Project SOAR Kickoff

Recently I joined 100 Black Men of Madison President, Dr. Floyd Rose; Madison Metropolitan School District Superintendent, Dr. Jennifer Cheatham; United Way of Dane County President and CEO, Renee Moe; Police Chief Mike Koval; County Executive Joe Parisi; Journey Mental Health Executive Director, Bill Greer; and CUNA Mutual Executive Director, Steve Goldberg, to kick off the 100 Black Men's new initiative, Student Opportunities, Access and Readiness or Project SOAR.

Photo Credit: Paul McMahon

Under Project SOAR, 100 Black Men and community partners will mentor 300 African American male students, ages 12-17, who are currently enrolled in the Madison Public School District. The Project SOAR mentoring program will pay particular attention to those students who are economically disadvantaged, from single parent homes, homeless, in foster care, or in the juvenile justice system.

When conducting the youth and young adult surveys and interviews for President Barack Obama's My Brother's Keeper (MBK) Madison initiative, our boys and young men of color frequently mentioned a desire to see increased opportunities for mentorship. I am pleased to support Project SOAR as it aligns with our MBK Madison goals and seeks to address a critical need within our Madison community.