Concerned Black Men of Richmond Kicks Off 2020 with Career Options Activity at Franklin Military Academy

January 29, 2020

Greetings all!

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond kicked off 2020 with a Career Options activity.  It was conducted on January 11^th at Franklin Military Academy and was well attended. 

This year we concentrated on IT, Engineering and Armed Services as options.  Oliver Norrell, a current CBM mentor started off by discussing the requirements and benefits of entering the military.  He explained how he was able to go to college and obtained a law degree from the University of Richmond through the military.

Oliver also talked about the different types of lawyers in the military as well as in civilian society.

Winford Hill, a former CBM mentor has a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering and currently works with US Department of Defense. 

He explained the different types of engineering and the path that he took to achieve his career goals. Winford currently specializes in guidance systems and elaborated on how a career in engineering has afforded him the opportunity to work in other countries as well.

 

Next, Dondre Green and Charles Hill spoke about a career in the Information Technology field.  They both work as IT Logistic Analysts for a government contractor supporting the Army’s logistic software and users.  They both have served in the armed forces and explained the pros and cons of certifications as opposed to formal college education. 

 

We concluded the program with Kevin Carter, a current CBM mentor and former presenter for the Career Options event.  He is an engineer with Dominion Energy and has a degree in accounting.  Kevin elaborated on how an internship program got him in the door with Dominion Energy and that led him to an engineering position.

 

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond diligently seek out ways to motivate and inspire our boys.  There are several young men who have expressed interest in these fields, so we found some great examples for them to rub shoulders with and ask any questions that may assist them on their journey. 

Thank you to each of you who have supported us as we endeavor to provide our youth with programs that promote positive role models for them to emulate. It means the world to us and the youth that we serve.

Sincerely,
Tim Mallory,
President CBM-RVA

Click Here to learn more about The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, Inc.
Click Here to learn more about becoming a Mentor.
Click Here to see how you can support our efforts to continue to care for our youth.

Concerned Black Men of Richmond Attends 31st Annual 2nd Street Festival & Holds Music Activity with Youth & Grammy Award Winning Composer Lamont Fleming

November 10, 2019

Greetings all!

Last month the Concerned Black Men of Richmond began the month at the 2^nd Street Festival on October 5^th & 6^th in historic Jackson Ward. This is a celebration of African American Art & Culture that has taken place for 31 years.  We manned our table on community row and met with politicians, former mentors and the community at large to tell how we are continuing to impact the youth in the Richmond area.

Senator Jennifer McClellan with CBM

 

This is always a great opportunity for the Concerned Black Men of Richmond to recruit new mentors and mentees for our organization!

Next, we had our first youth activity, “Music – Inside Look” on Saturday October 12^th. The event was conducted by Lamont Fleming, a Grammy Award winning composer who has worked with artists such as Chris Brown and Destiny’s Child.

Lamont and Markel Bealle prerecorded a music track and worked with the youth on developing a hook and other facets of song composition for them to put together. 

 

 

They had a great time putting the song together and actually completed the first verse (a rap) and the hook!  Lamont did a great job encouraging the boys to pursue their dreams and to strive for excellence in all their endeavors. 

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond really appreciates the time and effort that Lamont and Markel put into putting on this event. We hope that we can get together again to possibly finish the song. It warms our hearts to see men of that stature give their time and share their talents with other young men!

Thank each of you for your interest and support of the Concerned Black Men of Richmond.  You are making a difference in the lives of the youth that we serve and the community.

Sincerely,
Tim Mallory, President CBM-RVA

Click Here to learn more about The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, Inc.
Click Here to learn more about becoming a Mentor.
Click Here to see how you can support our efforts to continue to care for our youth.

Concerned Black Men of Richmond Kicks Off 2019 with Career Choices Event at Franklin Military Academy

January 28, 2019

 

Happy New Year to all!

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, VA kicked off 2019 with our “Career Choices” event.  It was held at Franklin Military Academy on Saturday, January 12^th and well received by our youth.

The panel consisted of the following: Attorney at Law – Alex Taylor

                                                                  Cosmetologist – Darren Carmichael

                                                                  Army – Colonel Oliver Norrell

                                                                  Project Engineer – Kevin Carter

                                                                  Musician/Composer – Lamont Fleming

                                                                  Student/Rapper – Markel Bealle

Each of the panelists shared their personal paths and various requirements needed to enter into their fields.

Alex Taylor achieved the rank of Judge Advocate General in the US Army is the Senior JROTC instructor at Huguenot High School.  He also has his own law practice in Richmond. Alex is one of the founding and current members of CBM-RVA.

Darren Carmichael is a cosmetologist and barber in Richmond and was the former hairstylist for Patty LaBelle and many other entertainers. He is the owner of Savant Hair Stylist, Inc. and also a former Marine.

 

Colonel Oliver Norrell is retired US Army and is currently the Director of Army Instruction for Richmond Public Schools.  Oliver Norrell is also a member CBM-RVA.

 Kevin Carter Jr. is a Customer Project Designer for Dominion Energy.  He was an accounting major at Virginia State University and explained the importance internships in college.  Kevin explained what his role as a project designer entails and how he achieves objectives in that role.

Lamont Fleming is an arranger, producer and publisher from Richmond who has worked with Destiny’s Child, Kenny Lattimore and Jaime Foxx to name a few.  He was instrumental in launching the career of Chris Brown.

Lamont talked about how and why he chose the music industry and instructed the boys on how to carry themselves.

Markel Bealle is a rapper and student at William & Mary from California.  Markel is a Political Science Major and is on the Dean’s List. Markel talked about his upbringing in California and how he broke away from the cycle of violence and drugs that traps so many of our youth. His moniker in the music industry is “Mack BZ” and can be found on Spotify.

After the session at Franklin Military Academy, we went to Pizza Hut and were joined by Lamont and Markel.

 

The Concerned Black Men of Richmond strives to expose our youth to a number of diverse career options.  We are truly grateful to the gentlemen who took time from their schedules to assist us in our mission.

We also would like to thank each of you who have contributed financially to our organization.  It means the world to the young men we serve and ensures that the Concerned Black Men of Richmond can continue provide impactful activities in the future.

 

Sincerely
Tim Mallory
President, CBM-RVA

Click Here to learn more about The Concerned Black Men of Richmond, Inc.

Click Here to learn more about becoming a Mentor.

Click Here to see how you can support our efforts to continue to care for our youth.

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