FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER: WUSA-TV Channel 9 Highlights the Church and Work of Gamma Pi Bro. Rev. Dr. Gerald Folsom in King Holiday Feature

EDITOR'S NOTE: For the Good of the Order is an occasional series highlighting the accomplishments of the men of Gamma Pi Chapter.

Back in the day, the Black church was the center of comunity activism, civil rights struggles, economic relief, lifesaving health information, and it served as a place where congregants and others in the community could go for help and direction when there was a family crisis or an educational need. These days, serving all those roles may not be so prevalent when it comes to the Black church, but some churches still see addressing these needs as their mission. One of those churches is Greater Mount Nebo AME Church, located in Bowie and pastored by Bro. Rev. Dr. Gerald Folsom of Gamma Pi Chapter.

Bro. Rev. Dr. Folsom and Greater Mount Nebo were the focus of a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday feature report on WUSA channel 9, broadcast on Monday, January 19. The church held a program honoring Dr. King's legacy. Bro. Folsom was among those interviewed.

The broadcast profiles the church and Bro. Rev. Dr. Folsom's work as pastor. In the spirit of Dr. King's work, Bro. Rev. Dr. Folsom and Greater Mount Nebo opened the door to Gamma Pi's Project ENRICH college preparatory program late last year when the government shutdown closed the federal facility that the prorgam was using for its monthly Saturday sessions. Project ENRICH has continued to meet at Greater Mount Nebo into the new year.

Bro. Rev. Dr. Folsom is a dynamic example of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.'s leadership in providing UPLIFT through aggressive Social Action in the church and the greater community.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE COMPLETE WUSA 9 REPORT 

FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER: Gamma Pi Brother Leads Upcoming Prostate Cancer Health Fair in Prince George's County

EDITOR'S NOTE: For the Good of the Order is an occasional series highlighting the accomplishments of the men of Gamma Pi Chapter.

Gamma Pi's Bro. William Battle is among those African American men who are blessed not to have been given a prostate cancer diagnosis. According to government health data, 1 in 3 African American men will be diagosed with prostate cancer.

Bro. Battle (left) at a fundraiser

Yet, the fact that Bro. Battle has not experienced prostate cancer personally does not mean he does not identify with those who encounter the disease. A lifelong health professional and advocate, Bro. Battle has always held a special place in his heart for fellow African American men when it comes to educating them about prostate cancer -- what to look for, when to go see the doctor, what to ask and when and how to get screened. These and other aspects of prostate cancer will be the subject of an upcoming Prostate Cancer Health Fair coming to Prince George's County on Saturday, February 21.

Brother Battle's organization, Emmanual Health Education, is co-sponsoring along with other organizations and the countty, the local health fair at the Largo/Kettering/Perrywood Community Center from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on February 21. The event is free. You can register here: REGISTER.

"I believe education about prostate cancer sits in the driver's seat to eradicate this disease," he said. "Screening is our greatest defense against prostate cancer."

The event being held in Prince George's County is synonomous with the fact that Prince George's has some of the highest prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates in Maryland.

Bro. Battle is active on many fronts to educate Black men about prostate cancer. He sponsors bike rides, awareness events and seminars, fundraisers, in the Prince George's County community and in his home state of North Carolina. He often works with local chapters to organize events 

In September 2024, Bro. Battle and Gamma Pi co-hosted a very successful prostate cancer seminar for area Omega Psi Phi members at the chapter's meeting facility in Forestville. 

For information about this upcoming event, reach out to Bro. Battle at: emmanualhealthedu@gmail.com

WATCH BRO. BATTLE IN THIS 2019 TV INTERVIEW: Community UPLIFT

FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER: Bro. Dr. Kyle Bacon of Gamma Pi Speaks on Educational Excellence in National Podcast

EDITOR'S NOTE: For the Good of the Order is an occasional series highlighting the accomplishments of the men of Gamma Pi Chapter.

Bro. Dr. Kyle Bacon has blazed an impressive 20-year-plus career trail in education as a teacher, principal, program coordinator, National Board candidate and speaker/advocate, especially when it comes to increasing the number of males of color in the teaching profession.

Bro. Bacon, who teaches middle school mathematics at the Accokeek Academy in Prince George's County, was recently interviewed about his career and educational excellence issues for a podcast focused on the pursuit of excellence in education. 

The BONDcast is part of The BOND Project, an organized nonprofit endeavor -- it stands for Building Our Network of Diversity (BOND). The podcast is the formal "conversation space" of the BOND Project and its commitment through professional enrichment, mentoring, scholarship, and fellowship activities for educators across the country.

You can listen to Bro. Bacon's uplifting 30-minute interview, "The Pursuit of Excellence and Impact," on Season 5, Episode 10 of The BONDcast on any of these venues:

APPLE 

SPOTIFY

PODCAST ADDICT

Gamma Pi Educates The Local Community on Child Support Enforcement -- Separating Fact from Fiction

When it comes to child support enforcement, there is almost as much fiction as there is fact about how the system works. Gamma Pi Chapter tries to help sort it all out for the local community in the latest episode of its Community UPLIFT public affairs televison program. The program is celebrating 10 years and broadcasts every Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. on Comcast (channel 76) and Verizon FiOS (channel 42) in Prince George's County, MD and surrounding areas. People outside the viewing area can watch the shows on the station's livestream.

Bro. Sen. Nick Charles (District 25) is the lead guest along with Prince George's Associate Circuit Court Judge Judge LaKeecia Allen, Magistrate Bruce Edwards, and local family law attorney Valeria Tomlin. The 30-minute program was taped at PGCTV (Prince George's Community TV) studios in Lanham, MD. Host Micheline Bowman led the discussion as well as a separate interview with Gamma Pi Basileus Bro. Terry Hare who updated the audience on Gamma Pi community initiatives.

 An on-demand version of the telecast is available on YouTube: Community UPLIFT.