Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
In 2009, Merv Mattair founded a program called “Boyz to Kings,” which would provide young men with guidance in life. It would teach them respect, how to handle different situations, and it would seek to educate the boys on all manners of worldly subjects.
Mattair worked at a juvenile camp for 10 years and noticed a pattern with the young men he met there. He realized that 80 to 90 percent of them either didn't have a father figure or didn't have proper guidance and role models. He wanted to find a solution to the problem and decided to create a program that would catch these young men before they reached a point in life where they'd be on their own. The boys in his program are as young as six years old and go all the way up to 17, before graduating out of the program and becoming a King. There is a referral process for boys to join, and the program is available for any boy or young man who simply needs some guidance in life.
Boyz to Kings recently organized a weightlifting team within the program, called “FFF,” which stands for “Faith, Fitness and Family.” The goal of this program is to get the kids off the streets and encourage them to stay fit and healthy. This will also cause them to have a better state of mind and have enough motivation to do more than sit at home on the couch.
Boyz to Kings practices what they call “the 12 guiding principles.” These principles include respecting yourself, reading literature, improving your appearance, honoring family, accepting accountability, never giving up, respecting their queens, staying physically fit, making positive decisions, respecting their elders, learning from other people's mistakes and praying internally.
They also offer incentives for academic achievement. At one point, they awarded $100 to any kids with straight A's and $50 to the kid with the highest amount of AR (reading) points. In addition, they also hold monthly parent huddles, where the parents come in and get updated on what their child is doing. If the kids attend at least 75% of the meetings, they are rewarded with a fun day, which may include a cook out. As for meetings, they typically meet Monday through Thursday. On Mondays, they meet to discuss life skills. Tuesdays are social skills. Wednesday and Thursday this past week were for anti-gun violence. They also receive tutoring once a week.
Boyz to Kings has a set organizational structure. Bobby Tompkins is the parent liaison. Dr. Denise Robinson is the academic success coach. Shirley Mattair is the data entry clerk, and Denise Mattair, Mr. Mattair's wife, is his wing woman and helps keep the organization running.
The current president of the program is 17-year-old Zarrion Robinson, the son of Denise Robinson, who entered the program when he was six years old. He has been the president for three years now and said, “it's great but there are a lot of challenges.” He goes on to explain how the program has benefited him. “It helped a lot on how to become a mature young man, and how to handle what life throws at you.” said young Robinson.
Robinson plans to one day attend Stetson University and major in sports medicine. He is set to graduate from high school in June 2021.
Denise Robinson also enrolled her older son, Deonte McGee, in the program. He was the first kid to be enrolled in Boyz to Kings after it was initially founded. McGee now has his own kid and is living in Ocala, working as a forklift driver.
Charlie Fulmer is a 24-year-old King who was once in the program himself. Mattair spoke highly of Fulmer, and said, “I definitely feel that he is one of my success stories.” Fulmer entered the program at 13-years-old and remained there until he graduated at 18. They held a family banquet to acknowledge his growth and celebrate his graduation from high school. Fulmer explained that the program is very involved for parents and kids. He felt that Boyz to Kings definitely instilled good moral values into him. However, he reiterated that members must participate for the program to benefit them. “For parents and kids, they get out of it what they put into it.” said Fulmer. “It is a very involved program.”
After his graduation, he went into the Army, where he remained until the completion of his contract. While enlisted, he attended a vocational school and earned a vocational certification in cyber security. After his time with the military was over, he got his dream job as an IT for a company in Tallahassee, where he is handling tech support and technical engineering. He has beenmarried to Lacey Fulmer for almost four years.