Ossining Launches My Brother's Keeper Initiative

When he was 12, Wadi Jones wanted to be the next Jackie Chan – a famous actor, martial artist and stunt man. But as he got older, the 2004 Ossining High School graduate changed his mindset.

“I do not want to be the next Jackie Chan. I want to be the next Wadi,” he told boys who attended the Ossining School District’s launch of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative on Dec. 13. “I want to do something amazing with my own timeline, my own life.”

Mr. Jones, an artist, dancer and stunt man, urged the boys to pursue what they enjoy and love, and to remember the importance of mindset, motivation and message. His motivation now is his family and his kids – not money, success or fame.

MBK is a great vehicle for building relationships, respect and understanding, he said. “I wish I had this kind of support system when I was coming up in school. You guys have something amazing. Please take advantage of this.”

Dozens of families attended the event at Anne M. Dorner Middle School. MBK is a nationwide initiative to address opportunity gaps for boys and young men of color. It was founded by President Barack Obama in 2014 to connect boys with mentors and support networks, and to help them obtain the skills they will need for the workforce and college.

The dinner was a celebration of local organizations and community members that are creating opportunities for Ossining’s young men. Other speakers were Ossining Mayor Victoria Gearity; Superintendent Raymond Sanchez; OHS senior Patrick Saint Ange; seventh-grader Gavin Thomas-Walters; and Jim Bostic, executive director of the Nepperhan Community Center in Yonkers, which has an MBK program.

Mr. Bostic, a doctor of theology and a former NBA player, said that where people begin in life has nothing to do with where they end up. He had a difficult childhood and spent time in foster care, but he worked hard and stayed focused on his passion – basketball. He ended up playing for the Detroit Pistons in the late 1970s. “Follow your passion because your passion will lead to your purpose,” he said.

About 70 boys at Roosevelt School, AMD and OHS participate in MBK. The district rebranded existing clubs at AMD and OHS, and a Roosevelt staff member created MBK5 for fifth-graders.

The district and its partners had been gearing up for the launch for months. In October, 26 Ossining students attended an inaugural Youth Leadership Summit with fellow Lower Hudson Valley MBK communities. In early November, the New York State Mentoring Program helped train mentors.

In collaboration with Neighbors Link, male AMD students in the Pipeline Scholars program and their families meet twice a month to help with transitions from elementary to middle school and high school. Two OHS seniors – Patrick Saint Ange and Jorge Andrian Zhiminaicela Yumbla – are in the MBK Fellows Program in partnership with Neighbors Link. Their goal is to identify and address a need within the community.

Patrick, who has been raised by a single mother, said he adopted the philosophy from a young age that he had to “do it all” without asking for help. He received the message that if he didn’t give 110 percent, he would “end up in the gutter.” So he signed up for a lot of clubs and activities, and running helped him deal with difficult situations and balance out his life. But when he got hurt, life became difficult and he was overwhelmed. He sought help from teachers and counselors and learned that it’s OK – even good – to fail sometimes.

“You’re allowed to make mistakes and you’re allowed to fall sometimes. The people that are pushing you to do your best are also there to help you up when you fall,” he said. “And that’s what I think is the most important thing about having something like MBK around. Now, it’s not just one person that you can go to. It’s an entire community of people that you can count on.”

Gavin said he joined the MBK Club without knowing what it was about, but he now looks forward to attending every Thursday. The group has become like a family and is a “giant support system.”

“There are a lot of lessons that I’ve learned here, and a lot of things that I can teach other people,” he said. “And one of the things that I’ve learned to do is just to have a positive mindset – look forward to the better things and not be a pessimist but an optimist, and to work as hard as I can to do everything I want to do.”

The district’s MBK partners are Neighbors Link; the Ossining Public Library; the town and village of Ossining; Star of Bethlehem Church; the Ossining Police Department; Home Run Against Drugs; Ossining Parents Advocating Collectively for our Children (OPACC); and ENU (Empower, Network, Uplift) and associated organizations Project 105 Athletics and ArtinaBoxCo.

The food at the MBK launch was donated by local eateries, including Capri Pizza, Landmark Diner, Ossining Bakery, Dunkin’ Donuts, Stop & Shop and Tabasco Grill & Deli.