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We Can't Do This Alone
Real Men, Real Heroes is a volunteer-run organization but we cannot do this without your financial support for the expenses of operating our programs. Please consider a donation before the end of the year. We have some critical needs at this time. If you would like to know more, please contact Buddy Shannon, RMRH board president. And if you are able to make a donation now, please make a donation on our website here. Thank you!
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Atwater
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In the News
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MORGANS ASSIST NEW CITYWIDE MENTORING EFFORT TO PROMOTE STEM
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Hero Derek Morgan
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Hero Derek Morgan, an FAA flight test engineer, and his wife Kaye Monk-Morgan, director of Upward Bound Math Science (UBMS), are both taking a lead in a citywide effort to connect professionals from STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math) with area children. Both serve on the Guiding Coalition of Wichita's US2020 STEM Mentoring Initiative. Wichita is one of 13 finalists selected nationally in the US2020 City Competition. The competition encourages communities to develop citywide collaborations to encourage STEM professionals to mentor children so that they may develop interest and aptitude in science and math, with the goal of potentially filling the future need for qualified workers in STEM fields. The effort is a partnership between Wichita State University, the City of Wichita, Wichita Public Schools and several industry and nonprofit partners including NetApp, Spirit AeroSystems, High Touch, and Big Brothers Big Sisters and Real Men, Real Heroes. Derek Morgan is representing Real Men, Real Heroes on the guiding coalition. His wife, Kaye Monk-Morgan is representing UBMS. Hero Van Williams also played an instrumental role in securing the City of Wichita's endorsement of the effort. Thanks to all of you for involvement in this important effort. For more information, read this article at kansas.com. RMRH WELCOMES TWO WOMEN AS BOARD MEMBERS
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Ebony Clemons
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Ebony Clemons is a business development representative for Wells Fargo Dealer Services. A licensed personal banker, Clemons will begin teaching financial literacy skills to Future Heroes during the spring semester. In addition, she is minister of music for Bethany Baptist Church and a board member of The Kansas African American Museum. In 2012, she was named a winner of The Wichita Business Journal's 40 Under 40. You can read more about that honor here.
 | | Alicia Thompson |
RMRH also welcomes Alicia Thompson, who happens to be the daughter of an original Hero, Allen Morris. Thompson is assistant superintendent of elementary schools for Wichita Public Schools. She is also a 2006 winner of the Wichita Business Journal's 40 Under 40. You can read more about her recognition for that honor here.
RMRH RECEIVES GRANTS FROM MULTIPLE DONORS
Real Men, Real Heroes is grateful to Wichita philanthropist Barry Downing for his continued support. Downing provided funding to launch The Real Men, Real Heroes Project in 2007, precursor to the Real, Men, Real Heroes Inc. nonprofit. This year Downing has provided a $6,000 matching grant to help underwrite operational costs.
RMRH is also pleased to announce the receipt of
$1000 from Gary Gamm by way of the Wichita Community Foundation. The funds were from the Gamm Family Donor Advised Fund. We also received a $500 grant from Walmart, Inc. Donations such as these are critical to covering the administrative costs of coordinating RMRH's volunteers, as well as material costs associated with our mentoring programs.
CONGRATULATIONS TO HERO CAREEM GLADNEY
RMRH extends congratulations to Hero Careem Gladney and his wife Deborah. They were married on August 24, 2013. He's working at Cargill and they are living in Albany, NY. She got her master's degree from American University this fall in Washintgon, DC and is working full-time.
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A member of Future Heroes reflects on stories of the past during a visit to The Kansas African American Museum. Boys performed community service, cleaning the museum grounds and tidying landscaping before touring the museum. |
Dear Heroes and supporters,
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Future Heroes add mulch to the grounds of The Kansas African American Museum. |
The past few months have been a meaningful time of reflection for the boys of Future Heroes. At The Kansas African American Museum, Executive Director Mark McCormick challenged them to consider where they come from. In the Shocker's locker room at Wichita State, Coach Gregg Marshall challenged them to consider where they are going. "Find a passion, something you love doing, and go after it," Marshall urged. The messages underscored those of their adult Hero mentors who in regular meetings challenged the boys to pursue what it means to be a HERO: Honorable, Exemplary, Responsible, and Optimistic. Building boys into men who demonstrate these traits is the purpose of Real Men, Real Heroes. There's a lot going on right now, and our influence continues to grow. In addition to biweekly evening meetings with the Future Herores, RMRH is making regular lunch hour visits to a half dozen schools: Gordon Parks Academy (K-8), Jefferson Elementary, Holy Savior Catholic School (K-8), West High, and beginning January 2014, Spaght Elementary. As we count our blessings this Christmas season, we thank you again for your support and look forward to your continued support in the coming year.
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Heroes to celebrate Christmas by serving young and old | | |
Future Heroes visit elderly; Teen Heroes host party at Children's Home
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A Future Hero presents a card and gift to a nursing home resident last year. The event was popular with boys and residents alike. |
For the second consecutive year, Future Heroes, Teen Heroes and adult Heroes plan to celebrate the season through service.
