YBM Newsletter July 2016 Edition

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SECOND QUARTER EDITION elcome to the summer edition of our YBM Newsletter.

While the summer time is right for relaxing by the pool and taking vacations, we know that the need for moving forward and developing our youth for the future never ends.

We are proud and thankful for those persons who continuously dedicate their time and effort to lead and support both our young men and women in our programs. With the help and support of our

JULY 2016 volunteers, we continue our college tours, and we continue to expose our students to top leaders.

Our Wealth Summit was a tremendous success as we focused on the importance of early financial planning.

Attending the Charleston 9 Anniversary was both somber and enlightening for our youth. We are also finalizing our plans for our third annual trip to Haiti.

This trip has proven to be quite valuable for all who attend. We would like to express our gratitude to those who have and will

Read About: contribute to How our YBM the individual National Scholars fundraising Day was a huge efforts of our success! young men and women.

We thank our volunteers, and we also thank you, the recipients of these newsletters. We ask that you please strongly consider assisting us financially and with your time, when possible. To witness first-hand the development and appreciation of our youth is truly a rewarding experience, and we would love to share it with you.

March Executive Dinner

Michael was the guest speaker at our March Executive Dinner meeting, held at Vivace Restaurant on Metropolitan.

Michael DeVaul Senior Vice President of Organizational Advancement YMCA of Greater Charlotte

Michael is a 25-year veteran of the YMCA. He began his career at the McGaw YMCA in Evanston, Illinois where he served for just over 15 years. He then joined the YMCA of Greater Charlotte in 1999. Formerly the Vice President of the University City and Simmons YMCAs, Michael was recognized by Pride Magazine as the “2006 Excellence in Business Award Winner” for his efforts in community building and diversity work in the University City area and across the greater Charlotte community.

Michael informed us that there are approximately 2,700 YMCA’s, with approximately 19,000 full time staff and over 600,000 volunteers in 10,000 communities across the country. Worldwide, the Y serves more than 45 million people in 119 countries. He also stressed the concept of each of us being social entrepreneurs and the importance of discovering and honoring our passion.

March Events:

Ambassador and Parent Orientation:

This meeting was held at the YBM office. This meeting was designed to unite the new Ambassadors prior to their participation in a “Rescue and Survival” exercise. This time was also used to share more about YBM Leadership Alliance and its mission.

March Events:

Ambassador Dinner with Osyris Uqoezwa, President of B & C International

This event was held at the University Hilton. Mr. Uqoezwa talked to the Ambassadors about what is required of a community leader, as well as the challenges of one’s personal journey towards success. The Ambassadors engaged with intriguing questions, each sparking another path of conversation. We thank Mr. Uqoezwa, a 2016 Success Leader for his valuable time that he chose to invest with our young men, both during this dinner and the Executive Leadership dinner that he attended in March.

YBW College Tour

YBW escorted ďŹ fteen young ladies on college tours during spring break. The ladies visited, Eastern Carolina University, NC A&T, and High Point University.

April Events:

YBM and NCSU Diversity Leadership Summit

Eleven young men from YBM traveled to Raleigh to attend this summit. The program’s goal was to expose under-represented minority males to engineering and the North Carolina State University environment. This type of exposure can assist in increasing the number of under-represented males in STEM related majors. Three college Ambassadors and one high school student from Greensboro attended the event, along with 15 Raleigh students and parents. Special thanks to Dr. Javon Adams from NCSU for securing the grant and leading the planning, and special thanks also to Kim Pender, NCSU head of Women and Minority Engineering Programs, as well as Angelitha Daniel, NCSU Director of Minority Engineering Programs.

Cleanup for Change

Community Service Project at JCSU and Frazier Park – YBM Ambassadors joined with the Chris Canty Foundation to do a clean-up of an area at JCSU and then moved on to Frazier Park to enhance the community’s appearance. The energetic team of volunteers painted, raked, and carried limbs and branches to the street for pick-up. They also tilled the community garden and painted the basketball court. It was a great day of community service and the home owners expressed their gratitude to the young men and the Chris Canty Foundation for their willingness to serve in such a caring manner.

Baseball Night

Jesse Cureton, Chief Consumer Officer for Novant hosted the YBM ambassadors for a night out of baseball under the stars. It was an enjoyable evening and a measure of appreciation for the Ambassadors and the outstanding work that they do in school and in the community.

