RISE Memphis Caps an Award-Winning Year With a Sold-Out Gala and New Legacy Partner Awards

MEMPHIS, TN (October 13, 2026) – RISE Memphis will welcome supporters, partners, and neighbors to its annual Together We RISE Gala on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Avon Acres. This year’s gala will bring together community members, donors, and partners to celebrate RISE Memphis’ achievements and support its essential programs, including Save Up, Goal Card, Silver Neighbors, and the Greater Memphis Financial Empowerment Center (GMFEC). For over two decades, these programs have helped thousands of youth, adults, and seniors manage finances, build wealth, and transform their lives.

For the first time, RISE Memphis will present its Legacy Partner Awards, recognizing Memphis organizations that have helped RISE pursue its mission of transforming the financial well-being of low-income working people, thereby improving the community.

The inaugural Legacy Partner Award honorees are:

• International Paper

• Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis

• Orgill

• Paragon Bank

  
  

“Everything RISE has accomplished, we’ve accomplished alongside partners who believed in Memphis families before the results were in,” says Malcom Rawls, executive director of RISE Memphis. These organizations and corporations have helped us open doors for thousands of our neighbors. The Legacy Partner Awards are our way of saying thank you.”

The gala will also cap a milestone year for RISE Memphis. In 2026, the organization was named Nonprofit of the Year by Leadership Memphis and was recognized as a Best Places to Work honoree by the Memphis Business Journal. The honors reflect both the reach of RISE’s work in the community and the care the organization shows its own team, the people who walk alongside participants every day.

The 2026 RISE Gala is made possible by the generous support of Nancy & Randy Williams, International Paper, Regions, Paragon Bank, Evolve Bank & Trust, ER2, Inclusive Excellence Consulting, Sorkaty Capital Advisors, Preserver Partners, Orion Financial, Bank3, Patriot Bank, Watkins Uiberall, Huey’s Memphis, Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, Shelby County Trustee, Memphis Housing Authority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Phi Lambda Omega Chapter, and Technologx.

Although gala tickets are no longer available, there is still a way for everyone to be part of the evening. Community members who would like to support RISE Memphis can make a gift of any size at risememphis.org/donate.

For more information about RISE Memphis or partnership opportunities, please contact DeVonté Payton at devonte@risememphis.org or 901-246-3453.

For all media inquiries or interview requests, please contact Jasmine Phillips Jones at jasmine@phillipsmediaagency.com or (662) 417-3859.

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About RISE Memphis:

RISE Foundation was founded in 1999 as a joint effort of the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, Memphis Housing Authority, and United Way of the Mid-South to help break the cycle of poverty and its effects, including bankruptcy, foreclosure, unemployment, and crime. RISE – Realizing Income Stability Empowerment. To learn more about RISE Memphis and its programs, visit https://risememphis.org/.

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