About Us – History & Mission
OUR HISTORY
In 1989, an informal organization of men in business and professions were organized by founding President William L. Sheals to become involved in the county school system. The main purpose of the organization was to provide positive African American male role models for the youth in their communities.
In early 1992, Reverend Sheals formally established the organization with twenty-two members. The formal name was “The Concerned Black Men of North Metro”. Their efforts were confined primarily to the Norcross area of Gwinnett County. In May 1992, “The Concerned Black Men of North Metro” made an application to the National Office of the100 Black Men of America, Inc. for charter membership. In June 1992, at their National Convention in San Francisco, California, the Board of Directors of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. issued a charter to the North Metro Chapter. The 100 Black Men of North Metro Atlanta, Inc. became their twenty-seventh chapter.
In 1995, the organization reorganized, creating its present form and extending organizational activities into Cobb, Gwinnett, and North Fulton Counties.
In 1996, North Metro received its first program grant from United Parcel Service (UPS). The grant supported the establishment of a program called the “Knights of the 100”. The program was geared towards developing youth in character, promoting academic achievement and instilling self esteem, confidence and pride in our African American youth.
HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS OVER THE YEARS
OUR MISSION
North Metro’s mission is to serve as a beacon of leadership by utilizing our diverse talents to create an environment where our children are motivated to achieve and empower people to become self sufficient shareholders in the economic and social fabric of the communities we serve.
Today North Metro’s primary focus is mentoring. The “Men of Tomorrow” mentoring program is our strongest and most effective program. The program targets at-risk youth and provides group mentoring to over 100 youth on a biweekly basis. Our mentoring focuses on four components:
- Mentoring
- Education
- Economic Empowerment
- Health & Wellness
North Metro members are dedicated to empowering our youth to reach their full potential. The chapter places a strong emphasis on academic excellence and has almost a 100% graduation rate for mentees enrolled in the mentoring programs.
North Metro has received national recognition. We have had a Mentor of the Year award winner in 2005 as well as a Mentee of the Year award winner in 2011. Our mentees have won first place awards in the State Farm Financial Literacy Contest in 2010 and in 2011. North Metro has also developed a Robotics team to continually challenge our youth to be competent in math and sciences.
North Metro believes in mentoring, empowering and teaching adults as well as youth. We have now developed a “Mentoring Across a Lifetime” program that focuses on Health and Wellness, Financial Literacy and Economic Empowerment for youth, middle age adults and senior citizens.
North Metro will continue to seek ways to improve the overall quality of life for the youth, adults and senior citizens in our communities.
