• Stax Museum of American Soul Music

One hundred percent of the first high school graduating class of Soulsville Charter School have been accepted to college, and more than $3.2 million in scholarship funds have been donated to help them pay for higher education. Those students are graduating on Thursday, May 24th.

Founded in 2005, Soulsville Charter School is a tuition-free public charter school with a mission of preparing students for college success in a music-rich environment. It began with a sixth grade class of 60 students, and those students have now completed their high school careers.

Although the graduation ceremony is closed to the public, there is a Soulsville Charter School fund-raiser being held on Wednesday, May 23rd from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music featuring former Notre Dame basketball coach and ESPN host Digger Phelps and Grammy winner Kirk Whalum. Tickets are $250 per person or $400 per couple.

"Mr. Phelps was so impressed by the school, its students, and the model of education that he has become an unofficial spokesperson for us on the national level, often mentioning the school on news talk shows, particularly MSNBC's Morning Joe," said Tim Sampson, communications director for Stax and former Memphis Flyer editor.

Phelps will also hold a live remote broadcast about the graduation event on MSNBC's Morning Joe. That broadcast will air on MSNBC at 6:45 CST on Thursday, May 24th.

To purchase tickets to the fund-raiser, call Soulsville Foundation chief operating officer Mark Wender at 901-261-6345 or email him.

• Bianca Phillips at last year's Bike-to-Work Day

The annual Bike-to-Work Day, sponsored by the Downtown Memphis Commission, is Friday. Register to ride here so as not to miss out on your free bike messenger bag filled schwag.

Schwag bags may be picked up at one of the following energizer stations:
* Central Station Pavilion at Front at GE Patterson (7 - 9am)
* Trolley Barn at 547 North Main Street (7 - 9am)
* Church Health Center Wellness Center at 1115 Union (7 - 9am; accessible from Eastmoreland)
* New Olivet Baptist Church at 3084 Southern Ave (6:30 - 9am)
* Downtown Bicycle Expo at Court Square (11am - 1pm)

There's a Downtown Bicycle Expo from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Court Square with live music by Deering & Down, electric bicycle tours, giveaways, and the presentation for the Bike-to-Work Championship Awards.

For information on organized Bike-to-Work day meet-up rides, route planning, or other tips, go here.

To read about Flyer writer Bianca Phillips' first Bike-to-Work experience last year, go here.

This summer, some of the city’s sixth, seventh and eighth graders will have a chance to share their views on Memphis history, culture, and local issues through photography, thanks to the Memphis Tourism Foundation’s “Memphis: Through the Lens of a New Generation Photo Competition.”

Each participant will receive a disposable camera with 27 color shots.

“Although students are young and may not have any significant experience in taking photos, they still will have the chance to display what’s important to them,” said Erica Horton of the Memphis Tourism Foundation. “One of the cool things about the competition is that we’re getting the perspective of people who are really, really young. There are some things that young people see that older people don’t know about, and there are some things that older people see that young people might not understand. We’re just looking for their honest perspective of what they think represents the city of Memphis.”

Before students can participate in the competition, they will have to apply on Memphislens.weebly.com.

As part of the application process, each student must write a three-paragraph essay about themselves and why they want to participate in the competition. Those who have seen the documentary I Am A Man, a short film on the 1968 sanitation strike in Memphis and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s involvement, can write about what they learned from the film instead of why they want to participate in the competition. The application deadline is May 18th.

Up to 50 kids will be chosen for the competition by the end of May. Those who are chosen will meet with foundation representatives and receive tips from skilled photographers.

Participants will have to return their cameras by June 23rd, so their film can be developed. The top three contestants will be chosen and notified on June 30th.
On July 14th, participants will be recognized at an award ceremony.

All three winners will receive a digital camera and certificate. The first place winner will also receive a gift of $100. The second place winner will receive $50, and the third place winner will receive $25.

