Mario Hendrix

1156 Words3 Pages

In 1922, women from Calvary Episcopal Church and St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral established the Church Mission of Help, based on an outreach mission program at Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City. The program focused delinquent women and girls over sixteen who found themselves in difficult situations. The program was run by volunteers until 1924 when the first staff person was hired, Miss Theresa de Birmingham, as Executive Secretary. In 1925, Miss Agnes Grabau became Executive Secretary and served in that capacity until 1960. During her tenure, many changes occurred. The agency's name was changed to Youth Service on May 21, 1947, and the mission was expanded to include boys and to provide vocational counseling in 1948.

In 1962, the agency was incorporated as an independent non-profit organization known as Youth Service in Memphis. The Rev. Donald E. Mowery was hired as Executive Director in 1963 and served until 1994 when he retired. In the past, the agency had provided services to young people in its office. Father Don took his work to the streets. The agency became one of the first in Memphis to integrate its programs. During the civil unrest that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., it became increasingly difficult to find outdoor spaces to hold integrated activities. This prompted a partnership with the Naval Air Station in Millington. In 1988, a community volunteer, Rebecca Webb Wilson, brought a program called Bridge Builders to Youth Service. Her idea was to bring together high school students from diverse backgrounds for summer conferences and year-long activities that would build leadership skills while simultaneously forging ties between future leaders of the community. The program b...

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...nute of it. To get to the point he is at now, Mario has acquired countless hours of training. Being a participant in the program, manager’s training, college degrees, and youth training conferences have all prepared Mario to perform his job to the best of his abilities. Mario is very passionate about his profession and truly believes that youth can make a difference. Having experienced the program first-hand as a child, Mario is aware of the thoughts and feelings students may experience. Mario uses this information to modify the program to be able to touch as many students as possible. As Mario stands at the graduation from the program each year, he looks out at the many faces about to embark on a new adventure into the real world. His only hope is that the teachings they acquired will be put into action to create a better tomorrow for themselves and the community.

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