MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Thursday night a managing partner with Graceland Holdings spoke to the Whitehaven community discussing elaborate plans to expand and add more jobs.
There are big ideas for Whitehaven, specifically the area around Graceland.
“How do we uplift and make the community better? It’s really three simple words: jobs, jobs and jobs,” said Joel Weinshanker, managing partner with Graceland Holdings.
He’s talking about jobs for youth too.
The city of Memphis and county are already working to employ students during the summer, giving them not only something to do but instilling a strong work ethic, preparing them for the future.
Weinshanker is talking about taking it a step further as he hopes Graceland’s reach in Whitehaven grows.
“We have been speaking with and continue to speak to offering high school juniors and seniors apprenticeships at Graceland when they graduate and then once they graduate we would pay for them to go to school to become an electrician, to become a plumber.”
He says he wants to make the process sustainable.
“But while they’re going to school we’re going to give them 20 hours so they have pocket money so they have money, so they can help their families so they can do both at the same time.”
Educator Melody Poe says hearing plans like this are encouraging, to hopefully bring change.
“What it does for our young people which is very important to me because that’s what I do every day is give them an opportunity to see another way in their own neighborhood.”