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Thursday, March 28, 2024

National Mentor Month: recognizing those who give back to city’s youth

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The year was 1984. The world was dazzled by Mary Lou Retton and Carl Lewis at the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angeles. These two captivated television audiences as the United States went on to win a combined 174 medals, of which 83 were gold. While all the hoopla was happening as a result of the Olympics, not everyone felt victorious, especially a collective of African-American men from across Central Indiana who pooled their resources to form 100 Black Men of Indianapolis Inc. The goal was to combat challenges facing African-American youth within the community. There were a myriad of challenges, however, the focus would be on reading and math. The solution was mentoring, these men wanted to invest their time, talent and treasure in youth. Mentoring would be the vehicle to move youth out of poverty in hopes that they, too, would become productive members of society. Since 1984 the organization has been led by some of Central Indiana’s finest men of distinction: Acey Byrd, Clarence Crain, Murvin Enders, Moses Gray, Holbrook Hankinson, Jerry Harkness and current President James Duke. We are grateful for their combined 100-plus years of mentoring youth of Central Indiana. We are proud to say The 100 has met and exceeded the goals from 1984. However, WE can’t rest on our laurels. There is still plenty of opportunity to mentor youth. Our young people can use our mentorship NOW more than ever. I want to invite men of distinction to join the movement to impact the lives of youth in Central Indiana. This year The 100 will celebrate 35 years of mentoring thousands of students, providing more than a million dollars in scholarships, and thousands of volunteer hours impacting students. Through our core programs: Beautillion Militaire, College Connections, Financial Literacy, Robotics, Summer Academy and Team Mentoring. Many of the students served are now leaders in a plethora of sectors. WE couldn’t have achieved this milestone without our membership, volunteers, staff and partners.

Thanks to ALL for your dedication to our youth!

 

Ontay Johnson is executive director of 100 Black Men of Indianapolis Inc.

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