Our inaugural Our City, Our Story series of events premiered in fall 2019. Visit this page for news about the 2020 event. 

Based on MIFA's founding values and the issues addressed by its programs, Our City, Our Story is designed to inspire, foster unity, and forge community conversation.

In 2019, we explored the realities of homelessness with a community-wide reading of The Hundred Story Home by award-winning author and life-changing advocate for the homeless, Kathy Izard of Charlotte, North Carolina. In September, we partnered with Second Baptist Church, Kathy, and a panel of local experts to talk about the challenges, causes and solutions to ending homelessness in our own community. We ended our three-part series of events with a benefit luncheon where Kathy shared her story of personal and community transformation that began with a question—"Where are the beds?"—and ended with over 100 formerly homeless people living in homes of their own.

Click here to see more pictures from these inspiring events!

The Hundred Story Home by Kathy Izard

The Hundred Story Home: A Memoir about Finding Faith in Ourselves and Something Bigger captures Kathy Izard's search for purpose and how a combination of doubt, faith, and doing the right thing led to something extraordinary—building permanent housing for the homeless in her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. 

The Hundred Story Home Reading Toolkit

Click here for The Hundred Story Home toolkit for individuals, book clubs, and other groups designed to enhance the reading experience, learn more about homelessness in our community, and ways you can help.

Thanks to the following who made Our City, Our Story 2019 possible:

Ellen & BJ Losch
Jeff & Laurie Meskin
State Systems, Inc.
Burroughs Foundation
Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Pfizer Inc.
Trustmark Bank
United Parcel Service
Dorothy & Herb Wells