A local amphitheater for the Soulsville USA community is being built adjacent to Jim and Samella’s House restaurant on Bullington Avenue.
 
Talbert Fleming is a part-owner of Jim and Samella’s. He said the amphitheater will serve the community as a free facility for arts performances. The amphitheater will be equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, lighting, outdoor kitchen and full-service herb garden.
 
The project deadline is April 30 to raise $8,264. The official fundraising stage for ioby Green Up’s awardees began March 1. The public can support these initiatives through monetary donations or volunteer signups.
 
Donated dollars will be matched one-to-one through March 23.
 
Ioby helps neighborhoods grow and implement ideas with a “crowd-resourcing” platform that connects leaders with funding and support. The crowdfunding of small donations online is added to community organizers who are best equipped to support the long-term success of a cause or project.
 
There will be a variety of seating, including tables made out of large cable spools and lounges created from pallets.
 
“We’re focused on the community and on Memphis,” Fleming said. “There is so much talent and I’d like to see it in this open space.”
 
The facility will be free to use and available on a sign-up basis. Any organization wanting to use it for a fundraiser can do so as long as they donate 25 percent of the funds to a nonprofit organization.
 
“We’re looking at jazz, blues or dance,” Fleming said. “I’m looking to bring in something on a small scale, an arts festival.”
 
The Baptist Memorial Health Care Foundation has given $2,500, and the Memphis-Shelby County Office of Re-Entry will make a donation, Fleming said.
 
For information about the campaign, go to https://www.ioby.org/project/jim-samellas-neighborhood.