THIRD QUARTER FALL 2017
NEWS
YBM &YBW WE BUILD LEADERS THAT IMPACT THE WORLD
Jillian Parham, Haiti 2017
www.ybmleadership.com www.ybwleadership.com www.youngblackleadership.org
Hello Welcome to the September Edition of the YBM & YBW Newsletter. I'm Tammy Martin, Founder of YBW. On behalf of our leadership staff, I am honored to express the deep gratitude we all have for your constant and vigorous support of YBM and YBW. I am very excited to share all the wonderful things that have occurred in our organization during the last few months. But before I get into that great news, I have to acknowledge a very important milestone. My wonderful husband, the CEO and Founder of YBM/YBW, celebrated his 50th Birthday on September 1st! Since John is STILL celebrating, I decided I would provide the greeting for this edition of our newsletter. There have been many exciting events and activities over the past several months that continue to impact and shape our young leaders. One major event, in particular, was sending our daughter, Jalyn and the other YBW Co-Founders - Paula, Chi, & Lauren - off to college for the ďŹ rst time. Along with our co-founders, twelve YBM Ambassadors also transitioned to the next level of success. We have completed two mission trips (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), participated in the PGA, the biggest golf championship tournament to come to Charlotte, and much, much more. Our next big events are the Peace Breakfast that will take place later in September and our Gala in November. I hope you enjoy the newsletter. Please continue to pray for our high school and college students and for the growth and success of our organization.
Tammy Martin
Founder YBW Leadership Alliance
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YBM & YBW Haiti + Dominican 2017 Mission Trip The YBM & YBW 2017 Mission trips were truly transformational, life changing experiences. This year we were able to take a mission trip to Dominican Republic and Haiti. The mission teams spent time washing the feet and providing shoes, prayers and hugs to over 1,000 children of Haiti and Dominican Republic. The trip allowed the young leaders to gain valuable international experience, learn about diverse cultures and exercise their leadership skills in very challenging environments.
2 mission trips
1 classroom painted
Haiti and Dominican Republic
29 travelers (12 D.R. and 17 Haiti)
in a Dominican Church
800+ hours
500 books
Service Hours Delivered
provided to children
2 computer labs (12 laptops + 4 tablets)
1000 children
2000+ pair of shoes provided
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washed the feet of 1000 children
My Mission Trip Experience YBW Ambassador CI - Jillian Parham My trip to Haiti was filled with exciting experiences that grew my faith, stretched me and expanded my love for God and humanity. Debris, cement, and rock from a devastating earthquake more than 6 years ago still cover the streets. Yet, it is a country filled with hope, relationships, family and love. One of my favorite moments was visiting the river bank; I made a new friend, we bonded while watching the kids play in the water at the river bank and she was helping me take pictures. It's hard to sum up my experiences in short sentences. When I got back home I was of course greeted with the question “How was your trip?” The first answer that came out of my mouth was “I didn’t want to come home” and I really didn’t. I went to Haiti thinking how could I ever help anybody but the truth is the Haitian people were the ones who helped me. They helped me to remember that it doesn’t matter if there’s no Wi-Fi connection, if we have to sit in traffic longer than expected or my cell phone is about to die. What matters is discovering who God made you to be and using your talents to help others. Love Him and each other! Haiti altered me, if only I could alter Haiti.
YBW Ambassador CI - Logan Long What I learned from my visit to Haiti is that kids will be kids which is comforting given the circumstances of their lives. The girls were like me when I was younger. They wanted to play in my hair. One of the young girls braided my hair and asked to paint my nails with the polish I brought. Then, I watched as boys and girls played in a small stream of water. It wasn’t a lake or a river, but they played as kids would on a beach enjoying splashing in the water and running through gravel rather than sand. Upon engaging with the kids, I was looking at a snapshot of their lives and surmising that their lives were not full. The kids, however, were full of life and excitement.
Top Scholar – Kasaan Kytle The trip to the Dominican Republic was amazing. The trip helped me learn more about the Dominican Republic culture and how the people there live. When I was washing the kids’ feet I saw how injured and how dirty their feet were. It made me feel sad inside, but while I was cleaning their feet, they would have an enormous smile on their faces. Their smiles filled my heart with love and I felt compassion. This mission trip allowed me to see how important it is to give back to a community and help those who are less fortunate in different countries.
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My Mission Trip Experience YBM Ambassador CVI Terrence Graham During my stay in Dominican Republic, I saw and experienced many eye-opening things and my perspective was broadened. One of the most memorable experiences I had was visiting Duquesa, otherwise known as "Trash City". The entire city of Santo Domingo dumps their trash near Duquesa so that there is a mountain of trash visible on the horizon. The people in Duquesa make their living recycling and reselling that trash, but they also live with trash everywhere. Visiting Trash City made me realize how fortunate I am to live in a country where a regular shower and comfortable shelter is almost guaranteed.
