- This month on The SPARK, our theme is "Helping our Youth Achieve Victory".

We'll learn more about a multifaceted nonprofit with a farmer's market and urban farm that's helping youth develop personally, professionally and spiritually, a private school program preparing student athletes to become successful college students and a studio that's using bicycles as a catalyst to change lives.

We'll also share a special moment from our SPARK Awards 2020.

- Lipscomb & Pitts   Insurance is honored   to serve the Memphis   community for over 60 years.

We've always focused on   supporting our community   and believe in   promoting the positives,   encouraging engagement,   and leading by example.

Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance is proud to be a presenting sponsor of The SPARK.

- (male announcer) Additional funding for The SPARK is provided by Meritan, United Way of the Mid-South, My Town Movers, My Town Roofing, My Town Miracles, and by SRVS.

- 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.

Hi, I'm Jeremy Park and   this is The SPARK.

[upbeat music] They're an urban farm, a farmer's market and a youth development training program.

We are here with the Co-Founder of Landmark Training Development Company and Landmark Farmer's Market, Mike Minnis.

And Mike let's start, give us a little bit of the vantage point in terms of where you are and the backstory for starting this program.

- Well, something that, when you look at low-investment neighborhoods, you recognize that property values have typically not appreciated as they might should have, in line with the rest of the world.

However, one of the aspects of that decadence is torn-down buildings.

You've got a vacant lot, and a vacant lot represents a drain on the residential neighborhood to the extent that when an appraiser looks at it, he's looking at a risk where there was once a home or a piece of property, it's now a vacant lot, which is a risk factor as it pertains to investment.

So it also brings down the value of those properties around it.

However, a fruit tree at maturity is worth $2,500.

So if you just take 10   fruit trees and plant them   on a vacant lot, within   three to five years,   they're producing an   abundance of fruit   that may last for   about 20, 30 years.

And now, appraiser has to look at it as an income-producing property, which helps to stabilize the surrounding properties in its area, and it provides nutrients by which individuals can sustain themselves.

So there's a lot to be said about Johnny Appleseed's mission that he was on when he was planting seeds across the country.

- Talk about the farmer's market, because you sell a number of products, a lot of products that you make, and so, tease us a little bit with the farmer's market.

- Well, Landmark Farmer's Market is an indoor,   year-round farmer's market   and one of the things   that people may not   recognize is that   it's the only farmer's market   in the Orange Mound community,   which, according to the USDA,   is designated as a food desert, which represents a lack of access to fresh, wholesome food.

And when you add to the fact that there's a high percentage of people who receive Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program benefits, that's the SNAP program, which was formerly the Food Stamp Program, you can basically look at food deserts across the stage, across the state of Tennessee, and one of the things that people suggest is that you put a grocery store into a community.

Now, when a feasibility study is done by a major corporation, some of the things they take under consideration are demographics, as well as per capita income.

If the per capita income's not there, how can you make money?

So it negates locating in the areas that are low-investment communities for the most part, which is like a catch-22.

However, let's say for instance that they chucked the feasibility study.

We're gonna do it anyway.

We're gonna locate into this low-investment neighborhood and provide them with fresh, wholesome food.

Well, if the people have no insights into nutritional values, they will continue eating the same processed foods that they had eaten prior to a grocery store locating in that area, so it's self-defeating.

It's like the cart before the horse, and it's not something that's being taught in the educational system, so we take it upon ourselves.

When people enter   our farmer's market,   it's not just to buy produce.

We want them to gain   insights into the benefits   of the fruits and vegetables   that they're consuming,   so they can be   more well-rounded.

My objective, one of the things   that I'd like to see happen,   is for people to walk   out into their backyard   with scissors and get   the things they need   instead of taking a   prescription to a pharmacy.

Because, if you look at what was once quoted by the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, he said, "Let your food be your medicine."

[laughs] How cool is that?

- Well, talk about your work with youth, because I think this is part of the magic of what you're doing is you are equipping the youth to really transform their lives in a number of powerful ways, so talk about your work with youth.