Deanie Parker with the Memphis Tourism Foundation said the primary purpose of the competition is to acquaint people with some of the city’s art, history, culture and music. She said it would provide kids with the opportunity to engage in something positive at the end of their school year.

“We’re going to encourage them to think broadly and deeply about the city in which they live,” Parker said. [We want them to] examine it in terms of what’s great and wonderful about it and what they’d like to improve about it. And [we] certainly [want them] to learn more about the city’s contribution to so many different things that a lot of us take for granted.”

For additional information, contact Erica Horton at 901-273-3227.

More than $3,000 is being donated Thursday toward developing an urban garden this fall in one of the city’s food-insecure communities.

The money will be donated at a ceremony hosted by Brister Street Productions, a concert booking and video production company, on May 10th at 2 p.m. at the Levitt Shell in Overton Park.

The funds were raised during the second annual Brister Street Music Festival, which took place on the last weekend in April. The fest featured a diverse lineup of bands that included jam, bluegrass, reggae, and Latin.

“We decided to make it a little more formal than, ‘Hey, here’s your money,’” said Jack Simon, founder of Brister Street Productions. “It actually coincides with the one-year anniversary of the first Brister Fest. I thought that it was appropriate to donate the money, say a few words, and give thanks to everyone involved.”

GrowMemphis — a nonprofit dedicated to building gardens in urban communities to increase access to fresh and healthy local food — will be the recipient of the donation.

“We’re helping give people access to food [and] creating a more sustainable city,” Simon said. “There’s so many health benefits to urban gardening.”

Chris Peterson, executive director of Grow Memphis, said it normally costs the organization $2,500 to $3,000 to fund a new garden.

“The amount that they’ve given us is perfect,” Peterson said. “It’s really great that the funding for the community garden is coming straight from the community rather than from a grant or something like that.”

Peterson said the funding would go toward purchasing things such as raised garden beds, soil, composts, watering systems, and other tools and infrastructure necessary for the garden to be sustainable in the long-term.

There will be brief speeches and music provided by Agori Tribe at the ceremony as well.

More than 30 homeless and formerly homeless people held a press conference at the corner of Washington and Third downtown this afternoon to voice opposition to a new law that makes it a crime to sleep on state property.

The law, which passed earlier this year, makes it a Class A misdemeanor to use tents, tarps, and other temporary shelters for sleeping, making fires, or using portable cooking equipment on Tennessee-owned property. This includes, but is not limited to, state parks, recreation areas, historic buildings, educational institutions, and natural green spaces. The law carries a penalty of up to 11 months and 29 days in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.

At the press conference, members of Homeless Organizing for Power and Equality (H.O.P.E.), a new organization composed fully of people that have or are currently experiencing homelessness, stood in front of the Shelby County Correctional Center at 201 Poplar as they expressed their dissatisfaction with the law.

The group discussed the details of a meeting they had earlier today with Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich, urging her to refuse to prosecute homeless people for violating the new law.

“This office is tasked with enforcing the laws that the General Assembly enacts. We do not pick and choose which laws we enforce,” Weirich said in a statement. “We do, however, have the discretion to review cases and decide the proper resolution based on the facts, circumstances, and the reasonable probability of conviction. This new law will not change how we prosecute cases in Shelby County. Nor will it change the way we work with outside agencies to do what we can to prevent issues that lead to crime.”

Marquella Scott, one of the H.O.P.E. members in attendance, said although the bill was formulated to deal with Occupy Nashville and their unwillingness to leave Legislative Plaza, it will affect everyone experiencing homelessness in the state.

“The 11/29 [jail penalty] to a homeless person equals a death sentence, because that’s time that they don’t have to get a job,” Scott said. “That’s time that they don’t have to get back in school. That’s time that they don’t have to take care of medical issues.”

Besides the bill, the group also discussed their support of Veterans Court. More than 30 percent of the city’s homeless are veterans.

The program, lead by General Sessions Criminal Court Judge Bill Anderson and others, provides veterans who have been arrested for crimes with the chance to receive help from the Veterans Administration Medical Center. If the veteran follows through on a treatment plan, criminal charges might be dismissed or penalties reduced.

