[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 36 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 36
Honoring the 22 years of mentoring, guidance, and educational
assistance provided by the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project and
recognizing its positive impact on the lives of at-risk boys and men of
color.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 14, 2015
Ms. Wilson of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Honoring the 22 years of mentoring, guidance, and educational
assistance provided by the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project and
recognizing its positive impact on the lives of at-risk boys and men of
color.
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project will celebrate its 22nd
Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Scholarship Breakfast on
Monday, January 19, 2015;
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, an in-school dropout
prevention/mentoring program for at-risk minority boys ages 9-19, was
created to boost the self-image, social skills, and academic performance
of young minority boys and men by motivating them to interact with
successful males in their communities;
Whereas, in 1993, as a member of the Miami-Dade County School Board,
Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson founded the 500 African American Male
Role Models of Excellence program;
Whereas, in 1994, the 500 African American Male Role Models of Excellence
program's name was changed to the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project
as a response to increased enrollment of mentors and students;
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project believes the entire
community must be involved in the process of changing the direction of
our youth;
Whereas, the vision of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project is that each
minority male student graduate from high school, go to college,
vocational school, or the military, and be positioned to become a
contributing and self-sustaining member of society;
Whereas, the goals of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project are to place
at-risk boys in supportive relationships with positive and successful
men in the community who they can emulate, educate program participants
about the consequences of succumbing to societal pitfalls and expose
them to alternatives to self-destructive behaviors, and provide a
program infrastructure that will empower adult community Role Models to
assume responsibility for preparing young men to effectively deal with
the challenges and struggles that threaten their success;
Whereas, mentors meet with students at least once per week in-school for two
hours during the school year, and at least three to four times per year
for an extracurricular activity on weekends or during the summer;
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project consists of 26 components
including alcohol, tobacco, and other drug awareness ``Fridays,''
employment opportunities, and African-American history and culture;
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project allows at-risk youth to take
part in tours of colleges, courtrooms, hospitals, and prisons, as well
as seminars on anger management, relations with law enforcement, respect
for the law, respect for women, and violence prevention;
Whereas, teachers have reported a drastic reduction in the number of students
with disciplinary problems and over 95 percent of the students who begin
the program graduate without further violations of student conduct codes
or the law;
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project is funded through generous
donations from individuals, corporations, local colleges, hospitals, and
civic and social agencies;
Whereas, in April 1997, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project played a
major role in the formation of America's Promise Alliance born from the
Presidents' Summit for America's Future held in Philadelphia;
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project was featured in the article
titled A Program That Works, by syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr.,
as part of a series on successful programs that work for African-
American youth;
Whereas, the list of prominent Americans involved with the 5000 Role Models of
Excellence Project is comprised of leading figures in politics,
literature, space exploration, and entertainment, including Presidents
Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald
Ford; Vice President Al Gore; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton; Gen.
Colin Powell; Governor Jeb Bush; Lt. Governor Buddy McKay; Senators Bob
Graham and Bill Nelson; actors Danny Glover, Malik Yoba, Kerry
Washington, Charles ``Roc'' Dutton, Tommy Ford, Christopher ``Play''
Martin, and JoMarie Payton-Noble; media personalities Tom Joyner, Tavis
Smiley, Bill O'Reilly, and Montel Williams; musicians Harry Belafonte
and Bobby Jones; astronauts Winston Scott and Charles Bolden; authors
Jawanza Kunjufu, Leonard Pitts, Nathan McCall, Dr. Leah Tutu, Maya
Angelou, James McBride, Dr. Randall Pinkett, and Dr. Alvin Poussaint;
athletes Lester Jean, Udonis Haslem, Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O'Neal,
Billy Thompson, Irvin Thomas, Isiah Thomas, Oronde Gadsden, Keith
Jackson, Jim Brown, and Tiger Woods; and activists the Rev. Al Sharpton,
Martin Luther King, III, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson;
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project serves over 8,000 students
in 101 schools through the efforts of over 6,000 volunteers within
Miami-Dade County Public Schools;
Whereas, over $10 million in college scholarships have been awarded to students
successfully completing the program; and
Whereas, the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project has received numerous
accolades, including the Miami-Dade County Public Schools--National
Mentoring Month Service Award (2014), Incorporated Southern Area
Services Youth Award (2013), A Program That Works (2013), the Theodore
R. Gibson Memorial Fund, Inc. Dedication to Service Award (2012), the
National Medical Association's Scroll of Merit Award (2008), Florida's
First Union Kids Count Award (1998), Florida's Promise to Youth Award
(1998), M-DCPS School Board's Magna National Award (1998), Florida's
Promise to Youth Award (1998), the President's Summit for America's
Future Teaching Example for the Nation (1997), The Bold and Blood Award
Pennsylvania Legislature (1995); in addition to being recognized by The
Links, Inc., the National Conference of Black Mayors, the National
Association of Black Journalists, and the Miami-Dade County--Office of
the Mayor for extraordinary service to the community and to the youth:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the U.S. House of Representatives--
(1) honors the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project on
its 22 years of making a difference in the lives of at-risk
minority boys and men;
(2) recognizes and commends Congresswoman Frederica S.
Wilson for founding an organization devoted to improving the
self-image, social skills, and academic performance of young
minority boys and men;
(3) applauds the mentors for dedicating their time and
efforts to enriching the lives of the students who participate
in the program; and
(4) celebrates the young minority boys and men who have
graduated successfully from the program and have gone on to
become productive members of society.
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