Memphis Prep History

Begun by Frances Hooks and Jed Dreifus at Carver High School in 1969, the program soon expanded to other schools. Managed for several years by the Memphis Volunteers for Youth Counseling (formerly Memphis Volunteer Placement Program), it became part of Memphis Partners in July 1990. The Memphis Rotary Club/Foundation became a partner in this program in 1995, and assumed full administrative responsibility for the program from 2000-2006. In 2007, the program became an independent organization, known as the Memphis PREP Program.

In the summer of 2008, 113 students from 27 Memphis City Schools attended 30 summer programs. The students received approximately $400,000 in financial aid from the institutions they attended. Additional support for the students came from private donors, Memphis churches, Memphis Rotary Foundation, and the Plough Foundation.