Amelia Rose Earhart—the youngest woman to fly around the world in a single engine aircraft and namesake to the famed aviation pioneer Amelia Mary Earhart—is the keynote speaker for the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis’ (WFGM) 26th Annual Tribute Luncheon on April 28 at The Peabody Memphis from 11:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

The largest signature fundraising event for WFGM, the Luncheon will assemble more than 1,000 community and business leaders. In-person seating options are sold out but participants can still join the Luncheon’s virtual livestream.

Earhart, an artist and a former TV news broadcaster, completed her private and commercial flight training and raised funds to venture on a 28,000-mile trip around the globe in 2014. She founded the Fly With Amelia Foundation which sends young girls to flight school.

This year’s Annual Tribute Luncheon presenting sponsor is FedEx. “FedEx  is pleased to celebrate our 22^nd year as a sponsor of the Annual Tribute Luncheon,” said Monica Skipper, Vice President , Global Brand and Reputation. “As a champion for change, the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis combines philanthropy, leadership, grant-making, research and advocacy to help create a culture of opportunity for families. When women are empowered, families are stronger. When families are stronger, our communities can thrive.”

Individual virtual tickets to the Annual Tribute Luncheon and Leadership Symposium are $100 and can be purchased at wfgm.org. All proceeds directly support the overarching purpose of Vision 2025 - to increase investment and reduce poverty in five Memphis neighborhoods by 2025.

“Our Vision 2020’s strategic plan was to reduce poverty by five percent in 38126, Memphis’ poorest zip code,” said Ruby Bright, President and CEO of the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis. “Over five years, WFGM invested $7.1 million in programs providing residents in 38126 with case management, employment training, early childhood education, youth development and financial literacy. Poverty was reduced by 3% and we are now building on the impact and expanding the model to four additional communities.”

Ticket holders will also have access to the virtual Leadership Symposium on April 14, where guests will attend sessions led by local women leaders who will offer valuable insight featuring topics to advance the mind and career. The Leadership Symposium is presented by Baptist Memorial Health Care.

“Like the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis, we support economic mobility for women,” said Ann Marie Wallace, Senior Community Outreach Coordinator at Baptist Memorial Health Care. “We’ve been a partner with the Foundation for more than 10 years and by helping women and their families succeed, we can improve not only their financial health, but also their mental, spiritual and physical well-being.” This too is critical to our mission at Baptist Memorial Health Care.

The signature scarf designed yearly and specifically for WFGM created by renowned designer Hilton Hollis, is sponsored by Independent Bank. This year’s design will be unveiled during the Luncheon.

ABOUT THE WOMEN’S FOUNDATION FOR A GREATER MEMPHIS

For 26 years, The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) has played a major role as a backbone organization aligning people, resources, and coordinating community-based services through the two-generation approach to reduce poverty. The mission of WFGM is to encourage philanthropy, foster leadership among women and support programs that enable women and children to reach their full potential. Since 1996, WFGM has awarded over $33 million to more than 560 programs involving more than 182 local non-profits, including investments in advocacy and research.