As The President of Young Men With A Purpose and The Vernette Company, my first commitment will be to our youth. The day where children have two parents in the household is long over. The days where children are raised by a single parent (mostly mothers) are long over. When children feel the need to be loved, they seek other people for love. These people do no have good intentions for these young people. The result is that our youth is exploited, abused, or murdered. It is the time to be proactive when it comes to the youth in urban, suburbs, and rural areas. There is an old saying” It takes a village to raise a child!” I believe in this and will abide by this. As an educator I see the same type of education system as the 1950s. Now a test is used to exclude and not include minority students for a chance at receiving a higher education. They are excluded from the American Dream.

        My second commitment to the community is to mentor our young men at risk and to provide resources for our youth in need. Young men at risk need nurturing and encouragement to achieve. More young men at risk are in jail than college and Corporate America. Young men go from suspension K-12 to juvenile detention to jail. This has to stop!

      My third and last commitment is to provide resources for our youth. Many students do not have school supplies or clothing for school. This is not the fault of our youth or their parents. The economy is up and down. Jobs are terminated and eliminated. The youth suffer the most. How can be successful school without a notebook or pencil? How can you take the school bus or RTA in the bitter cold with a winter coat or clothing? Something needs to be done.

   I cannot close my eyes and do nothing. I will be proactive. I will make a difference to our youth.

Kimberly V. Taylor, M.Ed.

President and Founder