John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
COVID-19 continues to loom in America after nearly four months. But, it's no excuse to let good character training stay dormant, especially for the male mentors involved with Merv Mattair's Boyz to Kings program.
Since 2009, Boyz to Kings has served the young men of Madison (ages six to 18), with a current enrollment of 40 youth. With eight male role models, sessions between youth and their male role models haven't slowed down due to a virus. Instead, the men have decided to continue talking to and seeing their young stars in as safe a manner as much as possible.
Bobby Thompkins is one of the mentors, who has six young men under his wings; checking on them often to make sure they're staying in line. He states it's important to him to give the kids "something I didn't have growing up." Wayne Frazier also mentors six youth members of Boyz to Kings, often teaching the dangers of gun violence and assisting with homework where it is needed. "When we were growing up, we never had anything like this – no support to guide us in the right direction," Frazier states.
Sylvester Robinson worked with the Florida Department of Corrections for 25 years, and says that he has seen how many kids were not guided like he was. "I had Johnny Woods coming up. He would gather kids in the back of his truck and go fishing and swimming," Robinson stated. "I wanted to be like Mr. Johnny did and give back."
"None of us are perfect, but the thing we try to do is, when we fall, let the children see us get up and get going," says Mattair, founder and president of Boyz to Kings. "The good thing is, we don't meet once a month. We meet four times a week, but we see them other than that at the grocery store and school."
Melvin Jackson, James Fudge and Mattair's father, Curtis, are also members of Boyz to Kings who often mentor young men. These eight male role models are continuing to make a difference in the lives of Madison County’s youth, but there's always room for more role models. Are you willing to be a life-changer? Maybe you want to inquire about enrolling your youth in Boyz to Kings. For more information, visit www.boyztokings.com or call (850) 673-1003.