Men of Color group celebrating 3rd year of mentoring youth

A reception tonight and an all-schools event Wednesday are part of a continuing initiative to keep young men on a track toward becoming positive contributors as adults.

“It’s really important to this community, especially as we address the needs of our young men who are in the community who are struggling sometimes to meet the challenges that seem to be more prevalent for them than for the non-African American men,” said Dayton City Commissioner Jeffery Mims Jr., who also is a part of the Dayton Men of Color Committee, which is behind tonight and Wednesday’s special events.

Tonight, a reception is being held to mark the third annual Men of Color Go Back to School event. Tom Maultsby, United Way of the Greater Dayton Area president and CEO, is the keynoter for the event.

The event is presented in cooperation with Mayor Nan Whaley’s City of Learners Initiative, President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Challenge, the area United Way, Dayton Public Schools and the Dayton Education Association.

Wednesday, Mims and volunteers from across the region will visit Dayton Public Schools to meet with the young men in the program that is framed around several goals.

Mims said the program’s goals are:

  • To allow young men of color to see successful men from all walks of life, to understand there are men who have set the paths for the young
  • To help the young men understand they have value
  • To gather a pool of men in the community who understand the importance of their giving back

“So many men don’t realize they are role models,” said Mims, who notes that he has been the recipient of the gifts of mentors.

“I thank all of the men who have taken time,” he said.