Lontina McGary personifies resilience. A former Foote Homes resident, she has overcome many barriers as a single mother of two daughters. Lontina was a recipient of wraparound services from Urban Strategies, Inc. (USI) and in a true full-circle moment, she is now an employee at USI and gives back to others in her community.

In 2022, Lontina worked on family, personal and career goals with a family support specialist at USI. Her goal was to find a better job to connect with people.

Later that year, USI hired Lontina as an ambassador outreach specialist to recruit participants to the Renters Advantage Program for help with financial services and repairing their credit. She has excelled in her new role and enjoys giving back to others.

“I go to places in the community such as libraries and community centers and reach out to people to educate them on how to remove some of the barriers that are keeping them from moving forward in life,” she said.

She is thankful for the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM) for providing services and opportunities for personal growth when she needed it as a Foote Homes resident. She also expressed gratitude for WFGM’s investment in programs that meet the needs of the community.

“I am grateful to the Women’s Foundation for being in my life, for helping me make a change in my life and for showing me how important my life is. Because once you realize how important your own life is, you’re able to help others as well.

Giving back is now a ministry for me. It’s important for me to give back because I was helped.”

Self-determined and optimistic, Lontina’s next goal is to obtain her associate’s degree.

WFGM is committed to building a community where women and children have access to social and economic mobility. Together with our Grantee Partners like Urban Strategies, Inc., we will continue to help break the cycle of poverty and create systemic change for the Memphis community, one family at a time.