Shipt team members will lead monthly mentorship sessions with Birmingham City students to help increase students’ job readiness with career discussions and coaching

Today, Shipt is thrilled to share, as part of our one million dollar investment into The Birmingham Promise, that we launched our Magic City Mentorship Program this week. This program will have 14 Birmingham-based Shipt team members each serving as mentors to small cohorts of 11th grade students from Woodlawn High School and Wenonah High School in the Birmingham City school system. The Shipt team members come from various career backgrounds, including finance, communications, engineering, and all came to their current roles through a variety of traditional and non-traditional career paths. Before starting the program, students were asked to fill out an introductory survey and over 60% of students shared that they have never had a mentor before. 

“Mentorship made all the difference in my life, and getting that support at a young age can be transformative,” said Kamau Witherspoon, CEO of Shipt. “As a Birmingham company, it is especially meaningful for Shipt to partner with The Birmingham Promise and launch the Magic City Mentorship Program. We are eager to get to know these students and support them on their journeys to success.”

“As someone who grew up in the City of Birmingham, I know the importance of giving back to the communities that raised us. That's why it's so encouraging to see companies like Shipt pouring back into their hometown. From financial support to team members who are volunteering to mentor the next generation of leaders, Shipt is a great example of servant leadership in our city,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin. 

During their first monthly session this week, Shipt mentors and Birmingham City students gathered together to meet each other and took a personality assessment that offered more insight into each of the students. After taking the personality test, students were assigned to the mentor group to talk about how their traits show up in different environments. Future monthly sessions will include topics and engagements around career exposure, career path opportunities and support with applying for The Birmingham Promise internship program. 

"Shipt's decision to back up its financial commitment with the Magic City Mentorship Program is nothing less than extraordinary,” said Samantha Williams, executive director of Birmingham Promise. "This is exactly the kind of investment in our students that the city needs, and we are beyond thankful to Shipt for being such a leader in this space.”

Through this program, Shipt aims to help prepare students for future successful careers, while bringing awareness to high demand job opportunities in Birmingham. The Magic City Mentorship Program connects to Shipt’s broader commitment to leveling the economic playing field for Black and other underrepresented populations, especially in our hometown. Last year, Shipt awarded nearly $250,000 in microgrants to organizations who focused on food security, economic disparities and youth workforce development. To further this work in our communities that need it the most, we also work with national partners such as Feeding America and the American Red Cross.