Well before her mentorship program for black young men ended last summer, Susan Woods was working to keep it alive year-round.
She persuaded the summer’s mentors – black men with careers in business, finance, computers, music, religion and other fields – to continue working with program teens throughout the school year. Then she recruited Brian Freeland, Charlotte’s 2009 Teacher of the Year, as program manager.
Donations grew, Woods said. Contributions went from $3,000 in June to $10,000 now, she said, “from men and women of different races, cultures and religions who care about the plight of black male teens.”
Emerging Leaders Mentorship Program for Black Males is designed to show positive alternatives to young men ages 15 to 17. Woods said she is driven by statistics showing that black teens are more prone than others to drop out of school or make choices that lead to incarceration. “It only takes somebody showing that you really care for a child to be saved.” (The program’s Web site reinforces that message: http://www.saveourblackboys.com.)