YBM Ambassador CVI Makai Francis On Sunday we visited a church in Trash City! This was my favorite part of the trip, might even be my favorite part of the summer. At first when we drove through, we were very timid; I’m not going to call any names but someone wanted to stay on the bus! When we first got into the city we saw trash everywhere and a huge mountain of trash, which actually has the name Trash Mountain, that was easily visible. The adults did not look welcoming at all. Honestly, I was concerned for my safety. We slowly got off the bus. “Stay close fellas”, a few of us half-jocularly said. We walked down a block and everyone felt the tension. We turned the corner and I was thinking “Hold up. Hold on one second”. We saw a whole bunch of little kids, from under 1-years-old to 10-years-old; most of them were full of energy. I said to myself, “Is this what we are here for?” Yes, it was. In a matter of seconds one of the kids started climbing me like I was a tree. I was very confused but laughing simultaneously.
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PGA of America - Beyond the Green On August 7, 2017, the PGA of America partnered with Young Black Leadership Alliance (YBLA) to host a one-of-a-kind career development experience at the PGA Championship. The Beyond the Green event was hosted in The PGA of America chalet on 18th hole of the Quail Hollow Golf Club. The event was designed to showcase ways a career centered around golf can elevate the participants’ personal financial futures, as well as provide quality relationships along the way. Sixty attendees heard from guest speakers, including actor Dondre' Whitfield, and participated in speed networking with PGA, Bank of America, ESPN, ABC and Fox executives before taking a behind-the-scenes tour of the PGA Championship Grounds.
Student Highlights The Beyond the Green experience was something spectacular. It allowed YBLA to get a personal, behind-the-scene exposure of the professional golf world. The event taught me the importance of the game of golf, and how it can be a great form of networking. Beyond the Green has renewed my interest in the game. —Dashaun Simpson I learned that “your pain will produce your purpose in life”. The main take-away I had from the event was how crucial golf is in revealing a person's true character. Golf is also unlike any other sport, because it discourages cheating and it is slightly more difficult in the beginning and something you will have to practice if you want to be good at it. Then you'll be able to play in environments with significant people that pertain to your interest and this is where the networking magic can begin. —Anthony Tredaway I took away that we have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable; that's how we progress. The biggest thing I learned was how much golf can help a person's career no matter what their profession is. It opens doors for more networking opportunities. I also learned that many people can use golf to see what kind of a person someone is. —Makai Francis
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PGA
Student Highlights
PGA
What a great day, indeed! The first of 2 major takeaways from this event was to not be afraid to leave your comfort zone. I came into the day with a few people in mind I planned to do most of my networking with. It turns out I gained the most, tangibly and intangibly, from those I thought I would have no connection with. The second most important thing I learned was that sacrifice is necessary for success. The panel and other individuals spoke of taking initiative to do things and it may require you to miss going out with friends or playing video games. However, when you get to where you need to be, everything will come full circle and you'll be in that position to influence others. — Kaseen Smith Today was one of the best networking opportunities I learned how imperative it is to research key people expected to be at an event before arriving because you can use that research to drive conversation to open up opportunities for yourself. —Verdant Julius I learned to follow your dreams and, as you go along, surround yourself with the smartest and most talented people you can find. I also learned to be okay with failing because if you never try to reach your dreams because you’re afraid that you'll fail, then you’ll never know your full potential or if those dreams could've come true. —Jillian Parham I learned to fall in love with being uncomfortable sometimes by stepping out of your comfort zone and expanding to new things. You cannot grow as a person or leader unless you are uncomfortable at times. Also it's okay to fail because the greatest people in history have failed plenty of times before being successful. Evaluate your decisions and see how to improve your steps to succeed in the outcome. —Nia Lewis I learned that there are many different components that go into making an event successful. Also, to not become discouraged by our failures but encouraged. Instead of dwelling on the fact that you failed, think about how you can improve yourself the next time. —Sarai Williams
An Intern Perspective My name is Randy B. Stitt and I am a senior Public Relations and African American Studies major at East Carolina University. This summer I had the opportunity to work with the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) as an intern with the Diversity and Inclusion team in Palm Beach Gardens, FL! Being that one of my career goals is to become a diversity and inclusion professional, this experience exposed me to invaluable hands-on work that I can use as I enter the workforce this coming December. My time with the PGA was amazing, to say the least. In my role, I reported directly to the Senior Director of Diversity. Although I worked on several internal projects, I mainly facilitated "Beyond the Green", a career development event for YBLA of Charlotte that occurred during the 2017 PGA Championship in Charlotte, NC! Connecting my experience at the PGA and local connections of the YBLA was unique in itself. The PGA's mission is to serve the members and grow the game, so it was great to be able to see all of my hard work come together for one the organizations largest events.
