Building the Future: Project ENRICH Dives Into 2014-15 with New Parents' Club

Bro. Lawrence Dukes works with the freshmen

For many years, parents have been the backbone of Gamma Pi's monthly Project ENRICH program.  They are the ones who have taken on the sometimes thankless task of waking their sons and daughters up early on a Saturday morning, encouraging them to put on their best outfits and then convincing them to ride to Bowie State University for Project ENRICH sessions that begin at 9 a.m.

In many cases, parents have had to pitch the "hard sell" (better known as "arm twisting") to the young high school students who, like anyone else their age, would rather be doing anything else on a Saturday morning besides something academic. Let's face it. Who would not want to sleep in on a Saturday morning? But thanks to the dedication of these parents and their commitment to the program, Project ENRICH is able to attract a large following and every Saturday the smiling faces are seated in their places ready to learn and absorb, looking to the future.

Parent Aimee` Pressley, Bro. Brett Blake (left)
 and parent Kevin Thomas discuss the new Parents' Club 

For this reason, Project ENRICH Director Bro. Willie Hines and the leadership team have set a goal this year to get parents more involved in planning and executing the program. To that end, the first session for the 2014-15 year held on September 27 at Bowie State was highlighted by the formation of a new Project ENRICH Parents' Club. Mrs. Aimee` Pressley has volunteered to be the inaugural leader for the group. She will be working with Bro. Hines and parents to shape the agenda and build a program that will help move Project ENRICH forward. Another parent, Kevin Thomas, has volunteered to lead fundraising efforts for Project ENRICH.

"Project ENRICH has is turning the corner with respect to parental support. Thanks to Bro. (Brett) Blake for leading the parents club effort and obtaining the excitement and support which will propel us to a new plane," said Bro. Hines."We are still recruiting and looking to make a difference in the lives of our students."

Project ENRICH Director Bro. Hines chats with students

Public speaking is a big component of Project ENRICH. And Saturday's first session included student introductions as a first step to helping them develop their own "elevator speech." In addition, students got to work with their team leaders and participated in a group activity about what attributes are needed to be effective learners in the 21st century. 

"Our next session is October 11 and this will be a very special session for parents who have children in the 9th through 11th grades." said Bro. Hines. "Dr. Ezeze, founder of Future Quest, Inc. will present 'Selective Colleges, Who Gets In and Why'. This presentation is directed at parents and our goal is to fill the room with parents for this presentation. More information to come with respect to this presentation."  A tour of the U.S. Naval Academy is planned for October 29.

More information about Project ENRICH, including online registration information, can be found on the website: www.projectenrich.org

You can also follow project ENRICH on Social Media: (www.facebook.com/projectenrichprogram) and Twitter (@projectenrich)

Below, Bro. Blake addressing parents in video clip from Saturday September 27: