Greenville, South Carolina - On Saturday, June 19, 2014, Alpha Greenville Foundation in partnership with the March of Dimes and Gamma Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha sponsored our annual Project Alpha Seminar. Piedmont Natural Gas (www.piedmontng.com) was the sponsor for this year's event which was held at the Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center (www.krocgreenville.org). More than eighty male youths ranging from the age of 10 to 18 years old participated in this event.
The chapter collaborated with local community organizations in order to make this an impactful day for participants. Featured speakers were Reverend Darrin K. Johnson (ΑΦΑ) - Pastor, New Prospect Baptist Church and Dwayne Skinner (ΚΑΨ) - Senior District Executive, Boys Scouts of America , Mr. Stacey Ashmore – Community Outreach Coordinator of Greenville Family Partnership (www.greenvillefamilypartnership.org), and Bro.Farroll Daniels (ΑΦΑ) - CEO of Save Our Sons (www.saveoursons.org). These speakers addressed topics related to self-respect, respect for others, bullying, teen pregnancy, gang violence and cyber-social responsibility.
The collaboration with other community groups was a key element to the success of the program. "Even if the program is called Project Alpha, we know it takes all of us to send the message to youth to make responsible choices," stated Chuck Ford, Chair of the Program. "The real goal is to impact young men with accurate information and role models who have made good choices.”
This year attendance was a 50% increase over last year and highlights the continued efforts to reach into the local community. A solid message was conveyed to all of the youth participants, sponsors and parents who attended.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. They fund programs of research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies. Established in 1938 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to put an end to polio, the March of Dimes accomplished this mission within 20 years. Following this victory, the March of Dimes turned its attention to saving babies from birth defects -- mental and physical problems that are present at birth.
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