- Well, we've got a number of them that are now college graduates, and I get a kick out of that because they came to us, they had been kicked to the curb as juvenile delinquents, castaways, and they transformed themselves   by recognizing that there's   more things available to them   than what they had previously   been involved with.

And I have to be very thankful   for the various organizations   that have come and volunteered   and sent college students   to us because when some of   these youngsters interact   with other youth   that are in college,   maybe three, four, five   years older than they are,   they recognize there's   not much difference   and that they can   obtain these things.

So, the expansion   of their environment enhances their thought processes to make them like the Little Engine Who Could.

After a while he said, he knew he can.

- Go ahead and talk about one or two ways that we can help.

- I mean, we are heavily into volunteerism.

Person wants to come out, they don't necessarily have to get their hands dirty with me, 'cause I play in the dirt.

My wife is a certified food processor and we take a number of the products that we grow and add value to them such as, right now, they are taking some peaches that I picked Monday and Tuesday and making 'em into a peach jam.

She'll take cucumbers and turn 'em into pickles, pickled okra.

She'll take various things that we grow like cabbages and bell peppers and tomatoes and turn 'em into Chow Chow.

We do the Roma tomatoes and she makes salsa.

We have skin cream that's good for eczema and psoriasis that we make in-house, and there are a number of different plants, herbs, and roots that we transform into wellness products, such as teas that are beneficial for different physical ailments.

We even got a pain cream that has one drawback that I've had so far.

And I've had this from several people who've given testimonies about it.

It doesn't sting, it doesn't smell, but after you use it for a few times, you start to overexert yourself, so that kind of circumvents the problem, you know, you gotta put ice on it again because the pain was gone and you'd forgotten about it, and "Uh-oh," you know, and kinda overdid it.

- Well, I love everything you're doing, absolutely amazing.

Thank you so much for coming on the show, Mike.

- Well, I appreciate you having me.

Thanks a lot.

[upbeat music] - They're a private school program, preparing student athletes to become successful college students.

We're here with the founder of PURE Youth Athletic Alliance, Melvin Cole, and Melvin, this starts with a promise to God, so share a little bit of your story in terms of founding the organization.

- Absolutely.

Jeremy, thanks for having me on this afternoon.

Yeah, so I started PURE Youth in 2011 and PURE stands for Progress Under Restraints and Extremes.

And just like you said, I was just like these inner-city teens, the lack of role models, educational support, and resources, which led me down the wrong path and in prison is where I made a pact with God.

If He was able to help me out in my situation, I would commit the rest of my life to saving young men back in my hometown of Memphis.

- So, you have the promise to God and you want to make a difference here in your hometown.

You choose the sport of football and sports and an academy-style program to make a difference.

Describe how the program works.

- Yeah, absolutely.

So I kind of created the program off of everything that I wanted growing up as a young man here in Memphis.

So, basically it kinda started   off as a Little League team   and once I noticed the   deficiencies that they had   in English and   Math and Writing,   that's when we pushed forward   as a afterschool program,   then had to go forth   and created a   homeschool-style environment.

And then we noticed   that the kids,   a few of our kids was   homeless, sleeping in cars,   sleeping on porches,   so that forced me   to kinda provide 'em   residential support as well.

And, here in Memphis,   living in double the national   average of property, for kids,   that plays a huge role   in generational poverty   and our education   deficiencies as well.

So, I knew from a kid that the   environment was everything.

I mean, I was a drug   dealer just because   all of my uncles were drug   dealers when I was growing up.

So I knew the environment   and the positive role models   was gonna be the ultimate   impact of these kids.

- You've had incredible success, both on the academic side and obviously on the sport side as well.

Give us an illustration of the academic gains, and then also some of the top recruits that you're pushing out that are coming out of your program.

- Football was always my passion.

That was one of the ways that I dreamed of going to college and being able to change the trajectory of my life.

And it's also a character of a lot of these young men who play sports, and it's just one of those things where, "Okay guys, football can provide you a opportunity "to impact your life, change your generation, and kinda do some things in that manner."

