Please take a minute to watch these two videos on his recent Atlanta Live appearance Watch Video
Restoration Community Resources (R.C.R.) began in 2004 as a program to help families deal with the challenges of raising young men in today’s society. A couple from the church requested Minister Kevin Smith’s assistance with their son who was having some behavior issues. Kevin agreed, began counseling the young man and within a relatively short period of time, the couple recognized a significant change.
As a result, another parent with a similar situation asked if he would be willing to counsel her son as well. After several requests, Kevin recognized the need for a mentoring program that would address issues facing young men within the family, the community and at school.
In the fall of 2004, the first meeting was held at the R.C.R. Center in College Park, GA by the Board of Directors with four young men in attendance. The Directors realized that highlighting and celebrating the strengths of the young men was important to the success of the program. This proved to be a successful strategy because the Directors began to see a sustained noticeable change in their demeanor. Additionally, R.C.R. introduced the young men to the concept of focusing their efforts to outline goals and steps required to successfully achieve them. The program continued to evolve from counseling and addressing behavior issues to an emphasis on education and entrepreneurship. At the end of the first year, R.C.R. was mentoring 10 young men and partnering with their parents.
The components of the mentoring program consist of: partnership with school administrators, developmental reading assignments, business plan formulations and college preparation assistance. Classes are offered in money management, public speaking, professional and personal grooming. Tutoring is also provided in the areas of mathematics and science. Realizing that the involvement of the parents would be a key element to R.C.R.’s success with the youth, we added training for the parents in the areas financial planning, budgeting, investing and insurance strategies. By providing these programs, R.C.R. is now able to be of service to the entire household.
Today, “The Young Men Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program” has 25 mentees and 16 mentors of which 3 were previous mentees. R.C.R. has also been afforded the opportunity to provide financial assistance to our mentees. Beginning in 2007 and continuing through 2009, we have awarded a total of five scholarships to graduating high school seniors. At R.C.R., our goal as mentors is to offer a unique learning opportunity while playing a vital role in shaping young men to become responsible entrepreneurs who will affect and impact their families, communities and ultimately our economy. Through mentoring and relationship building, R.C.R. is helping these young men to reach their full potential.
Restoration Community Resources received the Spirit Award in 2009 from Melaleuca, Inc. for outstanding community involvement and service. RCR is a 501C3 nonprofit organization.
We are excited to celebrate this great accomplishment with him.
For information on Minister Kevin Smith and his ministry you can go:
Here
