Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Oct. 2, 2008, edition 1 / Page 11
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Aggie professionals work to empower youth ? BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE At 25, Jamerus Payton has barely gotten his feet planted as an engineer in Dallas, Texas. Yet he and fellow North Carolina A&T alumnus Tomence Reed say it's high time they gave back to the community where they began their higher educational jour neys. The two men founded the Gteensboro - based Standing Tall for Success (STFS), earli er this year. The organization, which targets at-risk youth ages 8-18 in Greensboro and across the state of North Carolina, already has one basketball charity event under its belt and recently achieved status as a 501(cX3) nonprofit. Though most of its initia tives are still in their infancy, Payton says STFS will serve underserved youth, particular ly those hailing from single parent households. "We ... grew up in single parent homes," Payton said of the motivation to start STFS. "We ... had our obstacles, but we all had this drive for suc cess - we wanted to do well." The program will focus on educational, personal, busi ness and recreational compo nents. Organizers hope to find occasion to partner with other groups in their target area that share their passion for youth, Payton says. In addition, Payton, Reed and the handful of college buddies whose help they have enlisted for the proj ect will serve as mentors for the youth. "Kids from single parent homes traditionally don't do as well as those from a two par ent home," Payton comment ed. "We felt it was our obliga tion to give back." I ^ i? . ^..v ? SITS Ptx*. The family of Sean Murphy thanks the crowd at last year's basketball event. Torrence Reed is second from the left. The first major event for STFS was the Sean Murphy Charity Classic basketball game, held at their alma mater last June. The event was named for Pay ton and Reed's friend, who died during an intramural basketball game in 2004 as the result of a heart condition. An engineering major at A&T, Murphy was an avid basketball player with a philanthropic spirit, the men say. "When Sean died, I always wanted to form a foundation in his name ... He loved basket ball (and) he would always help someone before he helped himself," recalled Reed, now a grad student at A&T. "He was always ... full throttle and that's the same way we are with our (fundraising) efforts." A portion of the profits from the game were donated to the American Heart Association in his honor. "So many people are touched by so many different forms of cardiovascular dis ease. We want to educate more individuals about it," said Reed. "We thought, 'what better way to do it than by entertaining people at the same time?'" STMS is currently gearing up for the next Sean Murphy Classic, slated for April 3, 2009. Like its predecessor, the 2009 event will benefit the American Heart Association, and Reed says they expect a much bigger turnout at A&T's Corbett Sports Center this time around. "We were six 25 year-olds talking about how we wanted to start a nonprofit; people wanted to see if we were seri ous about it," Payton said. "Once they saw everything was smooth sailing, now they're starting to get involved." Standing Tall organizers are asking for the support of the community for the Sean Murphy Charity Classic. Sponsorship and monetary support are needed, as are players. For more information about the organization or the charity classic, call (336) 542 5961 or visit wwwstandtal 14 success .org . Home from page A1 . annual reunion, held Sept. 20, has become an occasion for reflection and renewal for the men who exorcized their demons within the home's walls and went out into the world to start anew. For cur rent residents staying at the home, the reunion is a time to see all the things that are possible through faith, devo tion and the gift of brother hood. Last year, Walter Gray was in the latter category. He returned to the reunion this year as a recent alumnus. Sixteen months ago, he left the Home after completing the stringent treatment pro gram, which includes regular 12-step meetings, curfews and mandatory outside employment. "My life has just been blessed," Gray said. He works for himself as a gener al contractor and jobs have been steady. It is ^lucrative trade that Gray learned long ago, but his battles with drugs never allowed him to put them to use for very long. Gray says he doesn't think about falling off the wagon. The Fellowship Home pro vides him with a constant support system and the tools that he believes will keep the Photo by Kevin Walker Some of the many successful alumni of The Fellowship Home. blessings coming. Executive Director Thorn Elmore says the men can always come home again, and not just in times of trou ble. Elmore encourages alumni like Gray to drop in