And then, it also creates instant gratification.

So, academics is   delayed gratification,   and sports is their   instant gratification.

Obviously, with Chris Morris   being ranked number one   in the country, being a   Under Armor All American,   going off to the   University of Texas A & M,   and we got Tevan   Carter right now,   the number six quarterback in   America, according to Rivals,   that's probably gonna pick   between the University   of Memphis, Texas A & M,   Texas, or the   University of Florida.

I mean, and he was the first eighth grader in Memphis to receive a SEC football offer.

So we were able to have tremendous success on the athletic side as well, just with my background and the resources I was able to provide to kids from my wonderful board and the committee that's been supporting our organization.

- You were very creative during the pandemic, and for many high school programs that unfortunately weren't able to compete, you saw it as an opportunity to be creative and allow your kids to compete.

So talk about what you did during the pandemic, to have a football season.

- Well, at the end of the day, it all goes back to the kids.

You know, when we found out the terrible decision that the kids wasn't gonna have the opportunity to play high school football, and it wasn't about the game of high school football, it was about the opportunity to be able to showcase their talents, to further their education.

And, you know, going into the last year with Chris, we was kind of faced with the same problem being ineligible with TSSAA, so I directly understood how those kids felt and how the parents felt as well.

So we got together with our board and my staff and with the help of TSSAA, to kind of figure out, put a half-season together, to put these kids on the field,   and be able to play against   your Briarcrest, and MUS,   and Christian Brothers,   of those nature,   so it was one of those things   where we created a trial.

We had about a   hundred kids tryout,   and we selected 35 of those   kids to be able to compete   and kinda just   showcased their talent   to be able to help them   get an opportunity.

At the end of the day,   nothing is guaranteed, but it was all about providing that opportunity.

- So how can the community help?

How can we help you?

- Absolutely.

Well, I like to call it my three T's, time, talent and treasure.

Obviously, what our per cost a student is right at about $15,000.

So financial support is always, always needed.

We're currently trying   to increase our campus.

We have a five-acre   campus in Whitehaven   where we're trying to   build more dormitory,   bigger classrooms.

So that's always   a need as well.

And we definitely   always need volunteers, whatever it be, on the business side, helping us do some marketing and helping us do some PR, maybe some back-office work, just mentoring the kids, maybe coming in and doing some guest speaking.

So it's that time, talent, treasure, however someone sees fit.

- The last question is, the easy one, where do we go to learn more and to get involved?

So website, where would you direct us?

- Absolutely, and our website is www.pureyouth.org.

- Well Melvin, greatly appreciate all you and your team do, amazing work.

Keep it up.

Thank you for coming on the show.

- Absolutely.

Thank you for having me, I appreciate you.

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

The 2020 recipient   of the Individual Youth   Award is Myles Butler.

- I'm Myles Butler.

I'm a freshmen at CBHS.

I'm 15 years old, and   some of my hobbies are, I like to skateboard and I like to volunteer places and help the community.

I, overall, got around 162   hours, I'm pretty sure.

One hundred and   thirty-eight of those hours   came from   the Humane Society.

A few years ago, in   about seventh grade, we had to have a few service hours and I love animals, and so I looked for some good volunteering hours, like, that I'm eligible to get hours from, and I saw that the Humane Society was one.

So I told my mom, I was like, "Oh, I might want to try this."

And so I started to go there.

I went to the volunteer   orientation and for a while, before we had to stop because of corona, I went there about every weekend for about three hours every Saturday.

And I can really connect with some of the animals there, and I helped them with mainly with the cats and dogs,   just to clean the cages   and do laundry for them   and just help them   with everything.

I feel like I can connect with   a lot of the animals there and I can kind of socialize them, and it's really fun.

Well, I usually walk   the dogs with my mom,   who's also a volunteer.

It's a lot of work to keep up a whole animal shelter, and this coming from a volunteer.

They provide good vet care there and help them get back   on their feet, and it   makes me feel like I'm glad   that I'm as fortunate as I am,   and I've built so   many friendships just off volunteering at the Humane Society.

