The Shop of Memphis, Complete Foreign & Domestic Auto Repair & Sales / 1767 S Prescott
Phone: 901-743-5007
“Boys learn so much more by doing and screwing up than by just being told how to do something. I’m that way. You can tell me until you’re blue in the face, but until I can do it myself and mess it up, I won’t learn anything from it. It’s important for kids to have that opportunity in a safe environment. They want responsibility; they want to do things. Same thing at home. Instead of my boys going to after-school care, they’ve been coming to work at the auto repair shop with me. Sometimes I tell them, ‘Go clean this’, and they’re reluctant about it, but sometimes I’m like, ‘Here, take this off, put this on.’ I’m watching them, of course. I don’t want them to get hurt, and I want to make sure they do it correctly, but they’re eating that up right now. I got involved in Scouts because of my sons, and I do Automotive Maintenance and Welding badges with the kids. I know I can offer something there. There are more than a hundred merit badges that expose these kids to science, mathematics, first aid, the outdoors---just about anything you can think of. I’ve seen all kinds of boys come through, from jocks to kids who are into the nerdier stuff, and they almost always find a place. Of course we’d like to see every one of them make it all the way through the ranks to Eagle Scout, but whether they do or not, they still gain a lot of skills along the way. They come away knowing how to do things, how to lead, and how to pass their knowledge on to the younger ones. It makes a difference.” Andrew "Norm" Alperin, Co-owner
The Shop of Memphis, Complete Foreign & Domestic Auto Repair & Sales / 1767 S Prescott Phone: 901-743-5007 “There are a lot of stereotypes, not just of black people but of white people too. Nobody should be stereotyped. We are all just people. We shouldn’t judge each other. I don’t want to allow myself to be labeled in a negative way; I want to bring out the positive. That’s what my spoken word piece I Be That Black Girl is about.” Jessica performed her piece I Be That Black Girl at Cloud901's Art Show on March 19, 2016: “People get pigeonholed on the basis of race. I live in north Memphis in a community that is almost all African-American, and no offense, but when I go to the suburbs, people look at me like I’m dangerous. There’s more to black people than just violence. Don’t stereotype us. I like having friends of different races; that’s how we learn from each other. My French II teacher is from Africa, so I’m getting to learn more about other cultures and I like that. It’s fun. I hope race relations get better in Memphis, but to be honest with you, I don’t think it’s looking too bright. There are places for teens like Cloud901, but right down the street you have gangs and people who are gang-affiliated. That kind of peer pressure can be deadly. For a lot of us, it feels like sports like volleyball and basketball are our only way out. To make it out, you have to be motivated and you have to know you can do it.” Chitara performed this piece for the Cloud901 Art Show on March 19, 2016:
JESSE: "We met online, and we've been engaged now for a couple of months. The first thing I noticed when I met her in person was her caring heart. She has a beautiful personality, a beautiful smile, a great laugh, and she's drama-free. I can relax with her." GG: "He's a hard worker, and he loves unconditionally. I like how straightforward he is too. He's honest and says exactly what he thinks. He tells it like it is, and I like that. We're together a lot, but we don't get tired of each other or get on each other's nerves. When we have differences, we discuss them. We don't get into an argument." Jesse Pearson, Trainer and Tutor
“My wife, children, and I lived in Togo, West Africa, for 10 years, helping with literacy programs and AIDS education, but then we decided to move back to Memphis. I’ve been teaching art for a year and a half now at Wooddale High School. Establishing myself and building a good rapport with students has given me purpose again. The school gets a lot of bad press, but that’s not the whole story. You’ve got a lot of kids here who deserve a chance. It’s not easy work, but life in Togo wasn't easy either. That's part of what makes it such a rich experience. The students are a little rough around the edges, but when they know that you’re here for them, they really become attached to you. Just knowing that you can invest in a child and that child can feel safe talking to you, that child can feel safe coming into your classroom, that child can do more because you’ve got their back, it’s a special thing. It's real; it's authentic. It definitely takes some time to build connections with the kids and start seeing the benefits, but the vast majority of my students want to learn; they want to do well. The majority are really good kids. I count it a privilege to teach here." Mark Kennell is an Art History and Visual Arts teacher at Wooddale High School.
"'I can do all things through Christ Jesus' is something I live by. My parents taught me that, and as I grew older, I found it to be true. I think it's important to pass that faith on to my daughter through being kind to people, being generous, and reading the Bible together. We pray every morning before she leaves for school. She's always asking me questions about the Bible, and we talk about it whenever and wherever. It seems like going places in the car is a good time for that. She'll ask me things like, 'Is there really a God?' and 'Why do we go to church?' and I try to help her understand."
"My mama is the most wonderful human being. She taught me to be independent. There were plenty of times when we were in rough situations, but she always held it together. I respect her so much for that."
“I grew up wanting to be a pilot. My dad was a pilot, and he took me up for my first airplane ride when I was about four. After that, I had the bug. I spent a lot of years flying corporate jets, then flew for FedEx for 30 years before I retired. It's hard work, you have to be away from your family for a week or two at a time, and you’ll definitely miss some birthdays and special events, but there’s a lot to love about it too. You get to travel, meet different people, see what life is like in other parts of the world, and experience things you might never experience otherwise. I especially remember one trip when we were flying across the north Atlantic. On that particular trip, Halley’s Comet was still visible. You could see it so clearly behind the Northern Lights, and we dimmed the lights in the cockpit and just watched it for a long time. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m a freshman now, but when I graduate, I’m planning to attend Parsons School of Design in New York. I’ve already submitted some of my work to them and they told me they're interested, so that’s where I’m going. I want to design clothes, purses, shoes, furniture, curtains, bed linens---anything and everything. I started drawing people and creating clothes for them when I was six years old. My grandmother taught me to sew, but I also made things that didn't require sewing: I took scraps and cut and tied the pieces together to make dresses. As I got older, I made clothes for myself, my little sisters, and for their Barbie dolls. When prom time comes, I’ll be making my own dress---something big, beautiful, and with bright colors. Right now, I’m working on four dresses to submit to Project Runway: Junior. It’s a show like American Idol, but for teenagers and focused on fashion. Contestants have to design and make whatever article of clothing they’re told to make. Then the models go down the runway, the judges vote, some contestants are sent home, and others are asked to stay for the next round. “Art is my major interest and I’d like to have my own art school someday, but I play piano, violin, guitar, and flute too, so I plan to compose music on the side. I also want to be an actress and a producer. They say you can be anything you want, so I’m planning to do as much as I can. I wish I could have a hundred lifetimes!” Isryel's winning design, made from Apple's iTunes cards, is called 'Eve-ning Gown': Isryel is the first freshman at her school and the first Art I student at her school to win a Gold Key for Excellence in Visual Arts in the Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Show. Her win is the first ever for her school in the category of Fashion Design.
"I'm able to help a lot of people on the street because I've been homeless myself since 2007. I have experience being out here. Sometimes people ask, 'How do you do it? How do you survive when you're homeless?' I just tell them, 'If you lose your job tomorrow, come to me and I'll tell you. My experience will be important to you then. You'll be looking to ME for help.'"
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March 2021
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