten to fifteen minutes a week, right on their phone, nestled right next to other apps that they have on their phone.

The second thing is that we do a team backing model.

This gives our young people more adults in their corner, different perspectives, different backgrounds, folks from different industries, that they can go to for different things.

Think of it as like a personal advisory board.

And for the adult, it means that they can lean in and support the young person that they're backing, when it matches their own experiences or skillsets.

And then the last thing is, the young people in our community receive cash, between $100 and $150 a month.

These are young people that are verified and validated by their schools, their principals, their leadership team, really high character, high-potential young people, who also would benefit from this extra cash.

And they can put that straight towards their goals, aspirations, and everyday needs.

- Give us an idea of some of the storylines, the testimonials that you're getting from the students, let's start there first, especially around some of the things that they're asking for guidance on.

- So one thing that we talk with a lot of Backrs about is this idea that you actually have a lot more to offer than you might think.

We've learned that lots of folks come into this type of relationship, thinking that they need to be all things to a young person.

And in our model that's just not the case.

And so I will often ask our incoming Backrs, "Hey, do you know anyone in your network that's a nurse?"

Most people do.

Or, "Do you know somebody that lives in Nashville, or St. Louis, or Atlanta?"

Most people do.

"Do you have your own LinkedIn profile, and could you offer some pieces of advice to a college student that's looking to build out their own LinkedIn profile?"

Most people do.

And so most of the day-to-day and weekly asks, that are coming from young people, are just different things that are useful in life.

We have one student that asks their Backrs, "Hey, what's the difference between CC'ing and BCC'ing somebody on an email?"

Where do we learn those things, right?

Or another protégé who's a sophomore at MTSU, asked her Backrs, "How do I ask for a raise at work?"

Most adults have some insight on that.

Or even we've had a few protégés ask, "Hey, I just got my first credit card."

That's a big deal, "What advice do you have?"

And the reality is that most adults know the basics for how to make sure to establish good credit.

So the list goes on, but as yo u'll see from those examples, it's small, everyday things, like those small asks, and then different connections.

And also a lot of is just providing affirmation, and support, and encouragement.

- Flip it over to then the adults.

What's the feedback you're getting from them?

- So we've learned from adults, in surveying the folks in our community, and asking them why they were excited to join this community?

And the number one answer that we get is, first and foremost, they're excited to give back, pay it forward.

I think everyone can relate to this idea of being backed, or wanting to back, right?

We all have our own experiences of feeling really well taken care of, or supported on different parts of our journey, or maybe wishing we had more, right?

And so it's not a surprise that adults, primarily, are signing up to be that for an amazing young person.

And the second thing that we're hearing is that a lot of adults are signing up to join our community, 'cause they're looking to grow as people as well, right?

These are amazing high school and college students with big goals, big dreams, big aspirations, and who want to add value to their community.

They are the future leaders of our city, of our state, of our country.

And we hear so often from our Backrs, like, "Wow, this was actually a big inspiration to me," or "I learned a lot in backing this student."

- Obviously individuals can get involved, but this is perfect for corporate groups, faith community groups.

Talk about the different ways that we, as the community, can help and get involved.

- You're exactly right.

We have started partnerships with employers and faith communities of all different sizes.

And what we're finding is that there's a lot of employers out there that, first and foremost, are just looking to lean into their community in a different way.

And so this provides a personalized way for their workforce to get involved in the community, but it's also a really low time commitment, right?

And we've also talked with a lot of faith communities that are looking for different ways to activate their members.

And so the opportunity to link arms with a bunch of other folks, either in your company, or where you spend your Saturdays or Sundays, and being able to come into this experience together.

And knowing that, collectively, you're pouring into, and also learning a lot, and getting out of the experience a lot, alongside those in your own community.

- Wrap up again with where we can go to learn more, download the app, your website.

Where do we go to get involved with Backrs?

- Absolutely, so any individual adults, whether you're in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, across Tennessee, or anywhere around the country, can sign on by going right to our app, the Apple App Store, the Google Play Store, and type in Backrs, B-A-C-K-R-S. Or you can just go to our website, www.backrs.com.

- Well, Andy, thank you for all you and your amazing team do.

Thank you for coming on the show.

- Thank you.

[gentle music] - Engaging and empowering youth is critical to the success and the future of our community.

According to the United States Census Bureau's 2021 population estimates, those who are under the age of 18 make up almost 25% of our population in Memphis.

These youth are literally our future; our future workforce, corporate and community leaders, volunteers, voters, innovators, creators, and parents.

The more we can engage them, lift them, empower them, and equip them with the support necessary to be mentally and morally strong, the more successful our community will become in the days and years ahead.

That's why the work organizations like the Memphis Zoo, Memphis Gridiron Ministries, and Backrs, are doing in our community, is so important.

The Memphis Zoo is both providing access and adventure to youth, as the home to more than 4,500 animals.

And encouraging appreciation, education, and conservation, to protecting wildlife and our environment.

Memphis Gridiron Ministries is using the sport of football to engage and mentor youth, build character, strengthen academic performance, and connect community.

And Backrs is using a technology platform to empower youth through a personalized team of adult Backrs, who support their journeys and aspirations by sharing money, relationships, and experience through affirmation and network expansion.

When we're engaging and empowering youth, we're serving as a spark for a brighter future for our community.

So thank you for watching The 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 again next month, and we hope that you'll continue joining with us to create a spark for the Mid-South.

Happy holidays.

- From our very beginnings in 1954, Lipscomb and Pitts Insurance 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.

Lipscomb and Pitts Insurance is honored to be a presenting sponsor of The Spark.

[upbeat music] [acoustic guitar chords]