April Events: YBM MAKES HISTORY IN THE CHARLOTE AREA AGAIN BY HOSTING OUR FIRST FREE WEALTH SUMMIT FOR THE LOCAL CHARLOTTE COMMUNITY

YBM hosted a free Wealth Summit on Saturday, April 16, 2016 from 9:00am – 2:00pm at UNC Charlotte. The Wealth Summit, attended by 120 guests, was intended to encourage, empower, and educate minority males on the fundamental financial concepts and strategies needed to effectively manage personal, family, and business finances in order to become financially literate and economically self-sufficient. This event was an energetic and information-packed experience for all attendees, which included black, male, high school and college students, their parents, and professional adults.

Coordinating this type of an event has been a goal for John Martin and the YBM Executive Leadership Team for many years, and was a success on every level. Equipping our young men with the necessary tools to be successful in every aspect of their lives is of the utmost importance, and we are thrilled to add another valuable tool for them to utilize.

YBM’s Wealth Summit included a power networking breakfast, a keynote during which Marlon Smith, Founder of Success by Choice, provided information on Wealth Mindset, wealth workshops on savings, credit, and investing, a power lunch with financial mentors, and a panel of speakers–including Vernon Richard, Victor Galloway, Sokoni Scott, Anthony Kent, and Brian Morgan–who conducted a Q&A session.

Wells Fargo was the primary sponsor of this inaugural event, along with Target, Coca-Cola, SunTrust, and UNCC, and we are extremely grateful for their support.

Many attendees expressed their gratitude for this event, and asked that YBM continue to provide these services on an annual basis.

Plans for the 2017 YBM Leadership Alliance Wealth Summit include hosting this event on Saturday, April 23, 2017, so mark your calendar now and spread the word, as you will not want to miss this valuable information being provided to our community.

April Events:

A couple of quotes from the event:

“Wells Fargo is proud to sponsor the YBM Leadership Alliance Wealth Summit. Our commitment and enthusiasm involves taking everything we know and believe about money and financial management, and bringing it to our communities where we understand there is an appetite to learn and do better. Wells Fargo is committed to providing practical and comprehensive financial education to help African American individuals, households and businesses on their path toward financial success.”

-Rod Banks of Wells Fargo “There is a need across the various spectrums regarding our youth for good leadership to contribute positively to our greater communities, and the YBM model is seeking to do that for our young black men. As the YBM model continues to evolve for our current focus, I’d like to see this model replicated not only in other geographical areas, but also for the other segments of our youth. I’m not the first to say this, but I subscribe to the concept that our youth are our future.”

- Kirk Beatty of Datatech Information Services, Inc., and a YBM BOD Member

April Events: BUILDING A STRONG RESUME WEBINAR

This event was hosted by Miles R. Goodloe, M.S. Ed., Program Coordinator/Adjunct Faculty of Pennoni Honors College at Drexel University. Seeking employment in today’s technology driven environment is challenging and knowing the standards that companies use to filter potential hires is critical, so this program was designed to share the necessary format to get the attention of HR personnel and those making hiring decisions.

YBW Reading Program

YBW has partnered with Stoney Creek Elementary School to work with 10 students who are reading below grade level. The objective is to be a positive influence through mentoring and to increase reading proficiency of the students. Special thanks to Ivy Gill and Christopher Hicks, who assist YBW weekly on student and program coordination.

Ambassadors on the Move

Our Ambassadors are committed to excelling in all areas of achievement. Their dedication in accepting challenges and performing in an outstanding manner continues to be exemplified. Here are just a few of the accomplishments these wonderful young men have achieved.