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Village Corner Our YBLA Village has been hard at work over the last few months!
April 21: College Ambassadors received fuel for their Spring final exams.
YBM & YBW Staff united with the Parent & Community (P.A.C.) Team to assemble and mail 39 college care packages. These care packages were a simple gesture of support to our college ambassadors as they prepared for and exceled on their exams. However, it holds an even deeper meaning for our CEO John Martin. When Mr. Martin was in college, his mom would bake chocolate chip cookies, box and ship them to him during exam time. He and his college mates highly anticipated the arrival of his mom’s homemade cookies. Thus, the college care package tradition continues. A huge THANKS goes to our shipping sponsor: The UPS Store located at 3020-I Prosperity Church Road.
April 22
: YBM & YBW Ambassadors joined forces with UNC Charlotte’s Building Better Brothers and I.G.N.I.T.E. programs to host the 2017 Wealth Summit: Beyond the Money to address the huge wealth gap within the Charlotte community. Approximately 120 parents, students and the community attended wealth building workshops and students put their money management skills to the test as they engaged in a real life simulaton experience. A huge thanks to our highly skilled speakers and facilitators: Victor Galloway, FDIC; Brian Morgan, SunTrust Bank; Ken Currence, Performance Improvement Concepts; Mary Lous Daly, Bragg Financial; Ramone Givens, Financial Advisor of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management; Allonte’ Tuppins, Silver Fox Kutz & DreamTeam Detail Service; Keva Sturdivant, Ally Bank; Cynthia Richards-Donald, Mass Mutual Financial Group; and Centario J. Grier, New York Life Insurance Co. This event was made possible by our sponsors: Ally, First Citizens, Suntrust, Wells Fargo, and Target. Lunch was presented by the Federal Reserve Bank of Virginia, Jeanne Bonds.
June 3: YBLA teamed up with Warrior Dash for the St.
Jude Fundraiser. Thank you to the 31 volunteers that honored their commitment by showing up bright and early to help raise funds! We had a great time at this annual fundraiser. Our efforts generated $1,000 for YBLA scholarships. Mark your 2018 calendars for Saturday, June 2. Hope to see you there!
August 7-13: YBM & YBW Leadership Alliance
was invited to volunteer with Levy Restaurants, the food and beverage provider for the 2017 PGA Championship held at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. Well over 200,000 people attended and approximately 130 YBLA students, parents and community partners joined together to raise money for our scholarship program. Together, our efforts generated over $28,000! We thank all of our volunteers for helping to make the 2017 PGA Championship a grand success!
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Village Corner Be on the look out… Parents welcome to the 2017/2018 school year! Please join the P.A.C. Team in September as we partner with Teen Health Connections to bring you a series of workshops designed to help you communicate more effectively with your young leader.
Visit www.ybmleadership.com to learn more…
V.Our Publication YBM/YBW Top Scholar Publications On Sale Now! Don’t miss the opportunity to own this special keepsake, purchase yours TODAY! They make great gifts for family members & friends! PRICE: $25.00 (includes s/h) PayPal or Checks accepted: Make checks payable to: YBM Leadership Alliance. Mailing address: 10330 Mallard Creek Road, Suite 333, Charlotte, NC 28262
Buy Now
bit.ly/topscholarpub bit.ly/
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Moving to the Next Level
Ambassadors & Co-Founders Graduates 100% College Attendance! Colleges for CV Ambassadors
Cameron Reddig - UNCG D'Wan Morrison - NC A&T Davion Washington, Jr. - Lynchburg College Destyn Peoples - Davidson Jabari Moore - App State Justin Roddey - ECU Miles Thompson - Morehouse Nate Smith - ECU Tobi Akinyelu - Duke Trent Moyer - ECU William Grier - ECU Ziddell Yala - UNC Chapel Hill
Colleges for YBW Co-Founders
Jalyn Martin - UNCG Lauren Merritt - WSSU Chidera Udeh - Marist College  Paula Wambui - NC A&T
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Sponsor Thank You A special note of appreciation to our latest sponsors that contributed to the mission of YBM & YBW.
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Unite Charlotte
SAVE THE DATE Friday, November 10th 1 @ BALLANTYNE RESORT
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