Father’s Day at the Mathews-Dickey Boys’ & Girls’ Club was an active time for “Maleness to Manhood Workshop Series” participants.  The weekend began with a college fair on Friday, followed with a career day and cultural field trips on Saturday and closing church services on Sunday at Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church. 

At the June 14 Career Day, 100 concerned businessmen served as luncheon partners for young men, ages 12-18, at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ball Park.  Club alumnus Jay Washington, Sr. gave a young alumni’s perspective on the skills needed for today’s global market as keynote speaker.  Each young man was encouraged to talk about his aspirations, while the mentor shared the benefit of his work and life experience.  A ceremonial exchange of business cards occured, with future activities voluntary.

Youth participants attended three breakout sessions, starting at 9 a.m.: “Moral Development” by Rev. Charles Burton, pastor, Unity Fellowship Church, and Jackson Windom, III, retired principal, Pruitt Military Academy; “Welcome to the Hospitality Industry” by Phillip Blandon, guest service manager, Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, and Bruce Winter, director ofcatering, Sheraton Lakeside Chalet; and “Time Management” by Jack Raymond, assistant vice president, Merrill Lynch.

Anthony Bonner, a former NBA star and current Vashon High head basketball coach, provided the welcome, and Mathews- Dickey VP/ Special Events, Barbara Washington offered acknowledgements followed by a panel discussion led by ESPN Radio Broadcaster Randy Karraker.  The 2008 panelists included:

• “The Communication Professional” by Alvin Reid, city editor, St. Louis American;
• “Lights, Camera, Action: Careers in Videography” by David Edgar, multimedia specialist, Brown Shoe;
• “Marketing and Sales Strategies” by John Saunders, senior account executive, Clear Channel Radio;
• “Taking Care of Business: Corporate Careers” by Chris Fava, senior vice president of finance, Clayco;
• “The Verdict: A Look at the Legal Profession” by Keith Williamson, senior vice president, corporate secretary & general counsel, Centene Corp.

One-thousand dollar college scholarships are presented to five graduating seniors by former St. Louis Fire Chief Sherman George and Club President, CEO & Co-Founder Martin L. Mathews.  Special recognition also was given to Charonn Woods, who won the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship.  The 2008 presenters and scholarship winners included:

 •      Grice Group Architects — Presented by Karl Grice, principal, Grice Group Architects, to Major Hunter, II, an aspring real estatate developer and graduate of Soldan Interntional Studies.
•     Robert Hensley, Jr. Memorial — Presented by Robert Hensley III, strategic market manager, Raabe Company LLC, to Alex Evans, an aspring entrepreneur and graduate of Normandy High School.
•     The Newberry Group — Presented by Everett Horne, retail development director, Nestle’ Purina PetCare Co., to Eric Sulivan, an aspiring personal trainer and graduate of Hazelwood West.
•    Weiss Family Scholarship — Presented by Michael Weiss, manager, Ernst & Young, to David Williams, an aspiring pro baseball player and graduate of Maplewood High School.
•   Carpenter’s District Council of St. Louis Ollie Langhorst Memorial — Presented by Frank Robinson, Sr., senior resident engineer, URS Corp., to Corey Willis, Jr., an aspiring teacher and graduate of Cleveland Junior Naval Academy.

Saturday afternoon was followed with cultural field trips, including an excursion to the St. Louis Art Museum, pizza party and movie.  Club Board Chairman Rev. William G. Gillespie hosted closing services at Cote Brilliante Presbyterian Church on June 15.

Mathews-Dickey is a non-profit, 501(c) 3 United Way member agency, which provides educational, recreational and cultural programs for more than 40,000 young men and women annually.  For information, call Bill Fronczak at (314) 382-5952, ext. 228, or Washington, at (314) 382-5952, ext. 234.

The 2008 “Maleness to Manhood Workshop Series” scholarship winners and presenters.

“Maleness to Manhood Workshop Series“ 2007
“Maleness to Manhood Workshop Series“ 2006
“Maleness to Manhood Workshop Series“ 2005
“Maleness to Manhood Workshop Series“ 2004
“Maleness to Manhood Workshop Series“ 2003