every now and then to visit with current residents. "They need to see people who have been where they are and have moved on. Then they can see what they are working toward," said Elmore. The daylong reunion was packed with events and meet ings. Successful alums and longtime supporters of the agency were feted during an awards ceremony; aqd chick en, burgers and hot dogs flowed freely from the grill to plates. The only somber moment came when atten dees honored deceased alum ni during a candlelight cere mony. Though it has been a United Way partner since the 1980s, The Fellowship Home is not immune to these diffi cult financial times. The Kate B. Reynolds Foundation recently awarded the agency a grant to provide transition al housing for alumni who have completed the program but don't have the means to find homes of their own. The grant allows The Fellowship Home to provide several furnished apartments to alumni who qualify. The apartments chosen for the project happen to be right next door to The Fellowship Home in the city's West End. Elmore said the close prox imity is an effort to save staffers who must visit out side clients regularly from excessive travel and save the agency from paying for $4 a gallon gas. e But having alumni who are trying to prove that they can make it on their own so close does have its cons, Elmore concedes, since it can be argued that they are still within the agency's protec tive arms. "It is a double-edged sword," said Elmore. David T. and Brad S. (ini tial-only last names are com monplace in treatment pro grams to maintain anonimity) stand on each side of that sword. David T. left The Fellowship in April and moved next door into one of the apartments. He feels that his apartment is not an exten sion of the home. "I feel like I am on my own," he said. "I was really looking forward to the day when 1 could be out there on my own. It was time for me to grow up." Brad S? who has strug gled with substance abuse for much of his life, is comforted by knowing that the Home is just a few steps away from his apartment. "I spent 27 years trying to change my life," he said. "The Fellowship Home has helped me live for the first time. They had faith in me until I eventually began to have faith in myself." For more information about The Fellowship Home, go to www.thefellowshiphome .org . Drinks pom page Xf tent found in other AEDs," the attorneys general state. Their concerns were strong enough that MillerCoors has delayed the Oct. 1 debut of Sparks Red until talks with attorneys general are conducted. O'Brien's study, "Caffeinated Cocktails: Energy Drink Consumption, High-risk Drinking and Alcohol-related Consequences Among College Students," was pub lished in Academic Emergency Medicine earlier this year. In it, she stated that col lege students who reported consuming alcohol mixed with energy drinks had sig nificantly higher prevalence of alcohol-related conse quences such as sexual MiltefCoor* linage Miller already has some versions of the drink for sale. assault and injury. O'Brien is in agreement with the attorneys generals. "In answer to the attor neys general, and in the inter est of responsible beverage service, I call on Miller to reconsider the introduction of Sparks Red." she said. Alcohol energy drinks taste and look like non-alco holic energy drinks. O'Brien said they are popular with young people, who often believe, incorrectly, that the caffeine in the drinks will counteract the intoxicating effects of the alcohol. In June Anheuser-Busch agreed to stop making alco hol drinks containing caf feine or other stimulants fol lowing legal action by attor neys general of 10 states. Anheuser-Busch also agreed to reformulate Tilt and Bud Extra, two popular alcohol energy drinks. Seeing THE City Sloan's New York i EXHIBITION' OPENING PART\ | IRF.YNOI DA HOUSI Ml si l \| o/ \MERK \ \ A RT . -sorts Winston-Salem Lighting Up the Millennium: A Spectacular Light Exhibit Millennium Center, Winston-Salem Presented by the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Evenings of November 13-15, 2008 Piedmont Craftsmen's Fair Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem November 15-16, 2008 Light in the Piazza Piedmont Opera October 10, 12, and 14, 2008 ' 1 W 3" <D <t> ft 01 Structure, Surface and Expression: Quilt Directions Today ?>' Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art g September 13, 2008-January 4, 2009 ? r L , Seeing the City: Sloan's New York ?L The Reynolds House Museum of American Art <" October 4, 2008-January 4, 2009 O I Go to TheCltyOfTheArts.com and click on Weekends in Winston for information on arts, dance, music, theater, family, and living history experiences in our City of the Arts.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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Oct. 2, 2008, edition 1
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