After a rally held by community organization F.F.U.N. (Freedom From Unnecessary Negatives) in South Memphis on Saturday, 1,200 young people and their families are heading into a new school year with more than just new supplies but also information about health, wellness and violence prevention. 

While teachers, students, faculty members and parents across Memphis are gearing up for the school year, City Year, a nonprofit powered in partnership with AmeriCorps, is also getting into gear.

Parent-led community organization Memphis Lift joined with North Memphis businesses to provide school supplies to local children.

Weekdays, Josh Whitehead serves as planning director for Memphis and Shelby County. Weekends, he writes and takes photos for his history blog that has drawn a following. 

Ashley McHugh, Memphis Tourism’s first research director, said it’s “scary and fun” but not particularly creepy mining aggregated data on visitors to figure out where they come from and why.