Community Weekly Report 20

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Volume 2, Edition 20

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Inspire, Inform & Educate

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May 20 - May 26, 2021

Page 3

Council Member Edward Pollard

Mentors Youth With Suits for Success and Belts for Boys Page 2

5 Ways to Go Beyond Saying ‘Thank You’ to Military Service Members

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5 Ways to Go Beyond Saying ‘Thank You’ to Military Service Members By d-mars.com News Provider

H

ow do you thank someone who’s willing to risk their life for yours? When it comes to military service members and their families, advocates say there are many avenues for giving back meaningfully.

As part of its “Give More Than Thanks” campaign celebrating 80 years of being the “Force Behind the Forces,” the United Service Organizations (USO) is inviting Americans to take actions that can make a tangible difference in the lives of service members. Here are five ideas to get you started: 1. Offer Skills or Services. Many service members face difficulties translating the skills and experience they acquired in the military to civilian jobs. Others struggle to adjust to the norms of the civilian workforce. Meanwhile, military spouses face professional obstacles throughout their service member’s career due to constant moves and deployments. Consider offering career advice or volunteering to guest lecture via military transition programs, such as the USO Pathfinder Transition Program, which equips service members and military spouses with tools needed to tackle the civilian job market. If you own a business or are a leader in a company, advocate for hiring qualified veterans.

By offering practical support, you’re not only thanking service members, you’re helping build an inclusive community that bridges the civilian-military divide.

2. Send a Care Package. Care packages filled with treats and reminders of home let troops know that friends, family and the American people are thinking of them, even from thousands of miles away. However,

the process of sending military care packages can be complicated. One easy way to do so is through USO Wishbook, where you can select a symbolic gift from a catalog to be sent to service members.

3. Support Military Spouses. Deployments are

challenging for both service members and their spouses. Reach out to a military spouse whose service member is deployed and offer to cook their family dinner, or to pick up groceries. Simply reaching out to see how they are doing can also make all the difference.

4. Volunteer. Put your gratitude into action. Many USO locations across the country need volunteers who can facilitate programs and events – virtually or safely in person – that provide the military community with the support needed to carry out their missions.

5. Donate. The USO has been expressing its thanks to service members by supporting the troops since World War II. Today, that gratitude is shown in USO locations around the globe; these brick-and-mortar centers serve as a home away from home for deployed service members, and a place of respite for the larger military community. USO programming keeps deployed troops connected to loved ones, provides resources for service members and their families and boosts the morale of the entire military community through entertainment and other supportive events. Charitable donations to the USO help make that mission possible.

To learn more about the USO’s work and discover additional ways to give more thanks, visit USO.org/ morethanthanks and follow the conversation at #MoreThanThanks.

“Our service members and their families’ sacrifices require us to rise to the challenge. All Americans, united in spirit and action, can change the lives and communities of our military, and thus, our country, for the better,” says J.D. Crouch II, CEO and president of the USO. Source: StatePoint

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Council Member Edward Pollard

Mentors Youth With Suits for Success and Belts for Boys By d-mars.com News Provider

E

dward Pollard is the Houston City Council Member for District J and serves as principal owner of Pollard Legal Group. However, he says his most rewarding professional work is being the co-founder of the nonprofit Suits for Success. In 2014, Edward and two colleagues, Vernon Johnson and Duke Amos, wanted to fill a void in the city as it pertained to a lack of male mentorship programs for high school boys. They noticed that around prom season, many efforts were initiated to assist girls in need with prom dresses but there was never anything mentioned about the boys and their needs, and from there Suits for Success was born.

Instead of just focusing on prom season and a single event, Pollard created Life School, which is a semester-long mentorship course that teaches critical topics not taught in a traditional classroom setting, such as public speaking, etiquette training, resume building, interview techniques, personal finance, and how to tie a tie. At the completion of the program, each student earns a free suit, shirt, and tie for high school graduation and other milestones in life. The program’s main campus has been Sharpstown High School in District J, but it has also helped boys in additional schools in HISD, charters, churches, and affiliated nonprofits.

In speaking about his favorite experience of the program, Pollard says “I enjoy helping the kids select their suits and taking them to the tailor for the perfect fit. Most of our boys have never owned a suit or been to a tailor. To see their entire demeanor change by taking off their hoodies and putting on a suit is incredible. You see their self-worth and self-confidence rise instantly before your eyes.”

Pollard also states that, “We have added a component of our program that allows our boys the opportunity to wear their new suits at an upscale restaurant to teach our etiquette training class. Last year we took all the boys to Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse to give them access and exposure to fine dining.”

during their first class session.

Pollard says, “For too long, I have been disappointed at how we have neglected the necessity to address seeing boys in our communities with their pants hanging low, so I decided to do something about it. Our kids have so much talent and potential, but they just need guidance, nurturing, opportunity, and exposure. With something as simple as a belt, we are going to work on impacting the lives of our young boys.” The Belts for Boys program will consist of character building and

Pollard notes that there is no GPA requirement or strict criteria for being eligible for the Suits for Success program at each school. The program is open to all graduating senior males, and their only requirement to be accepted into the program is that they attend an orientation, write a two-page paper over the winter break expressing interest, and showing up on time to each class. The sessions are held during their school day at the lunch period. Instead of going to the cafeteria for lunch, the students convene in a classroom to learn their topic of the day while food is provided. This is to accommodate many students who either ride the bus, have extracurricular activities or jobs after school, and would not be able to attend due to those commitments.

Suits for Success was initially started to help teen males in their transition from high school to the real world, but Pollard felt there needed to be another program that also focused on boys transitioning from elementary school to middle school. In an effort to help young boys take pride in their appearance by avoiding sagging pants, he created a spinoff of Suits for Success called Belts for Boys. Belts for Boys engages 5th graders on the importance of having confidence, good behavior, consistency, proper hygiene, and work ethic with a focus on keeping your pants pulled up on your waist and wearing a belt. Belts for Boys is currently partnering with Benavides Elementary School in District J, where each 5th grade boy is given a free belt

assisting in the transition of pre-teen to teenage life and the maturation process that is necessary for success as a young man.

The mission of Suits for Success is to motivate, encourage, and mentor young men by instilling fundamental core principles around what will be expected of them in a professional and collegiate world, accompanied by an essential wardrobe. Edward adds “Here at Suits for Success, we believe looking like a success is the first step to becoming a success.”

The suits provided to the boys are donated. If you have a gently worn suit, sizes 36-42 in need of a new home, you can schedule a drop off with their nonprofit partner Career Gear Houston by calling (713) 7789959. For additional information on Suits for Success and how you can be involved or contribute to their program, please visit, suitsforsuccesshouston.org.

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