Probably the largest regret of my trip is the fact that I didn’t discover our Kansas spotlight charity Real Men Real Leaders in time to see if I could do something directly with them. This organization really excites me, and is structured in a way that I could have perhaps actively contributed during my time in Garden City.
Real Men Real Leaders is, at its core, a mentoring program. Community leaders volunteer to mentor young men (there is a young womens program on the way) in 5th and 6th grade helping them recognize and emulate the key aspects of being a successful member society. They do this through planned activities with the children and, my favorite, having a weekly lunch at school with them. To me, their mission, simply inspires…
“Reaching out to our youth across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines and guiding them so they may fulfill their potential in becoming caring, giving, productive and responsible citizens.”
It is the lunch program that really caught my attention. The organization “recruit[s] businesses, their employees or individuals that make a difference in our community to have lunch weekly at one of our two 5th & 6th grade centers.” Students are able to see what the jobs and lives of these successful community members look like and what they need to do to put themselves on that sort of path.
This is where I have my regret, if I had found Real Men Real Leaders sooner, I could have tried to coordinate one of these lunch sessions into my trip and been a (very) part time participant in the program. You can go through their web site as often as you like, there is no solicitation for donations. This is just a group of leaders from within a community that not only prioritizes the development of its most vital asset (the children) but is actively and personally doing something to incubate, nurture, and empower it (them).
Obviously, unless you live in (or near) Garden City Kansas you can’t do much to help this organization; however, it is a great blueprint that can be emulated on other communities… and I’m sure a few public “at-a-boy’s” wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings either.
For more details on everything they do, check out their website.