After the day's over, it   makes you just feel awesome.

[gentle music] - They're a studio using bicycles to change lives.

We're here with the owner of Victory Bicycle Studio, Clark Butcher, and Clark, for you, this is a personal passion and story, so give us a little bit of the backstory for starting Victory.

- Look, I started working in bike shops in Memphis at age 14.

I worked in bike shops all through, until I went off to college.

So then it was, look, I was young and it was my hobby and it was turned into my sport and kind of a skill set.

Never thought I would be in the retail business and in 2010, I started Victory purely because bicycle retail was not being done correct in Memphis.

And I simply- How did I know that is because people were coming to me to help with purchasing and wanting to seek out equipment advice or anything and that's when I was like, "Well, if they're coming to me, why aren't they going to the local bike shop?"

And then before I knew it, it was happening often enough 'cause I had, you know, at that point, over the 15 years, I had amassed this reputation of knowing something about this space and being credible, so yeah,   I started the shop in   2010, totally part-time.

I knew it would do well, but   I never thought it would get   to where it is today   and it's grown and grown   and it's enabled me to   do all sorts of stuff.

- Well, and a big part of   what you do is training and you do spin classes now, and so, walk us through the different ways that you're engaging your customers, not only in the studio, but outside of it as well.

- Yeah.

We have all these different avenues of retention, that I call it.

So, spin classes, we have spin classes four days a week.

They, pre-COVID, they were sold out for nine years.

We're actually just now about to go live again, which you can imagine, some folks have been in it for seven years, and when you just turn that spigot off, or that, they're not setting the alarm that early two days a week, everything changes and you're just not balanced, so, selfishly, I'm excited to get it back too, that was part of my own therapy.

We are known for our   fittings, so that's probably   one of our biggest fortes,   we actually pick up   at Dewitt Spain Airport   several times a year,   as folks will fly   privately into town   to come get fitted   by our fitters here.

We do our Monster   Training groups,   that's probably what we're   in town most famous for.

We have a Couch-to-50mile   training program.

Right, everyone, when we   launched that, were like, "What   "Like, these guys are   supposedly high-end,   they should be   focused on racers,"   and no, no, no, no, no, no.

I found very quickly that if you have a bunch of strong, type-A racers in the store, that scares away and intimidates 95% of bike-buyers out there, and so it's funny, once I made the shift to really focus on the everyday person and empower them, right, like, it is a Couch-to-50mile program, I tell folks, I'm like, "Haven't ridden in years?

You're perfect."

"You ride two days a week?

Okay.

Well, you're probably too advanced for us."

- Let's talk about your philanthropic and your community efforts because you are heavily involved in the community.

Let's start with Carpenter Art Garden and give us a little bit of just your vantage point for Carpenter Art Garden and working with youth.

- I don't know if you remember the whole story, but it all started with giving this youth from the Art Garden a bike.

And we gave him a bike at that big Chamber of Commerce luncheon that we do in Memphis every year in the holidays.

So, I thought I was   donating a bike.

I really, I thought I was   just doing a nice thing.

I didn't realize where it   would go to from there,   but, so check this   out, so I present this   poster child of the Art   Garden, I want to call him,   his name's Donte Davis.

You've seen as art   all over this city.

If you've seen those Grizz   hearts that are in folks' yards   that means one, they   love the Grizzlies,   but that also means two,   they love the Art Garden, but that was Donte's idea.

So I present him with this bike and I gave a bit of a speech, you know, I'm not gonna turn down that opportunity, and afterwards, donations start pouring into the Art Garden, and I get a call from the founder, Erin Harris, and she said, "Hey, I called the Chamber because money is pouring in after that speech, and then Geoff Calkins did a great article on the whole process," and I'll never forget, I go, "So, why are you calling me?

Like, I'm the bike guy."

She goes, "Well, I was told we need to form a board "and I've heard you know how to do that, and you've done that before, so I'm calling you."

