City, Southwest Collaborate On Police Officer Program

A new program announced Tuesday, Oct. 18, will offer no less than 100 graduating high-school seniors full-time employment with the Memphis Police Department beginning in June 2017.

Mayor Jim Strickland, MPD Director Michael Rallings and Southwest Tennessee Community College President Dr. Tracy Hall said the “Blue Path” program is a way for young people to develop into well-rounded, community-focused police officers in the city of Memphis.

The all-expense paid college education will result in an associate’s degree in criminal justice from SWTCC and a position as a police service technician with MPD.

Strickland called Blue Path a “creative solution that affords meaningful career and education opportunities for our young people.”

“I believe the Blue Path program can become the major pipeline for our future police workforce,” Rallings added.

Southwest has worked with the MPD Training Academy to create an academic curriculum for an associate’s degree in criminal justice. Students will complete coursework together as a cohort over a period of four semesters, during which time they will be employed by MPD as police service technicians with an annual salary of $26,000 per year. Once they complete the degree and reach age 21, graduates are eligible to undergo MPD’s sworn officer training and become a police officer.

“We are so pleased to deliver a customized workforce solution for MPD. Thanks to Tennessee Promise, we will provide a college degree completely free of charge to students and free of charge to MPD,” Hall said.

Students intending to apply for the Blue Path program must attend one of five informational sessions this month. Parents or guardians are encouraged, but not required to attend. All sessions will be held at Southwest Tennessee Community College’s Macon Campus, 5983 Macon Cove, in Bornblum Library Auditorium (ML 122).

Free parking is available.

The sessions will be:

· Saturday, Oct. 22 – 9 a.m to 11 a.m.

· Saturday, Oct. 22 –3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

· Monday, Oct. 24 – 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

· Tuesday, Oct. 25 – 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

· Wednesday, Oct. 26 – 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

To be eligible for Blue Path, all students must submit an application for Tennessee Promise by Nov. 1. Visit www.BluePathMemphis.com for more information.

– Daily News staff

New Agape Facility Dedication Set Oct. 20

Agape Child & Family Services’ new offices, donated by Hope Christian Community Foundation, will be dedicated at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, at the new location at 3160 Directors Row.

The 20,000-square-foot facility is valued at $650,000 and was gifted to Agape by Hope Christian Community Foundation. Event activities run from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and numerous Agape and city officials and community leaders will be on hand. The Agape team will provide tours.

Agape Child & Family Services is a faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing children and families with healthy homes in the Memphis area. Agape serves more than 10,000 children and families each year.

– Don Wade

Church Health Partners With Good Shepherd on Medicines

Good Shepherd Health and Church Health have teamed up to bring affordable medication to uninsured Memphians.

Church Health patients now have access to either free or at-cost prescription medication through Good Shepherd Health. Church Health physicians can directly send prescriptions for their patients to Good Shepherd, or patients can directly transfer prescriptions given from their physicians to the pharmacy.

Good Shepherd Health does not add any mark-up or dispensing fees to prescriptions.

Good Shepherd has already hired additional staff to help serve Church Health patients and patients all over the community.

Good Shepherd is a membership pharmacy whose members either receive medications at cost with no additional markups or for free, depending on income level.

– Andy Meek

Iberiabank Expands Smithers’ Role, Hires Market President

Iberiabank has expanded the role of its top regional executive and also named a new market president for Memphis.

Iberiabank’s current regional president of Tennessee, Greg Smithers, is expanding his role to include regional president of Arkansas. He joined Iberiabank in 2008 as Memphis market president.

Meanwhile, executive vice president Nathan Raines has been promoted to Memphis market president. He joined Iberiabank in 2009 to manage the commercial banking group.

– Andy Meek

Bone Bruise Keeping Gasol Out of Final Preseason Game

Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol has a bone bruise in his right foot, the same foot that was surgically repaired, and will sit out the team’s last preseason game on Wednesday, Oct. 19, in Minnesota.

Gasol left last Saturday’s game at Houston because of pain in the right foot, giving everyone in the organization a scare. The bruise reportedly is not in the same bone that Gasol had fractured.

Grizzlies coach David Fizdale had indicated at the start of training camp that a more cautious approach would be used with Gasol leading up to, and even during, the season in an effort to keep him healthy for the long haul.

Fizdale said he expected Gasol to be ready when the Grizzlies open the regular season on Oct. 26 at FedExForum vs. the Timberwolves.

– Don Wade

Char Restaurant Opens In Highland Row Development

New restaurant Char is now open in Highland Row.

The steakhouse began serving lunch and dinner Monday, Oct. 10.

The 6,000-square-foot restaurant includes a main dining area, piano bar and two private dining rooms, with total seating capacity for 215 guests.

Entrees include an 8-ounce or 12-ounce filet; bone-in prime ribeye (20-ounce); ribeye (16-ounce); prime New York strip (16-ounce); and 14-ounce pork chop with cognac and green peppercorn sauce; cornbread-dusted redfish; and duck and chicken dishes.

Char will work closely with the Memphis Farmers Market to source foods and offers daily meat-and-two lunch specials for $13.

Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Visit memphis.charrestaurant.com for more information.

– Daily News staff

Opera Memphis Hires Director, Coordinator

Opera Memphis has announced a few new additions to its team.

The organization has tapped Jason Hardy to be its new director of development. Hardy was previously managing director since 2013 for OperaDelaware, where he focused on a data-driven fundraising philosophy.

Opera Memphis has also hired Vernon di Carlo as education and outreach coordinator. He comes to Memphis after spending several years in Little Rock, Arkansas, performing leading roles with organizations such as the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Little Rock, and Opera in the Rock.

– Andy Meek

Memphis Nonprofits Benefit From Comcast Grants

Several Memphis organizations are splitting more than $17,000 in grants from the Comcast Foundation.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mid-South, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis, Creative Life Inc., Ducks Unlimited, Historic First Baptist Church Beale Street, Latino Memphis, March of Dimes Foundation, Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association, New Hope Elvis Presley Blvd. Community Development Corp., Overton Park Conservancy and Shelby County Schools are all beneficiaries.

The organizations receiving grants all participated in the 15th annual Comcast Cares Day, the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort, held every April. Hundreds of volunteers assisted with various community projects in Memphis, including park and trail clean-ups, playground improvements, blood drives and clean-up days at local nonprofits.

The Comcast Foundation, founded in 1999, has three community investment priorities – expanding digital literacy, promoting community service and building tomorrow’s leaders.

– Daily News staff