WILLIAM GIBSON • Awarded $2000 Shaw University Achiever’s Award Scholarship • Recruited for Renaissance Men Program at Winston Salem State University • Gabe’s Big Heart Foundation (Big Heart Award) for Exemplary Humanitarian Service • $2500 YBM Leadership Alliance “Presidential” Scholarship • $1000 QC Ram Alumni Scholarship TONY WRIGHT • The President’s Volunteer Service Award • Omega Psi Phi Charlotte Chapter Scholarship • Las Amigas 2016 Honor Scholar

FRED SANDERS • $1000 Scholarship from The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Business Women • Alpha Beautillion Distinguished Beau • Oratorical Contest Winner May 15 • Community Service Award KELON WILLIAMS • Omega Psi Phi Charlotte Chapter Scholarship • $500 YBM Leadership Alliance Scholarship

HUNTER DAVIS • $1500 YBM Leadership Alliance Scholarship • CMS Top Senior BRYCE KAMAGATE • CMS JROTC Scholastic Award • Sworn into Air Force May 24

DAVION WASHINGTON • Acceptance into Wingate University • Received a $1900 Scholarship

TRENT MOYER • Received full scholarship to attend the “Seminary for Tomorrow’s Leaders” program.

• Accepted into the National Society for High School Scholars DESTYN PEOPLES • Inducted into National Honor Society

HAROLD LOWE JR., rising sophomore Ambassador at NC A&T, was honored for his community service with the school’s Gala Award. The A&T student body, University Faculty and Staff, as well as the external community chose to recognize Harold for his community contributions and commitment to excellence. This award showcases Harold’s dedication to service of others. We congratulate Harold on giving his time and resources to enrich the lives of others.

June Events: We would like to highlight a few of our activities so far this year:

College Care Package – On April 21, 2016 we packed 39 care packages full of goodies for the YBM college ambassadors to let them know we were thinking about them and to encourage them to do well on their final exams. For the past two years, we have packed and mailed care packages to the college ambassadors during the Fall and Spring before final exams start. The young men look forward to getting the goodies inside and they know that they have family and friends cheering them on and encouraging them to do their best. We would like to thank the volunteers who helped with the packing, the snack donations, and the UPS Store located at 3020-I Prosperity Church Road for mailing the packages for us.

Warrior Dash Fundraising Project – On June 4, 2016 we had 28 YBM Leadership Alliance friends and family members help support the NC Warrior Dash annual event in Huntersville, NC. This was a good, old fashioned, get down and dirty event with a full obstacle course filled with mud, mud, and more mud for everyone who wanted to be a true warrior! Our volunteers helped with giving out registration packets, distributing and tracking backpacks/bags, giving out warrior shirts and headgear, and manning the warrior store. We literally serviced thousands of participants! We would like to thank YBW (Young Black Women) and all the volunteers for coming out and helping us raise $750.00 for YBM Leadership Alliance. We look forward to making this an annual event and would love to have you join us next year!

YBM National Top Scholar Day – On June 5, 2016 the YBM Ambassador Parents Planning Committee assisted with the annual Top Scholar Day event, recognizing the new young men accepted into the program and showing support for the young men heading off to college in the fall. We had several volunteers facilitating the various activities to make it a successful day for the young men and their families. We want to take this time to extend a warm welcome to the new families and congratulate the young men heading off to bigger and brighter futures!

Parents of Ambassadors

As an African proverb says, “It takes a village.”

The Ambassador Parents Planning Team leads the YBM village of parents.

We support the ambassadors and top scholars and act as a liaison between YBM and YBM parents and are now responsible for the following: • Volunteer and support all YBM sponsored activities and events • Facilitate College Care Package Initiative • Host parent socials for Ambassador parents • Track and maintain data for our Ambassadors • Conduct parent workshops with Top Scholar Parents • Sponsor selected programs If you have any ideas you would like to share with the Ambassador Parents Planning Team, please contact us at ybmambassadorparents@ ybmleadership.com

YBM National Scholars Day

YBM Scholar Day is a day of celebration, recognizing the academic achievement of young black male students. YBM Scholar Day is modeled after National Signing Day, where athletes announce their college selections. During YBM’s Scholar Day, young black men were recognized for their academic success, graduating seniors announced their college selections and scholarship awards, and rising seniors will be recognized in our Top Scholars publication and encouraged to continue their academic success. This recognition ceremony was held on Sunday, June 6th at Nations Ford Community Church.

Each young man shared his GPA, future interest, college of choice, the amount of scholarships awarded to him to date, and–reminiscent of the football draft–each one selected his college hat to the delight of the over 300 people in attendance. We honored each young man’s accomplishments with thunderous applause and cheers as we prepared to send them off onto the next stage of success.

