The Ally

I’ve always loved the month of September.   Not only because it’s the month I was born, but also because of the profound changes it brings.  From hot, humid days to cooler mornings and nights; the leaves start to lose their lushness, and the afternoon sun dims.  Sometimes, change can be hard. Yet sometimes, change can […]

It’s getting closer and closer!  Have you reserved your spot? This dynamic, inspiring and sure-to-be transformative conference is aimed at igniting hope and fostering resilience within the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.  Designed for leaders, board members, and changemakers passionate about driving positive change and making a lasting impact in their communities.  Don’t miss this optimal […]

Growing Up Knowing’s Facilitators are Its Mission-in-Action The real-life heroes of Growing Up Knowing are the facilitators who implement our three signature programs after school, often during the evening and/or weekends.  They are experts in their own fields of education, psychology, social work, mental health, and medicine.  They take difficult and often uncomfortable topics and […]

Meet the New Executive Director Kelly Headley is the new Executive Director for The Walker Foundation.  Kelly joined the foundation in February of this year.  Kelly is a lifelong Mississippian, having grown up in Vicksburg and then made her home in the Jackson area with her family for the last 25 years.  For over the […]

Volunteerism: Throwing Sparks, Sending Up Flares, and Helping Calm the Tumult “One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do to intervene in a stormy world is to stand up and show your soul… The light of the soul throws sparks, can send up flares, builds signal fires, causes proper matters to catch […]

Mississippi is All About Its People We recently enjoyed a visit with our partners from Fidelity Charitable®. A big takeaway learned from this trip is that Mississippi is all about its people. They were blown away by the hospitality, vibrant relationships, dedicated leadership, and of course, the fantastic food. We visited several local nonprofits and […]

As we embrace the warmth, or rather the heat, of August we find ourselves wrapping up another summer season, with students and staff returning to the classrooms and summer breaks and vacations coming to an end, inhale and take in the last of the sun-soaked days of summer. In this edition of our newsletter, just […]

MS Consortium Addresses Higher Education in PrisonsA trailblazing coalition is making headway to unite key partners and stakeholders to expand the state’s postsecondary education opportunities for incarcerated students. The Mississippi Consortium for Higher Education in Prison (MCHEP) seeks to reshape the landscape of higher education within Mississippi’s prison system. The collaboration includes the Mississippi Humanities […]

Baylee Bible joined the Alliance team back in July serving as our new Membership and Constituent Services Associate!  Her primary responsibilities are membership recruitment and retention as well as constituent support. A native Mississippian with roots in Collinsville located just north of Meridian, Baylee got her start in the nonprofit sector working for a local […]

The Alliance welcomes two new members to our 2023-24 Board of Directors!  Michael Dixon received his undergraduate degree from Palm Beach Atlantic University and his Masters of Divinity at Mercer University. In 2007, Michael founded Ekklesia Hattiesburg, a non-denominational church committed to serving those in need in Hattiesburg. Michael is the former director of Extra […]