April 2015
Future Heroes toured the National Center of Aviation Training in February, part of an ongoing effort to introduce them to STEM careers. 
Dear Friends,
Greetings!  We hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful spring and weathering the occasional storms. There is much new with Real Men, Real Heroes that we are eager to tell you about, starting with our change in leadership. 

We are proud to welcome Sherdeill Breathett, Sr., into the role of RMRH Board President. Sherdeill has been a Hero and board member since the organization's inception in 2008. Sherdeill serves as the economic developer and foreign Trade Zone #161 Administrator for Sedgwick County. He has been a leader and active member of the Wichita community for many years. Other new officers include Derek Morgan (Vice-President), Hassan Ramzah (Secretary) and Ebony Clemons (Treasurer). Buddy Shannon, who served seven years as the former board president, will remain involved in a new role as Program Committee Chairperson. We invite you to read this newsletter to learn more about our new president and the latest work of our mentoring programs.   

Q&A with Our President
Sherdeill Breathett, Sr. 
To give our readers a chance to get to know Sherdeill Breathett Sr., we asked him to answer five questions.

Q. How long have you been part of Real Men, Real Heroes?
A. I was part of the original thirty-two selected, so I guess it's fair to say from the Genesis of the organization.

Q. What significant milestones have you seen during that time?
A. Wow! There have been so many but for sake of space I'll highlight a few: Receiving the Presidential volunteering Award; establishing incorporation and 501 C(3) status; 100 percent graduation and college attendance by the Alpha Esquires.

Q. What motivates you to invest yourself in this organization?
A. First, someone did it for me; secondly, I know we are making a difference; and thirdly, "I am my brother's keeper."

Q. What goals do you have for RMRH's future?
A. Increase the educational level with focus on STEM; establish a "Rites of Passage" for the young men into adults; and encourage recipients to give back to the community, be it time, financially, politically etc.

Q. Why are these goals important to you?
A. Because it will benefit the whole (Community); lives will be changed and hopefully repeated over and over again. "Each one, reach one."

 

RMRH Inc.
Heroes Buddy Shannon and Sherdeill Breathett Sr. (center) accept a donation from Spirit employees.
Real Men, Real Heroes, Inc. is grateful for the continued financial support from the Wichita community.  In January, RMRH was awarded a $5,000 grant from Spirit AeroSystems.The funds were raised at the Spirit AeroSystems Suppliers Charity Golf Classic and are administered by the Wichita Community Foundation. RMRH will use this grant for programs that help local youth realize their full potential by learning the tools needed for personal and academic success. "Brian Black and Spirit AeroSystems have been big supporters of RMRH since our inception and we are tremendously grateful for their generosity," said board president Sherdeill Breathett. Thanks also goes to philanthropist Barry Downing for his on-going support. Downing recently offered RMRH a $5,000 challenge grant and we are pleased to say we raised the money to meet the challenge in March. The RMRH board also supports the organization through its own contributions by 100 percent of board members.
 
If you wish to make a donation, too, please do so via PayPal at our website.

In other member news.... We would like to congratulate Ebony Clemons, board treasurer, on her new position as Community Relations Manager at Westar Energy. Ebony will be building relationships with community and educational stakeholders and non-profit organizations to enhance Westar's outreach efforts, including recruitment and employee volunteer engagement. .... We also wish to congratulate Hero Eric Sexton, WIchita State Athletic Director on his many accomplishments highlighted recently in  this report by KSN-TV.
 
Finally, we encourage all members to come out in support of the 2015 D.E.M.O. Conference organized by Hero David Gilkey. D.E.M.O. stands for Developing Every Man's Opportunity and provides an opportunity for adults and young men to come together to discuss strategies for overcoming adversity. The conference will be held Saturday, April 18 from 1-4 p.m.. at the Boys & Girls Club of South Central Kansas, 2400 N. Opportunity Drive, Wichita. This year's theme is "Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes." The keynote speaker will be Lamont Carey from Washington, D.C. Admission is free or boys 8th-12th grades. Adults (19 and up) are $20 at the door. Lunch is provided. 

 

Teen Heroes

Alyssa Ward receives the Barton Scholarship
Teen Heroes are selected from Wichita's public high schools in the spring of their junior year to serve as role models during their senior year, speaking to younger students in school and classroom visits. Each year, it is with pride that RMRH Inc.watches as Teen Heroes at the end of their senior year rack up some of the region's most 
prestigious awards and scholarships. This year is no exception. 