On Dec. 16, the Future Heroes will visit Manorcare Health Services on 21st St. to sing carols and deliver small gift bags to residents. Then on Dec. 22, the Teen Heroes, adult Heroes and their wives will host a pre-Christmas dinner and party for youth staying at the Wichita Children's Home.
The board agreed last year to support this event in lieu of having the annual members' party. Members are encouraged to attend and/or make a financial contribution to cover service project expenses. Donations may be made via Paypal at www.realheroeswichita.org or by mail to RMRH at the Atwater Neighborhood City Hall, 2755 E 19th St. N., Wichita, KS 67214. No gift is too small. |
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WSU Basketball Coach Gregg Marshall meets with Future Heroes | | |
Boys get tour of locker room and learn how much work goes into winning
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Future Heroes get a tour of the Shockers locker room at Wichita State. |
Hero Greg Williams and the WSU Men's basketball office arranged for the boys of Future Heroes to attend a men's basketball practice. The Shocker men won national acclaim and a Sports Illustrated cover when they competed in the NCAA's Final Four earlier this year. Coach Gregg Marshall said he wanted the team to partner with a local mentoring group to help kids in the community stay on the right path. In addition to telling the boys to find their life's passion, Coach Marshall spoke to the boys about the importance of hard work -- "not just with sports but especially academics," said Buddy Shannon, RMRH board president. "Coach Marshall told the boys to be appreciative of the adults (mentors) that were investing in their future; he said, 'It's because they care about you.' "
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WSU Coach Gregg Marshall speaks to the boys of Future Heroes. |
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Teen Heroes 2013-14 Recognized at School Board | | |
Honor recognizes group for work as role models
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Teen Heroes with RMRH Board President Buddy Shannon after the school board appearance. |
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Billboards like this one on display at 37th and Oliver are used to create excitement about the Teen Heroes among school children. |
This year's group of Teen Heroes were recognized in October during the "Good News" portion of the Wichita School Board meeting. Board members praised the teens for providing good role models to younger students through their visits to school classrooms and assemblies. You can read the feature story about the Teen Heroes on the school district website here. So far this year, the Teen Heroes have visited Gordon Parks Academy (K-8), Stanley Elementary and Ortiz Elementary. The Teen Heroes have up-coming appearances scheduled at Hadley Middle School and Jefferson and Lawrence elementaries.
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Teen Heroes pose with students of Ortiz Elementary during a recent visit. |
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| River City Basketball Team Achieves Athletic and Literacy Goals | | Team wins 8th straight champonship, plus 1,000s of pages read
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Coaches Robert Young and Van Williams with a group of 5th grade boys who played up a grade and won a 6th grade title. |
The River City Thunder, a Future Heroes-affiliated basketball team of 5th graders, competed in several summer tournaments and won two Mid-America Youth Basketball titles (Hutchinson and Topeka) , the Oklahoma City Roundball Championship and its eighth straight YMCA Advanced Basketball League championship at the local Farha Center, and 12 overall. The summer travel team was made up of players from Wichita, Maize and Augusta. The team coaches are Van Williams and Robert Young. The team encourages literacy through an annual summer reading competition, which this year ended with four players exceeding 1,000 pages. The champion reader was Christian Williams who read eight books over the summer, totaling 1,678 pages and including such titles as "Lincoln's Last Days," "Barry Sanders: Now You See Him," "Hunger Games" and "The Life and Death of Martin Luther King." Christian was followed by Thomas McAdam (10 books, 1,485 pages), Chay Teemont (8 books, 1,345 pages) and Winston Edwards (10 books, 1,028 pages).
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Coach Chad Edwards with the 5th grade team that won a Farha ABL title. |
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Future Heroes visit Wichita State to learn from engineers | | |
Activity part of larger effort to encourage science among minority youth
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Future Heroes construct marble roller coasters as part of WSU engineering outreach program. . |
In November, Future Heroes made a Saturday vist to Wichita State University's SEEDS program
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WSU student Roy Moye (black T-shirt) explains the physics behind a successful roller coaster. |
(Science and Engineering Educational Development for Students) operated by the WSU College of Engineering. Engineering students, including Roy Moye, an African American aerospace engineering major, used roller coaster kits to demonstrate engineering principles of design along with physics principles of potential and kinetic energy. Moye is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers, which plans to do similar science activities afterschool with a group of African American boys at Coleman Middle School next semester. Moye will be working with Taylor Countee, another NSBE member and WSU student who is majoring in information sciences. For their work with young people, Moye and Countee are being nominated as provisional members of Real Men, Real Heroes. Adding Moye and Countee to the roster of Heroes will assist RMRH in its goal of providing more mentors from STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. |
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On behalf of Real Men, Real Heroes, that's it for this month. Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter. Please contact Polly Basore, newsletter editor, if you have any questions or suggestions. And feel free to forward this to colleagues and share it on Facebook.
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