Memphis Union Mission serves the city’s homeless community. A local Memphis DJ and University of Memphis student uses his time away from the turntables to give back to the Memphis community by hosting events catering to the city’s impoverished people.
A local Memphis DJ and University of Memphis student uses his time away from the turntables to give back to the Memphis community by hosting events catering to the city’s impoverished people.
Leonard Holcombe, also known as DJ KVNG, founded the 901 Hope Project in November 2018 and hosted its first community service event, ‘Hats and Hot Tea.’ The event took place at Brinson’s Downtown, in which more than 150 homeless individuals attended. Holcombe collaborated with the event’s co-founder, Eric Brinson, who said the presence of this type of community service is beneficial for the city. Holcombe and Brinson both share the same motivation to make a difference for those in need.
“I decided to coordinate this event because there needs to be action done for the community, and we need people to improve Memphis,†Brinson said.
In preparation for the event, Holcombe set up donation drives at local Memphis businesses which collected clothing and nonperishable items.
“We gave the items away during an event called ‘Hats and Hot Tea,’ where we laid the clothing out and let them have a shopping experience because it was on Black Friday,†Holcombe said. “We delivered Olive Garden to them, and they picked out their own food, toothbrushes, hats, clothes and shoes.â€
Memphis Union Mission serves the city’s homeless community. A local Memphis DJ and University of Memphis student uses his time away from the turntables to give back to the Memphis community by hosting events catering to the city’s impoverished people.
Holcombe’s latest community service project was the Bounce Back Initiative, which included job fairs, mental health forums and an outreach event that assists the men, women and at-risk youth of the community.
“For the first project in November, my motivation for that was I realized I had a platform, and a lot of people around me have a platform,†Holcombe said. “Not many people use their platform to help others scale that large. My other motivation was for me to help make Memphis better. Memphis has a pretty decent-sized homeless community, especially Downtown and on Poplar and Union. I grew up in a community where I saw it, and I wanted to make sure that I helped to give back in some way.â€
During the event, the participants discussed their motivations, personal issues and plans to get back on their feet. After the discussion, they completed applications that outlined their strengths and skills.
“The biggest reason why I decided to do the Bounce Back Initiative was because, in order for you to be a part of it, you really had to be motivated and had to have a drive to do it,†Holcombe said. “You can’t just come in and say you want a job and you just get it. You have to actually try and get yourself out of that situation. We’re here to help you, but you have to try.â€
The program will meet every month and focus on holding each program member accountable for themselves and their actions.
Holcombe said he intends to maintain his community service projects on a monthly basis and plans to initiate a school program addressing ways for students to remain focused.
“We’re working on getting into schools, so we can help children who lack resources like jackets for the winter or a new pair of shoes after Christmas,†Holcombe said. “We want to help those kids, so they can stay motivated and enrolled in school. We plan on regularly visiting about 30 schools, finding kids that want or need mentoring or someone to hang with. Once we get everything arranged, we plan to have a facility where people can come and meet and talk with us outside of just going to the Union or visiting kids’ schools.â€