For the second time in three years, a Teen Hero has been awarded the $44,000 WSU Clay Barton Business Scholarship: Alyssa Ward, a senior at Southeast High School will receive $11,000 a year for four years to attend Wichita State. The $44,000 Barton Scholarship is one of the largest business scholarships in the state. At Southeast, Ward has a cumulative 4.0 GPA and is ranked No. 1 in her class. She is heavily involved in Thespian Troupe 1820 and the Army JROTC program. Ward is also active in the National Honor's Society, varsity bowling, the Mayor's Youth Council and the Leadership Advisory Council. She plans to study business management at WSU.


 

Thomas Schmidt, a senior at Northwest High School, is one of 10 students in the first group to be recognized as a Koch Honors Scholar at Wichita State University. Schmidt and the others each will be awarded $7,500 a year for a total of 30,000 over the course of four years, in addition to other general merit scholarships they have earned. The newly created scholarship goes to Honors College freshmen who will be high achieving students  within the College of Engineering or the W. Frank Barton School of Business. Schmidt plans to major in economics and finance. He is a  Kansas Honors Scholar and has participated in Boys State Legion of Kansas, tennis and cross country.

Hausten Irving at Beautillion
Hausten Irving
, a senior at Northeast High School, received a number of awards at the 2015 Beautillion, scholarship competition for young men sponsored by the Wichita Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Congratulations to Hausten for being named  2nd Runner Up, Mr. GPA, Mr. ACT, and Mr. Scholar. At Northeast, Hausten is a member of the 
Scholar Bowl Team, plays baseball and mentors with Circle of Friends. He plans to major in civil engineering at Iowa State University, where has received a full-tuition George Washington Carver Scholarship worth $78,000.

Applications for the 2015-16 Teen Heroes are currently being accepted. Please encourage outstanding youth you know to apply. Current juniors are eligible. The deadline is April 24, 2015. Email [email protected] to request an application or visit our website www.realheroeswichita.org and click on  "application."
  
Alpha Esquire
Alpha Esquire, conducted in partnership between Real Men, Real Heroes and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, is a program for boys 9th - 12th grade.  Mentors guide boys through high school, preparing them for college or other post-secondary school success.  

In January, students discussed issues regarding social justice and the black male identity in society and school. Topics and discussions referenced the SAE fraternity remarks at University of Oklahoma, and the issue of another young minority male shot in Wisconsin. Students have started their financial literacy section. Students are learning about stocks, investments, portfolios, bank accounts, and other financial tools to build wealth in the future.

 In February, the students attended Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.  Tribute to Black Colleges. Here students learned about HBCUs, the impact of such institutions on our society and local Wichitians in the community. Students also learned about scholarship opportunities.  Two senior Esquires have determined where they will be attending college.  Trenton Autry, a senior at Heights High School, will being going to Butler Community College on a football scholarship and Andrew Verge will be attending Kansas State University for Communications.
Future Heroes
WSU College of Engneering students teach the Future Heroes about electricity and circuits.
Future Heroes enjoy basketball at the Heskett Center. 

Future Heroes provides direct mentoring by adult Heroes to boys in 4th-8th grades. This semester, the Future Heroes have been focused on building skills in STEM -- science, technology, engineering in math through hands-on science activities presented by Wichita State engineering students and a February tour of the Wichita Center for Aviation training. STEM efforts are led by Heroes Derek Morgan, a WSU aerospace engineering graduate and manager of the FAA's Military Certification Office in Wichita, and WSU students Taylor Countee and Roy Moye

About 25 boys meet every other week for dinner, homework help and program activities at Atwater Neighborhood Community Center. In addition to STEM programs, they focus on building reading skills, as well as community service. Future Heroes also go with adult Heroes on four to six fun outings a year, such as sporting events, fishing, and much more. In March, the Future Heroes went to WSU's Heskett Center for their own "March Madness" basketball fun. Heroes that make this program possible by volunteering their time include Eric Hayden, Wayne Bell, Michael Bruce and Taylor Countee.

In addition to the mentoring going on at Atwater, Heroes Van Williams and Hassan Ramzah continue to mentor a total of about 90 4th and 5th grade boys at Gordon Parks Academy with biweekly visits during the school day. Heroes Buddy Shannon and Sherdeill Breathett Sr. have started meeting regular with 22 boys at Spaght Elementary. 

 

All mentoring sessions introduce boys to the four character traits necessary to be a successful man and a "HERO."  Boys are taught the four traits taken from the RMRH credo: To be Honorable, Exemplary,  Responsible and Optimistic. These lessons are the foundation of all RMRH mentoring programs. 

 

 
Contact RMRH Coordinator Christina Dotson
(316) 303-8017 or 
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