Positive Men: Don Krause

Mr. Don Krause is up next for our Men’s Month highlight! He has been a strong unnamedsupporter of both Polished Pebbles and Kelly Fair. He was more than happy to answer 3 important questions for us!

What lead you to start supporting Polished Pebbles?

Mr. Krause first met Kelly Fair at Bright Star Church. He was immediately impressed with her presence and dedication. Mr. Krause was equally impressed with Polished Pebbles and the professional young ladies that left the program. As “everybody needs life skills”, it made sense to him to support such an organization! The girls are learning how to “present [themselves] properly…communicate properly” and how to be competitive in their future endeavors.

Thank you Mr. Krause for the kind words!

What is one crisis you see young, African-American girls facing? How can we intervene?

He sees young girls “growing up in an area where they are exposed to violence…negative influences”. He thinks that because of this, it can be hard for these girls to “believe that their dreams can come true”. He sees the girls going through the Polished Pebbles Program as capable and bright! Mr. Krause believes that we can intervene by becoming more involved in the lives of youth. Although there are huge divisions in our society, we can come together to to donate resources and time to better the opportunities for our youth. He wants communities to realize that money is not always the necessary intervention. It takes proper administration for organizations to provide community supports. “You can be a positive influence to somebody”.

What advice do you have for other male mentors?

“Encouragement”! That is the advice Mr. Krause has for male mentors. We need to encourage our youth, especially young girls to reach their full potential. “You don’t know how little you do can mean so much. It’s the words of encouragement, it’s that smile, it’s giving someone a compliment, it’s giving someone your advice…letting them know they can get through it”. He wants male mentors to know that there are many rewards for the time, effort, and resources you donate to community.

You tell ’em Mr. Krause! Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed! And thank you for being such a positive male role model for young African American ladies, keep spreading your message!

What Are We Grateful For…

WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOU!

All of our readers of KellyFairtheMentor.com, volunteers and staff of Polished Pebbles, and our Polished Pebbles Blog 11-27girls…thank you! It is with your help that we are able to impact our communities and work towards positive change. All of our voices can be heard and together we can help support the future of our girls and boys! We are grateful for our supporters, contributors, sponsors, and collaborative business and organizations for helping to provide enriching programs for all of our Polished Pebbles girls.

You all make our world go round! 

A few words from volunteers and staff:

“Thankful for life and loved ones.” –Cecelia Donaldson

“I’m thankful for new opportunities!” –LaKisha Williams

“I am thankful for: God’s Grace.” –Joyce Rogers

“I am THANKFUL for: being blessed by the Lord and amazing family, great friends, and the Polished Pebbles vision.” –Adrienne Robinson

“I’m thankful for family, friends, and husband.” –L’Oreal Thompson

All of us have come together as social activists. Although you may think your role small as a volunteer for a single mentoring program, your impact is big! For that we are grateful! In light of events in Ferguson, our work is more important than ever. It is our mentoring and African-American youth programs that contradict the images and stereotypes portrayed by the media and by society. As mentioned in a previous post, it is important that we all speak out!

Let us all come together in gratitude for all those that have collaborated for and worked towards greater social justice in the United States. You have our thanks.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Happy-Thanksgiving1

The Spirit of Giving

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9k2U53CRY4]

I recently accepted an invitation to appear on the web-based forum, “Speak To Truth with Carl West”. During the conversation, the Mr. West was surprised when I mentioned my current volunteer work with organizations outside of Polished Pebbles. Though there seems to be a huge struggle among organizations over resources and funding, I choose to operate under the belief that there is enough to go around. And, after so many people have donated their time, energy and knowledge in assisting with the development of Polished Pebbles, it is only right to continue to pay it forward and help others. It was with this in mind that this blog space was created.

I love my community unconditionally.  And I enjoy working with others who feel the same because sustainable community efforts require community ownership in order to make an impact.  Creating a framework in which community members are engaged takes a great deal of effort and commitment, but I’d rather share my knowledge with those interested in stepping into the youth mentoring arena, than for them to learn the hard way.

Continuous giving aids in the cultivation of  relationships and opportunities. So as I share my experiences, I look forward to hearing back from you.  Please feel free to ask questions, as this is an interactive medium. For extensive inquiries or consultation, please contact me at [email protected].

The Motivation To Give Back

During the Polished Pebbles volunteer orientation, we asked our volunteers to share their motivation for volunteering. There were a wide range of responses, but one thing that held true was the lasting affect of a supportive mentor relationship. Through these relationships a few of our volunteers  witnessed the significance of building linkages within the community, as well as empowering  today’s youth.  As you view the video,  think about what skills and talents you have to offer your community and the lasting affect you could have as a mentor. Please feel free to leave a comment sharing what it is that motivates you to give back.