The headline in last Thursday’s Augusta Chronicle ‘Juvenile Crime up 23% in Richmond in the last year’ was troubling. So much so that I teamed up with a friend who manages three Waffle House restaurants and three local organizations that work directly with at-risk and disenfranchised boys to do something about it. A press conference was held Wednesday and once again the local media were there. Our CBS and NBC affiliate, our daily newspaper and the black owned weekly newspaper were there and gave us much coverage and much love. In about 24 hours, we’ve got over 60 men who have signed up to serve as mentors for our young boys. Our goal is 250 men, by August 7th, who commit to at least one hour per week with a young man. It seems we’re well on our way. We’ve even attracted people who want to help ‘recruit’ men to get involved. I’m blown away by the response we’ve received in such a short time…
The following article was featured in today’s Augusta Chronicle. http://www.augustachronicle.com
Helen Blocker-Adams met with media and community partners Wednesday about filling the void of father figures in the lives of Richmond County’s young males. // <
Mrs. Blocker-Adams, a talk show host on WNRR-AM 1230, said she was disturbed after reading in The Augusta Chronicle that juvenile crime has increased 23 percent in the past three months, compared to the same time last year. That should be a wake-up call to Augusta, she said.
“Juvenile crime is just off the Richter scale,” she told a crowd in front of the Waffle House on Gordon Highway on Wednesday. “We have to find some surrogate fathers for these young males because a lot them don’t have one.”
She and Escubar Moore, the district manager of three Augusta Waffle House restaurants, will sponsor the Back to School Men’s Drive for Kids, a campaign to recruit positive male role models for Augusta’s male youth.
By July 27, Mrs. Blocker-Adams and Mr. Moore hope to sign up 250 men to volunteer with local mentoring agencies: Dads in Action, An Ounce of Prevention and Full Circle Refuge Juvenile Justice Ministry.
Mr. Moore said men can sign up at Waffle House locations on Gordon Highway, Deans Bridge Road and Wrightsboro Road. The men are asked to give one hour a week with one of the three mentoring agencies. About 75 men had signed up to volunteer as of Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Moore said.
“I hope we blow that number away and have even more,” he said. “That 250 hours per week can make a whole lot of difference in our community.”
Devon Harris, the executive director of the Full Circle Refuge Juvenile Justice Ministry, has worked with troubled youth for several years. He said the statistics are not surprising. A positive male in the lives of some of the young men in his program could make a difference in their lives and have an impact on the community, Mr. Harris said.
“We want to think it’s somebody else’s problem or the government’s problem, but we have to plant the seed,” he said. “These young men are looking for guidance. They want someone to invest in their lives.”
Reach Stephanie Toone at (706) 823-3215 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.
Project Logic Ga 
I wish you well HBA in your continued efforts to improve the community on many different levels. I personally like the mentor concept as well as the idea of helping shape up the actual fathers and attempts to get people to consider when and if they start families.
President Obama speech before the NAACP yesterday gave me goosebumps and will always believe that the moderate and conservative mindset in our community planning and actions would improve our situation and future without coordination with the existing political establishment and a minimum amount of governmental support.
The impact of mentors can be tremendous; even when it is the one time exposure of a man who stands tall, honors his commitments, is cool yet intelligent and deliberate in his actions.
Thanks Slyram. My phone is still ringing. I had a man who called yesterday. Sent me an e-mail this morning say that he is a member of the Masons and their particular chapter is interested in getting involved as mentors. Our men are really stepping up to the plate. A friend sent me some statistics on how effective mentoring is and it’s as follows:
A study by Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America reports that confidence is just one of the benefits from having a mentor.
Mentored kids are also more likely to grow up and have a four-year college degree, a job making over $75,000 a year and have more meaningful relationships with their friends and family.
Experts say mentors can even help kids who even have good role models in mom and dad. “The child needs someone that’s special to them. It’s someone that [they] can talk to sometimes when [they] can’t talk to [their] parent,” says Janice McKenzie-Crayton of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
But before signing off on any mentor, parents need to ask questions to make sure the mentor is right for their child.
“The parent ought be told the likes and dislikes of the volunteer, the background of the volunteer, what the volunteer’s involved with, what work they do, etc.,” McKenzie-Crayton says.
Tips for Parents
Mentoring is derived from a Greek word that means “enduring.” It is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as “a sustained relationship between a youth and an adult. Through continued involvement, the adult offers support, guidance and assistance as the younger person goes through a difficult period, faces new challenges or works to correct earlier problems.” Mentors can play a critical role, especially in situations where parents are unavailable or unable to provide responsible guidance for their children.
Why are mentors needed? In addition to the increase in single-parent homes and two-parent working families, statistics show that each day in the United States, nearly 7,000 students drop out of school and over 2,700 unwed teenage girls become pregnant.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, mentoring programs generally serve the following broad purposes:
* Educational or academic mentoring helps young people improve their overall academic achievement.
* Career mentoring helps mentored youth develop the necessary skills to enter or continue on a career path.
* Personal development mentoring supports mentored youth during times of personal or social stress and provides guidance for decision-making.
How successful can mentoring be? According to statistics from Creative Mentoring, a mentoring program in Delaware, surveyed teachers reported the following changes in students who took part in the program:
* Approximately 67% experienced an increase in self-confidence.
* About 51% improved their attitudes toward learning.
* An estimated 47% exhibited better cooperation.
* Approximately 43% improved their reading skills.
* About 40% completed more assigned tasks.
* Nearly 36% increased their ability to work independently.
* About 37% increased their ability to work well with others.
* An estimated 42% took more responsibility.
* About 46% improved their self-control.
There’s an organization called Connect with Kids that provided this information.
I can’t wait for our Information meeting on August 12th where these men will come together for a Meet ‘n Greet and get a chance to meet the Executive Directors for Full Circle Refuge, Dads in Action and Ounce of Prevention Services.
Let’s not forget that our old friend K.B. is doing her thing with youth through golf over in Savannah. Below is a news video about a fundraiser a professional group is having for that program.
I love it; getting into the community and getting it done with real people.
http://www.thecoastalsource.com/content/community/story/YPS-Luau-to-Benefit-First-Tee/l5dp7N5Va0O8dzBLSp1auA.cspx
YPS Luau to Benefit First Tee | The Coastal Source
First Tee is an excellent program and our Augusta chapter does a great job as well. I attended a Charity Softball game last Saturday that was sponsored by the Young Professionals of Augusta(YPA) and Aiken Young Professionals. They raised almost $4,000 for two local organizations. By the way, I’m the speaker this coming Tuesday for the YPA group. They want me to talk about politics/networking and business. I think I might be able to come up with a thing or two about those topics…
Helping young boys and girls is a must and programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sister help a ton.
They make you feel better too.
Frank
Do Good While you Search and Help Big Brothers and Big Sisters http://www.DoGreatGood.com