A few quotes from valuable friends and volunteers:

“Attending the Scholars Award ceremony was truly electrifying! What an honor it was to witness our students being celebrated for the good they do (locally and for greater purposes), and the excellence they represent under the remarkable leaders of YBM. Truly humbling. Truly uplifting. Truly gamechanging. Honored to witness this movement.” – Nicole Bailey

“I experienced pure joy seeing those handsome, enthusiastic, poised, young black men be acknowledged for academic excellence in the presence of family and friends. There should be more events like this, and they deserve major media attention. The excitement of the young men picking up the hat for the college they CHOSE to attend, the grade point averages, and the scholarships! I was so emotional during the event, like I was the parent of one of the young men. YBM Leadership Alliance is a village of vested individuals absolutely creating a new reality!” – Rovina Wesbrook

“The Top Scholar program was dynamic! I had chills and tears throughout the ceremony. This should be duplicated all over the nation!” - Iris Hines-Flamer

Serving Others in Charleston

Young leaders of YBM and YBW had the opportunity to serve with Samaritan’s Feet in Charleston, SC for the anniversary of the Charleston 9 tragedy at Mother Emmanuel AME Church. Service work included washing children’s feet and distributing shoes.

This was part of the “Victory in the Valley” event designed to remember the lives of the victims while honoring their families and spreading love and forgiveness.

Congratulations to Kenneth Morton

Kenneth Morton, one of our own and a member of the YBM Executive Leadership Team, recently completed his doctoral graduate work and is now Dr. Kenneth Morton. He earned his doctorate in business administration with a concentration in leadership. Kenneth's dissertation was "Exploring Leaders’ Strategies to Prepare Millennials for Leadership Roles in Commercial Banks." In February of this year, he celebrated a 20-year service anniversary with Bank of America, hence this topic being extremely relevant within his study. Kenneth saw going back to school for the terminal degree as a means to expand his knowledge and to take his personal commitment to lifelong learning to the next level. "I knew that this would be quite a challenge, however I also believed in myself and knew that God was there every step along the way. I am truly blessed to reach this important milestone in my life!”

In true YBM fashion, Kenneth earned membership of the Golden Key Kenneth Morton International Honor Society and completed his studies with a perfect 4.0 GPA. "After seeing our YBM Top Scholars come through with high grade point averages year after year, there was no way that I was not going to do the same!"

Please join us in congratulating Kenneth on this wonderful achievement.

Donor Highlights

Special Thanks for Your Support

Special thanks to Wells Fargo for their support towards our inaugural Wealth Summit and sustainability. We would not have been able to host this wonderful event without your ďŹ nancial support and encouragement. YBM Leadership Alliance appreciates the leadership role and example you set in supporting programs that better our community.

Special thanks to First Citizens and SunTrust for the support of our Wealth Summit

Special thanks to our faithful parent contributor, Mr. Louis Hardy and his family for contributing each month to support YBM!

Special thanks for the ongoing hard work, support and donations of our Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors.

The President Speaks At YBM, our mission is to develop leaders! Our new slogan is WE BUILD LEADERS. As I listen to the world around us, it is very clear that we need leaders more than ever.

Additionally, we need leaders from diverse perspectives. We need leaders who have character and are willing to take action. The ability to lead people and projects will be the next critical skill. Many experts are predicting a global leadership shortage. The next generation is ready and willing to lead and to engage in social change. They just need caring adults (i.e. leaders) who are willing to invest time, energy, emotion, and money into their futures. At YBM, we are committed to developing leaders. If you, too, are committed to supporting our young men in a meaningful way and would like to join us, then go to our website under the contact tab and send us a message.

We could certainly use your help in deepening and broadening our impact.

Let’s Get Social!

Find us online at http://www.ybmleadership.com

@ybmleadership YBMLeadership

ybmleadershipclt YBM Leadership Alliance info@ybmleadership.com To learn more about the YBM mission and the engagement of our young leaders, please take a minute and view this YBM Leadership Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ3QpOYeYQU

Newsletter articles contributed by: Ken Currence: currenoct@carolina.rr.com Tammy Reed: treed@ybmleadership.com Chief Editor: Wesley Reed of Hofstra University Assistant Editor: Tammy Reed of Diversified Print Management Graphic Design: Virtual Illustrations