Concerned Black Men of Richmond held annual Public Speaking event at Franklin Military Academy with Toastmasters of Richmond

 

March 26, 2019

 

Greetings and salutations!

The Concerned Black Men of RVA held our annual “Public Speaking” event, Saturday, March 9^th.   It was held at Franklin Military Academy and conducted by Nancy Johnson and Jeanette Hall-Merritt from the Toastmasters of Richmond.

There were 13 youth and 6 mentors in attendance for this activity.  They started the event with an exercise where the boys were instructed to line up according to their birthdays without talking. This proved to be problematic until they noticed the calculator caddy in the room that made it a lot easier to complete.

Next, Jeanette talked about the importance of using gestures when speaking.  She showed how when used properly, they can really enhance your ability to convey a message.

 

They were then shown a video from the speech given by a Toastmasters Champion and discussed how he used gestures and as well as other techniques to deliver his message.

 

 

The boys were then given the opportunity to use what they were taught.  Each of them was instructed to pull a rock from a bag which had one word on it such as believe, hope and love.  They spoke for between one and two minutes and did an outstanding job!  Not to be out done by the boys, the mentors each had a chance to show what we could do.

The Concerned Black Men of RVA made the decision several years ago to incorporate this activity in our curriculum annually and we are seeing remarkable growth in the boys who consistently participate in this event.

 

 Thomas Cannon presented Nancy Johnson and Jeanette Hall-Merritt with one of our CBM mugs as we thanked them for continuing to assist us with this activity.

Afterwards we made our trek to Pizza Hut where the boys enjoyed some food for their hard work.

 

The Concerned Black Men of RVA would again thank each of you for your interest and contributions to our organization.  You play a major role in our mission to impact the youth that we serve with impactful activities to enhance their life skills and development. 

Thank you again!

Sincerely,
Timothy Mallory
President-CBM-RVA

Click Here to learn more about The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, Inc.

Click Here to learn more about becoming a Mentor.

Click Here to see how you can support our efforts to continue to care for our youth.

Concerned Black Men of Richmond and Youth Visits VMFA for Black History Month

March 4, 2019

 

Greetings all!

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond VA, Inc. recognized Black History Month with a visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  It took place on Saturday, February 23^rd and was well attended.

The tour was led by Ann Carlton and we saw the African Art and the Contemporary African American Art exhibits.  The youth corps was very engaged and well behaved during the entire tour.  Ms. Carlton was very knowledgeable about the culture and purpose of the African Art and took time to explain the significance of many of the pieces exhibited.

The Contemporary African American Art exhibit was comprised of pieces from slavery, the Harlem Renaissance Period and up to many of the current African American artisans.

Ms. Carlton talks about painter Kehinde Wiley who did the portrait of President Barack Obama.

The tour lasted about an hour. It was noted by some of the high school students that they recognized some of the artists from the Harlem Renaissance period because they are currently studying that in school.

We were accompanied on the tour by Allison Bennett Dyche, a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University. The Concerned Black Men of Richmond VA will be the subject for her podcast called “Shift”, where she tells stories of people and places, and the shifts they have made to help create their place in this world.

 

Allison interviewed the boys at the conclusion of the tour to get their opinion on the event as well as the programs that we provide.

Again, we would like to thank each of you for your continued patronage of the Concerned Black Men of Richmond!  It means the world to the young men that we serve and ensures that we will continue to impact the community in a positive way.

Sincerely,
Timothy Mallory
President-CBM-RVA

Click Here to learn more about The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, Inc.

Click Here to learn more about becoming a Mentor.

Click Here to see how you can support our efforts to continue to care for our youth.

Concerned Black Men of Richmond Kicks Off 2019 with Career Choices Event at Franklin Military Academy

January 28, 2019

 

Happy New Year to all!

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, VA kicked off 2019 with our “Career Choices” event.  It was held at Franklin Military Academy on Saturday, January 12^th and well received by our youth.

The panel consisted of the following: Attorney at Law – Alex Taylor

                                                                  Cosmetologist – Darren Carmichael

                                                                  Army – Colonel Oliver Norrell

                                                                  Project Engineer – Kevin Carter

                                                                  Musician/Composer – Lamont Fleming

                                                                  Student/Rapper – Markel Bealle

Each of the panelists shared their personal paths and various requirements needed to enter into their fields.

Alex Taylor achieved the rank of Judge Advocate General in the US Army is the Senior JROTC instructor at Huguenot High School.  He also has his own law practice in Richmond. Alex is one of the founding and current members of CBM-RVA.

Darren Carmichael is a cosmetologist and barber in Richmond and was the former hairstylist for Patty LaBelle and many other entertainers. He is the owner of Savant Hair Stylist, Inc. and also a former Marine.

 

Colonel Oliver Norrell is retired US Army and is currently the Director of Army Instruction for Richmond Public Schools.  Oliver Norrell is also a member CBM-RVA.

 Kevin Carter Jr. is a Customer Project Designer for Dominion Energy.  He was an accounting major at Virginia State University and explained the importance internships in college.  Kevin explained what his role as a project designer entails and how he achieves objectives in that role.

Lamont Fleming is an arranger, producer and publisher from Richmond who has worked with Destiny’s Child, Kenny Lattimore and Jaime Foxx to name a few.  He was instrumental in launching the career of Chris Brown.

Lamont talked about how and why he chose the music industry and instructed the boys on how to carry themselves.

Markel Bealle is a rapper and student at William & Mary from California.  Markel is a Political Science Major and is on the Dean’s List. Markel talked about his upbringing in California and how he broke away from the cycle of violence and drugs that traps so many of our youth. His moniker in the music industry is “Mack BZ” and can be found on Spotify.

After the session at Franklin Military Academy, we went to Pizza Hut and were joined by Lamont and Markel.

 

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond strives to expose our youth to a number of diverse career options.  We are truly grateful to the gentlemen who took time from their schedules to assist us in our mission.

We also would like to thank each of you who have contributed financially to our organization.  It means the world to the young men we serve and ensures that the Concerned Black Men of Richmond can continue provide impactful activities in the future.

 

Sincerely
Tim Mallory
President, CBM-RVA

Click Here to learn more about The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, Inc.

Click Here to learn more about becoming a Mentor.

Click Here to see how you can support our efforts to continue to care for our youth.

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