SANFORD, Fla. — Five years ago, President Barack Obama created "My Brother's Keeper," an initiative that addresss opportunity gaps young men of color face.
- "My Brother's Keeper" program created by President Obama in 2014
- Program designed to help young people reach their full potential
- City Commissioner: "We hear enough negative"
The goal of the program is to ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.
Sanford City Commissioner of District 2 Kerry Wiggins Sr. continues to carry the torch for the community, lighting a pathway for his hometown Sanford.
Wiggins is a Sanford native, growing up in the Goldsboro community, which he now represents as a city commissioner.
When Wiggins became an elected official, he knew that changes had to be made to a community he grew up in.
Now, he is working hard to revamp the city's My Brother's Keeper program to help inner city youth succeed outside of their neighborhood.
"We see enough of our men hurting each other, killing each other, so we want them to be known that there is going to be things within this program when it was brought in to help so many of our young men," Wiggins explained.
One of those young men is Travis Davis, a recent Crooms Academy graduate.
"If you think about it like this, in our today we always deal with drugs, we always deal with guns, we always deal with liquor, we always deal with things that can tear our bodies from the inside out," Davis said.
During the week, community leaders and volunteers mentor those who are looking for a change in script.
My Brother's Keeper focuses on six different milestones all focused on growth, learning, and excelling:
- Getting a healthy start and entering school ready to learn
- Reading at grade level by third grade
- Graduating from high school ready for college and career
- Completing postsecondary education or training
- Successfully entering the workforce
- Keeping kids on track and giving them second chances
"This might not solve anything, but it will give them a lot of opportunity to be able to come out and be able to be a part of something that is going to be great," Wiggins said.
Victor Towns, a mentee in the program, is working toward that greatness. The Sanford native is now a student at Virginia State University but comes home to Sanford during the summer to be mentored.
Fritz Voltaire, who works at the Goldsboro Rescue Outreach Mission and at the Westside Community Center, mentors people like Towns to make sure they stay on the right path.
"I am so grateful and appreciative for everything they have done for me. They are the reason why I want to give back so much and why it touches my heart to want to give back to this community," Towns said.
My Brother's Keeper meets every Thursday night at the Westside Community Center. The torch is always burning, lighting a path for those looking for a new direction.
If you would like to volunteer or learn more about the My Brother's Keeper program, you can call 321-262-3284, or e-mail Britt Henderson at Britt.Henderson@sanfordfl.gov.
