(L-R) Truist Alabama Regional President Burton McDonald; Truist Chief Teammate Officer and Head of Enterprise Diversity Kim Moore-Wright; STRIVE Birmingham ‘23 Graduate Speaker Shakita Rivers; STRIVE Birmingham Executive Director Quiwintre Frye; Truist Foundation President Lynette Bell; and STRIVE President & CEO Phil Weinberg on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, Birmingham, Alabama. Photo credit: Heavyn Jordan.
On Wednesday, August 23, 2023, STRIVE and Truist gathered in Birmingham with local partners to celebrate the $1 million in funding. The funding will help fuel the launch of STRIVE Birmingham and provide crucial support for STRIVE as we embark on our ambitious ten-year growth plan to further expand our programs and services nationally, bringing increased access to economic mobility for those most disconnected from opportunity in communities across the country.
STRIVE Birmingham Executive Director Quiwintre Frye and STRIVE President & CEO Phil Weinberg were joined by Truist Foundation President Lynette Bell, Truist Chief Teammate Officer and Head of Enterprise Diversity Kim Moore-Wright and Truist Alabama Regional President Burton McDonald, to speak before local community and employer partners, investors, staff and members of the local press, about the funding.
"Truist Foundation aims to fulfill Truist's purpose of inspiring and building better lives and communities, which often begins with helping build pathways to steady employment and financial independence," said Lynette Bell, President of Truist Foundation. "We believe we can help communities achieve this through increasing access to training, creating professional networks and breaking barriers to employment, especially for those in historically excluded communities, and that is exactly the type of work STRIVE seeks to do in Birmingham and beyond."
At the time of the announcement STRIVE Birmingham had just completed a pilot of its job-training program preparing students for careers in nonclinical healthcare and office operations and has already begun classes with a new cohort of students who have seen the power of STRIVE and are ready to take control of their lives and build the careers they dream of. Over time, STRIVE Birmingham expects to serve 100 students annually.
STRIVE Birmingham pilot graduate, Shakita Rivers, spoke at the Truist event as a representative of her cohort. Shakita shared why she chose STRIVE and encouraged others in her community to sign up and spread the word about our life-changing programs and services. Shakita also reflected on how she got so much more out of STRIVE than she had anticipated:
“I learned to trust myself and the decisions I make, and to stay confident in building the life I want for myself,” said Shakita. “I 100% would recommend STRIVE to anyone who is seeking more for their career and life. I truly believe that STRIVE can open doors for so many Birmingham residents who, like me, just need a little jumpstart to get on the right path.”
STRIVE students are 92% BIPOC, 44% justice-impacted and 41% parents of minor children. With an 80% graduation rate, 75% placement rate and 70% retention rate, STRIVE is uniquely successful in helping those facing the toughest societal barriers to employment access the training and support needed to build a family-sustaining career and break the cycle of systemic poverty for good.
"We've just announced our new growth plan, which involves significant expansion of our national impact over the course of the next decade”, said Phil Weinberg, STRIVE President & CEO. “Our vision is ambitious in terms of both the new cities we will be engaging and the individuals we will be serving annually, with an increased focus on justice-impacted populations. This well-timed grant arrived during a historic and exciting time for STRIVE and will be a tremendous support as we amplify the STRIVE impact right here in Birmingham, in Atlanta, and next year, New Orleans."
STRIVE Birmingham is currently operating in a temporary workspace. We are grateful for the ongoing support of early local partner Woodlawn United who continues to ensure STRIVE Birmingham can hold classes while a permanent location is established. Stay tuned for the announcement and ribbon cutting.
STRIVE currently operates in 14 locations across the country, including the recently announced New Orleans site, which is slated to open in 2024. As we leverage new knowledge and insights from this expansion process, we will work to continue advancing growth in other new cities and existing locations over the next decade as we expand from serving 2,000 people annually in 2023 to 10,000 people annually by 2033.