Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 5-20-16 Online Edition

Feature
Men Of Vision Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary
MOV CREED
“I am the Best, I de- serve the Best, If I be- lieve in Myself, all My dreams can come true, all it takes is Determi- nation & Desire.
I will be Responsi- ble & Accountable for my actions, I will be Respectful to my eld- ers and fellow broth- ers, I will be Self-Disciplined, Hon- est & Trustworthy.
I will do My best to be the man I was cre- ated to be, and have a vision for my future. I am a Man with a Vi- sion.”
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
One Hillsborough County teacher observed young, African American males get- ting into trouble, getting ar- rested, or dropping out of school. He felt something should be done to encourage those students to not only re- main in school, but to gradu- ate.
Ross Anderson, Com-
munity
HCPS Elevate Team and Adult
Career Services Center Route
needed to do something to save these young men. So, he stepped up and created the Men Of Vision Brotherhood Service Organization.
On Saturday, Anderson and the organization cele- brated their 10th Anniversary. The event was held at Gaither High School from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Donald L. Dowridge, Jr., Motivational guru, facili- tator, mentor, author, and actor, delivered the keynote address. He was introduced by DeVonta Henry, 2014 Alumnus.
From the outset, Ander- son knew that he would not be able to reach all of the tar- geted population. However, he launched the program on the campus of Sligh Middle Mag- net School. And the group worked toward graduation. In 2011, the first seventeen mem- bers of Men of Vision gradu- ated from high school.
When Anderson created the organization, he didn’t want an organization in name only. In order to achieve this goal, he combined academics, behavior, self-esteem, and giv- ing back to the community as key components in the foun- dation of the organization.
Since its inception, and as a result of Anderson’s dedi- cation, tenacity, and determi- nation, Anderson and the community have witnessed more than 100 young men graduate from high school.
Some alumni members of the organization have at- tended college, some have en- tered the military, and others have entered the workforce. And many of the young men return to lend their services to
Anderson and the organiza- tion.
Beginning in 2011, at least one Alumni member has en- listed in the military. They are: Chris Barcardi, Corey Pu- jols, Michael Gilchrist, Nick Rocette, Joseph De- gree, Shyheem Barthel, Naderick Morla, and Phillip Smith.
Anderson said, “Words can't describe the 10 years of working with our young men in the Hillsborough County Schools and the community. To have over 100 young men walk across the stage for their academic achievement & com- munity involvement was priceless.
“But, there are still many others out there falling through the cracks. We ALL have to do more to save OUR young men! We tell them to stay in school and get good grades, but we don't support them once they graduate and go off to college. We have to celebrate the young men that are doing the right thing.
“We have some of the brightest and most talented young men and women but we are losing them to the status quo.”
Since the inception of the organization, Men Of Vision now has chapters on several high school, middle school, and elementary school cam- puses.
Anderson urges those in attendance to provide assis- tance to young men in their re- spective communities.
“Let’s invest in them now and help with scholarships for college or trade school because we will as a community pay for it later.”
Advocate
Liaison -
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that someone
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