100 Black Men of Omaha uses their Saturday Academy to inspire and help young people achieve their goals
"We do that by being there, being mentors, showing up and being consistent"
"We do that by being there, being mentors, showing up and being consistent"
"We do that by being there, being mentors, showing up and being consistent"
The 100 Black Men of Omaha is pouring into the community with many programs including their Saturday Academy which helps kids with their education.
Saturday mornings are for learning at Monroe Middle School with the 100 Black Men of Omaha.
The nonprofit's Executive Director Marcus Bell watches as about 40 student come into the building, ready and eager to learn.
"They act like they don't want to be there, but it's about an hour in and they're excited, they're ready to learn," said Bell.
Their program, which started in 2008, partners with Omaha Public Schools. The program's director Paul Franklin said it provides extended learning opportunities for students in grades second through fifth.
"In classes, they work on math and reading enrichment primarily. We do try and provide some fun because it's Saturday, they got to be able to have some fun on the weekends as well," said Franklin.
According to Franklin, the academy had to shut down in 2020 as with many things due to COVID-19.
"Coming back we lost a lot of our kids that we had retained traditionally over the years," said Franklin.
Post pandemic, they are back on track with a goal to help students exceed state academic standards.
"That's what we're trying to do, that's what we hope to do," said Franklin.
Creighton University freshman Andrew Joppa attended the academy while he was a middle school student. He said the 100 also gave him life lessons which helps him thrive as a Blue Jay.
"I've learned a lot from those experiences, and even through learning it helped mold me into the man I am today. A lot of people already have innate abilities that really just need to be tapped into and I feel like the Saturday Academy is something that does that through and through," said Joppa.
The mentorship organization lives by the motto, "what they see, is what they'll be."
"We do that by being there, being mentors, showing up and being consistent," said Bell.
He credit those actions by the 100 and their Saturday Academy with preparing the youth, helping them to be respectful, responsible, and ready to lead.
"This program gives you that extra boost of confidence you can have to be able to succeed not just this week, but also long term in life," said Bell.
The organization said they are always taking in new students and mentors. You can find more information to get involved by visiting their website www.100blackmenomaha.org/