Brotherhood of Men: Boys to Men
Brotherhood of Men is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which provides a supportive environment, fostering life skill enhancement and personal development in young men. With over 38 active members, BOM, as it is known, teaches love, responsibility, integrity and manhood to the boys, giving them something different, said Sgt. Dominic Harris, its founder. “It stems from a heartfelt desire to see these kids succeed,” Sgt. Harris said. “We believe that if just one member succeeds because of the lessons we’ve shared, this entire endeavor will be worth it, 100 times over, even if no other person ever knows. That is what makes us different.”
BOM has been exposing young boys to what is outside of their current environment, outside of Sarasota, outside of Newtown. Each year, they sponsor a huge summer trip to expose the boys to the many places and adventures out there. Last year, they visited Washington, D.C.; this year they visited the Big Apple – New York City. Twenty-one boys went on the trip and had an opportunity to visit many historic sites that the city had to offer. The purpose of the trip was to give the young men an experience like none other, said Dr. Dwight Fitch. “The trips are “outside the box” of what the boys would normally see and/or do,” he said.
“To expose them to a world outside of Newtown, outside of Florida, shows them options and sparks their curiosity.”
Among places visited on the New York trip were Times Square – at day and at night -, Spyscape Interactive Spy Museum, Central Park, Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center), the Statue of Liberty, the Color Factory, Soho, Little Italy, Chinatown, and Intrepid Museum, a museum of a retired aircraft carrier. There was a guided walking tour of Harlem and they had an opportunity to walk the Brooklyn Bridge. The total cost of the trip was over $21,000, at no cost to the parents.
“Over 18 years, we’ve taken our members in excess of 100 trips, locally and out of state, and our out of state trips total eight,” Dr. Fitch said.
The goals are myriad. The “big out of state trips” are rewards for their grades, behavior and general attitude,” Dr. Fitch said. “We hope to motivate them to excel with the trips, but to also open their minds, build trust, encourage deepening friendships with each other, sparking a lifelong interest or career, helping them to understand that they matter, that they are not only good enough, but they are great and see their worth.”
Mentors working with BOM are called “uncles” by the young men. These mentors are police detectives, physicians, retired executives, teachers, financial advisors and more. “This diversity gives us a wide base of experience and knowledge to share,” Sgt. Harris said. “All of our mentors share a common and sincere desire to help our children. We talk about topics ranging from current events in the news, peer pressure, and respecting their elders. We have guest speakers from every facet of life including police chiefs, public officials, public speakers, professional athletes, entertainers, and community members.” Uncles in the program are Sgt. Harris, Dr. Fitch, Charles Shortridge, Gary Branch, Steven Brown, Donzia Franklin, Johnnie Sloan, Scott Ashby, Craig Provyn and Walt Bailey. Meetings are held every Thursday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club, 1790 21st Street. The mentors volunteer their time weekly at the meetings.
