Knoxville Area Urban League establishes $250,000 scholarship in honor of retiring leader

Phyllis Young Nichols Scholarship to assist area students with access to higher education The legacy of the Knoxville Area Urban League’s longtime leader, Phyllis Y. Nichols, will continue with a $250,000 scholarship endowment for youth that was announced Oct. 27 at the nonprofit’s annual Equal Opportunity Awards Gala. Created by the organization’s board members, business leaders and community supporters, the … Read More

Knoxville Area Urban League selects Charles F. Lomax Jr. as its new leader

The Knoxville Area Urban League has selected Charles F. Lomax Jr. as its new president and chief executive officer to succeed the retiring Phyllis Y. Nichols, who led the organization for two decades. Lomax, the City of Knoxville’s director of community empowerment, will assume the leadership position on Dec. 12, 2022. Lomax emerged from a pool of candidates considered during … Read More

Knoxville Area Urban League supports students with 20th annual ‘Shoes for School’

An estimated 6,000 people attended the Knoxville’s Area Urban League’s 20th annual “Shoes for School” event, which provided local children with new shoes and school supplies and connected families with valuable community resources. The back-to-school bash was presented by sponsors Covenant Health, Pilot Company and TVA. Knox County students stocked up on items at Caswell Park before returning to school … Read More

Knoxville Area Urban League announces retirement of longtime CEO Phyllis Y. Nichols

National search underway to identify organization’s next leader The Knoxville Area Urban League today announced the retirement of Phyllis Y. Nichols, the organization’s longtime president and CEO and a highly regarded leader of one of the country’s best-known civil rights organizations. Nichols will conclude her nearly 30-year career with the Knoxville Area Urban League in September and is the longest-serving … Read More

Knoxville Area Urban League awards $16,000 to local entrepreneurs, receives $10,000 investment

The conclusion of the Knoxville Area Urban League’s CO.STARTERS training and business pitch competition ended in celebration June 7. Mark Isom, president and CEO of Premiere Building Maintenance, presented checks totaling $10,000 to the top three winners and surprised the other six participants with $1,000 each. Verizon also announced a $10,000 grant  to support the program’s positive impact in the … Read More

Knoxville Area Urban League earns inaugural Stanley Black & Decker Makers Grant

Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) has announced the recipients of its first “Empower Makers” Global Impact Challenge, and the Knoxville Area Urban League earned $27,000 for its efforts to empower East Tennesseans with opportunities to earn. Initiated in 2021, the Global Impact Challenge grant program will award up to $25 million in grant funding over the next five years … Read More

Knoxville Area Urban League to hire 20 community health navigators with national funding to bolster vaccination rates

The Knoxville Area Urban League will be able to hire 20 community health navigators after being awarded funding with five other National Urban League affiliates to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among the hardest-hit and highest-risk communities. Other affiliates that received funds are in Houston, Texas; Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and St. Louis, Missouri. The Knoxville affiliate, … Read More

Knoxville Area Urban League receives $10,000 housing grant from Bank of America

The Knoxville Area Urban League has been awarded a grant to support  housing stability programs by Bank of America. The $10,000 grant will support the Knoxville Area Urban League’s housing programs that educate families on the processes of purchasing a home and provides counseling to help clients keep their homes. “Bank of America continues to be a valued partner, supporting … Read More