And immediately, I was like,   "I just wanted to   give him a bike."

I really didn't know that I   was signing on to all this,   and especially the   heavy lifting phases   of starting a   board, and all that,   so it just started   to make sense.

And then, you know, just like my mentality of business, you know, "Hey, it wasn't being done right, so I'm gonna do it."

I'm an entrepreneur.

If I think I can do it better, I'm gonna do it.

And when I saw the help that was needed, and really dove in there, that's when I was like, "Okay, I gotta be in this,", like now I'm in it.

And so at that time, the Art Garden was two employees.

Two employees and one piece of real estate.

Now I think we're nine, we have nine homes and pieces of real estate.

Some are gardens, some are vegetable gardens.

And we're eight full-time employees, and sometimes we're up to 30 part-time employees in the summertime running our programs.

- Give us a little bit on teaching the youth how to fix bicycles.

- Yeah, so it's cool.

That's a great question because this program has changed.

You know, it started with this, I had this vocational idea and, selfishly, this was also to benefit me as well in that, "Hey, these kids love working on bikes.

I need skilled mechanics."

That was the big   lofty thinking,   and and we slimmed   it way down.

Now we have community   bike rides, right?

Like, let's focus on the health   and fitness side and, Clark,   put your selfishness,   vocational, you know,   trainable staff   aside for a second.

Y'all, this is one of the coolest things.

Number one, it's totally free, so if you're listening right now, and this sounds interesting to you, sign up.

We're always needing volunteers.

Do not wear Lycra, please don't show up in Lycra.

This is a community bike ride.

You will have 10 to 30 riders spread out over three miles on a three mile course, and these kids crash, they wreck, and they have a ball doing it.

It started as these community rides, and now, you'll like this, through COVID, it's turned into time, right?

So now we're   charting mileage.

And when the rider reaches a   hundred miles accumulative,   they get this really   cool 100 mile club shirt   that I had made up,   and it's something   that they strive to   get and they work for,   and we're teaching them   to be accountable, right?

'Cause the only   way to meet that   is to show up and   show up consistently.

We're more focused on the   fitness than learning,   tinkering, and   working on the bikes.

- Well, wrap up with contact information, your website, social media, where do we go to learn more about Victory Bicycle Studio?

- Everything on the website comes to me, victorybicyclestudio.com.

Tat'll all come to me.

Facebook, we're Victory Bicycle Studio.

Instagram, Victory Bicycle Memphis, it's either Victory Bicycle Memphis, or Victory Bicycle Studio, but you'll recognize the V and the little logo icon.

- Hey, well, thank you and your amazing team for all you do.

We greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for coming on the show, Clark.

- Thanks Jeremy.

[upbeat music] - When we talk about achieving victory, we're talking about so much more than sports and winning a game or a race.

We're talking about the achievement of success in life and overcoming a struggle or challenge.

We're talking about the confidence that comes with putting forth maximum effort, persevering, and seeing that hard work pay off.

We're talking about mastery, maturity, leadership, and growth.

Yes, it's nice to have a victory in the win column, but if our community is going to thrive, we need to help our youth achieve victory in the life column.

And that's exactly what we saw with this month's episode in the organizations like Landmark Training Development Company, and PURE Youth Athletic Alliance that are pouring into youth through farming, sports, education, mentorship, and so much more, which is transforming lives personally, professionally and spiritually.

Then companies like Victory Bicycle Studio are taking a hands-on approach to both support youth-driven nonprofits and also create job skills training programs to equip them and empower them for the road ahead.

As we help our youth achieve victory, we cultivate the leaders who will become The SPARKs in 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 next month and we hope that you'll continue joining with us to create a spark for the Mid-South.

- Lipscomb & Pitts   Insurance is honored   to serve the Memphis   community for over 60 years.

We've always focused on   supporting our community   and believe in   promoting the positives,   encouraging engagement,   and leading by example.

Lipscomb & Pitts Insurance is proud to be a presenting sponsor of The SPARK.

[upbeat music] [acoustic guitar chords]