February 9 at Lincoln South Rotary

The topic of the Lincoln South Rotary Club Meeting on February 9 was the Men With Dreams organization. We heard from Brandon McWilliams, Chris Phipps and Mitch West.

Founded in 2013, Men With Dreams was built around one mission: To empower today’s youth and build tomorrow’s leaders.

Since it’s start, Men With Dreams has been able to help kids grow, find what their strengths are, what they’re good at, and how they can build upon them.

Much of this is done using the Gallup Strengths Finders program. There are various school programs and events that help to empowering the boys and girls of today to become strong men and women of tomorrow. When they leave the program, they know that the future is in their hands - they have the tools and knowledge to turn their dreams into a reality.

The youth in the program have the opportunity to put on various events such as talent shows, fashion shows, music camps, etc.

Some of the programs offered through Men With Dreams:

Dreamers Academy are evening classes offered for 8th through 12th graders. "Name It, Claim It, and Aim It." is one of the philosophies that is used with these classes.

The YMCA has partnered with Men With Dreams for events that occur during school breaks. these feature various athletic programs and promote a healthy lifestyle.

One of the hallmarks of the program is group mentoring - the Brick By Brick program. Again focused on 8th through 12th graders, the group environment helps each find their individual dream and work toward achieving their goals.

Chris is the primary speaker at school events. He pointed out that one of the reasons they are well-received is because they are not afraid to show their vulnerabilities - students can relate to them.

Brendon shared a quote that he says is the major foundation for the program:

“You can’t be whatever you want to be, but you can be more of what you already are" --Don Clifton