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 (Three Affiliated Tribe members Will Stevens and David Williams Jr.
seated to the right of the First Lady Michelle Obama) FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE Boys & Girls
Club Youth Meets President and Mrs. Obama at National Mentoring Month Event Washington, DC –
January 21, 2009 – A mentor and mentee from the Boys & Girls Clubs of
the Three Affiliated Tribes participated in a White House ceremony on Wednesday
marking January as National Mentoring Month.
President Barack Obama and the First Lady joined the event in an effort
to increase public awareness of the benefits of mentoring. The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Three Affiliated Tribes receives funding
to support mentoring services through the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention’s Mentoring Tribal Youth initiative and the Department
of Health and Human Service’s Mentoring Children of Prisoners program. The mentor, David Williams grew up on the Fort Berthold Reservation in
North Dakota. He attended the Club as a
youth, and as he grew older, served as a Junior Staff member. David attended North Dakota State University
and returned to the community and the Club each summer. After completing his degree, David decided he
wanted to work in his home community where he began teaching at the tribe’s alternative
education program. David was paired with William, a 15-year old mentee, in August of
2009. William had previously been
receiving failing grades in the local high school, but this fall enrolled in
the Ma-Adoo-Za-Gidz (It’s a Good Thing) Alternative Education Program, a
collaboration between New Town Schools and Boys & Girls Clubs of the Three
Affiliated Tribes. The goal of the program is to prevent youth from dropping
out of school. The mentoring match sees
each other daily at school and also meets one-on-one at least weekly. During their mentoring sessions, they have
discussed career paths, goal-setting, and plans for applying for and attending
college. They also enjoy playing basketball and working out
together. Since beginning the mentoring program and new high school,
William has made great strides. He is
now receiving excellent grades in school, joined his first school sports team
(cross country), and recently won the North Dakota Native American Science Fair. He will travel to Albuquerque, NM, in March to
compete in the 2010 National American
Indian Science & Engineering Fair. During the event, William and David sat on stage behind the speakers who
included First Lady Michelle Obama, the 2009 Little Brother of the Year, and
President Barack Obama. Following her
comments, Mrs. Obama sat next to William for the remainder of the event. After concluding their remarks, both David
and William were able to shake hands with the President and First Lady. While in Washington, DC, the mentoring match, accompanied by Boys &
Girls Club staff member Ryan Eagle, toured the national mall and attended a
Washington Wizards basketball game.
Upon returning home, William plans to visit all six units of the Boys
& Girls Clubs of the Three Affiliated Tribes to share his experiences with
other Club members and to encourage their participation in the mentoring
program. Contact: |
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