The group also announced that they have a homeless liaison to work as a go-between with the Memphis Police Department and H.O.P.E. members regarding harassment and increasing homeless sensitivity training for officers.

Marian Bacon with the Memphis Center for Independent Living is also a member H.O.P.E. and was in attendance at the press conference. She says she’s concerned about the consequences of police fining or jailing homeless people under the new law.

“If you don’t have $6 to [pay for a night at] the shelter, how are you going to come up with $2,500?” Bacon said. “That means a homeless person will be criminalized and stuck in jail until they can come up with the money. With a Class A misdemeanor, if you get too many of them, that can be a felony. That’s a worse offense then getting a domestic assault charge.”

H.O.P.E. meets at Manna House at 1268 N. Jefferson on Thursdays at 7 p.m.

All of Cherokee Elementary’s 455 students will be taking home at least one book to read over the summer.

That’s thanks to a book drive spearheaded by SoGiv, a nonprofit that sells footwear and apparel and donates a portion of the proceeds to different worthy causes each month.

“SoGiv a Book: Book Drive and Concert” will take place during the South Main Art Trolley Tour this Friday from 6 to 9 p.m. at K’PreSha Boutique (323 South Main).

“We’re looking out for the kids,” said Edward Bogard, founder of SoGiv. “We noticed that they get into a lot of trouble over the summer [because of idle time], and that was basically the motivation behind the drive. If we could put a book in every child’s hand for the summer, that would be a successful goal for us to achieve.”

People are encouraged to drop off new and used children’s book donations at K’Presha Boutique, Grawmeyer’s Restaurant, Sachë, Klein Fitness, and Cherokee Elementary.

Nikita Reed, principal of Cherokee Elementary, said literacy is one of the school’s deficiencies, and she hopes the book drive will help tackle that problem.

“We’re working to embrace literacy and let it be our focus,” Reed said. “The book drive will give our boys and girls something to read in the summertime and help improve their reading skills.”

The book drive will not only benefit the students at Cherokee, but also clients of the Union Missions homeless shelter.

“A lot of people are trying to get back on their feet,” said Dior Bailey, director of marketing and operations for SoGiv. “They’re homeless, but that doesn’t mean they don’t want something to read. They can still educate themselves while they’re trying to get back on their feet.”

A free concert will follow the book drive featuring a diverse lineup of local artist in genres ranging from alternative rock to neo-soul to hip-hop. Original artwork inspired by the book drive will be on display during the event as well.

“We want people to understand the significance behind giving back to the youth because they’re the future,” Bogard said. “Cherokee is only one school, but we’ve got to start somewhere. Hopefully by next year, we’ll have even more schools under our belt that we can do more things for.”

Low-income residents and seniors can now have their pets spayed or neutered at Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services for as low as $5 for cats and between $10 and $25 for dogs.

The new low prices are thanks to a $10,000 grant the organization received from the Margarette J. Sather Animal Welfare Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis.

Co-pay prices for those who qualify will be as follows:
$5 for cats
$10 for small dogs, 25 lbs. and under
$15 for medium dogs, 26-40 lbs.
$20 for large dogs, 41-75 lbs.
$25 for extra large dogs, 76 lbs. and over

Mid-South Spay & Neuter Services performed 5,200 surgeries in 2011, and they're hoping this grant will significantly increase those numbers for 2012.

“We believe that all responsible pet owners deserve the right to care for their companion animal, despite inability to pay the typical prohibitive high costs of sterilization, " said MSNS president Patrick Wyatt. "Mid-South Spay and Neuter is proud to offer our already affordable services at a reduced rate so that everyone in the Mid-South can afford to help us end pet overpopulation.”

To make an appointment, call 901-324-3202. At time of surgery, vaccinations and microchipping can be added for an additional fee. The clinic at 854 Goodman is open Tuesday through Friday.