National Service Official Meets with Mayor A C Wharton, Jr., Helps Open New Farmers Market in South Memphis

Memphis, TN—Heather Peeler, Chief Strategy Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service, will meet with Mayor A C Wharton, Jr., and state and local leaders to discuss strategies to leverage citizen service to solve local problems on Thursday, July 15.

Several dozen nonprofit and social sector leaders will gather to discuss the agency's five-year strategic plan. The meeting will be held at the University of Memphis campus and is part of the Corporation's summer initiative to engage leaders and communities on ways to expand volunteer opportunities and drive measurable impact toward solving local challenges. The Memphis area is home to more than 1.3 million volunteers who have contributed more than $3.4 billion dollars worth of service to those in need, according to the Corporation's annual Volunteering in America report.

Peeler will also deliver remarks at the grand opening of the South Memphis Farmers Market.The market will make fresh, healthy, and low-cost foods accessible to the South Memphis community, which currently lacks a full-service grocery store. The market is one of the signature projects resulting from the South Memphis Revitalization Action Plan (SoMe RAP), an 18-month effort supported by The Works Inc, the St. Andrews AME Church, the University of Memphis, The Hyde Family Foundations, the Self Tucker Architects, and the Memphis Regional Design Center. The effort also involved over 400 community residents and an AmeriCorps VISTA member.

The South Memphis Farmers Market is an example of community members banding together to solve local problems, an approach President Obama has encouraged through the United We Serve initiative. This summer, the Corporation launched United We Serve: Let's Read! Let's Move! to engage Americans in efforts to combat childhood obesity by increasing physical activity and access to healthy, affordable foods, as well as curbing summer reading loss among youth.

Below is a schedule of events and activities.

WHAT: Peeler leads Community Dialogue with key community leaders to discuss the agency's five-year strategic plan.

WHEN: 9 a.m.

WHERE: University of Memphis

Fed-Ex Institute of Technology

Methodist Presentation Theater

365 Innovation Dr. Ste. 303

Memphis, TN38152

OPEN PRESS

WHAT: Peeler meets with Mayor AC Wharton, Jr. to discuss service as a solution in the Memphis area.

WHEN: 1:15 p.m.

WHERE: City Hall
125 N. Main St. Room 700
Memphis, TN 38103

CLOSED PRESS

WHAT: Peeler delivers remarks at the opening of the South Memphis Farmers Market.

WHEN: 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Farmer's Market in South Memphis

1400 Mississippi Blvd.

(corner of Mississippi & South Parkway)

Memphis, TN 38106

OPEN PRESS