The Sewards
Shirley and Larry
Since they moved to Dublin in 1983, Shirley and Larry Seward have been involved parents – now grandparents – and community members, aiding on various boards and within Dublin City Schools.
Now, the nonprofit youth mentoring program they helped start, Boys to Men, Girls to Women, is celebrating 15 years of operation and continues to help students of color to find mentors and educational opportunities.
From idea to program
Affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys to Men, Girls to Women program was founded in 2011 as an outreach initiative for the Sewards’ church, St. John African Methodist Episcopal (AME).
The idea came from the church’s pastor who reached out to Larry asking him to create a program to help provide resources and opportunities to young members of the church.
Five years later in 2016, the program became a nonprofit and now supports young men and women of color ages 8 to 18.
Learning and building skills
The Sewards
One aspect of the program is its community gardening initiative. In partnership with the Lucy Depp Civic Association and other groups, the program mentees plant and grow produce on one of the resident’s properties on the Lucy Depp Park property to sell at the Powell Chamber Farmer’s Market.
“They planted all the vegetables, learned how to do that, and it’s really following the history of Abraham Depp. That’s how we started that garden,” Larry says.
After the harvests on Friday and Saturday mornings, the mentees set up and run a booth by themselves, building their confidence and skills to run a business.
“They’re learning the skills of speaking in front of adults without putting their heads down, they make good eye contact and they learn math skills because so many of the kids rely upon calculators and registers, and in this case, they’re giving change,” Shirley says.
Working at the Market also gives mentees a chance to interact and learn from each other.
“There’s sometimes an older child who helps a younger one make change, and then the adults admire that so much because the teaching is taking place,” Shirley says.
Over the years, students have raised $18,000 at the market.
As the organization grows, other new initiatives have also emerged. For example, the kids started a business selling ceramics and other items they have made at the market as well.
Interacting with mentors and professionals
The Sewards
Another pivotal part of the program is its career panels.
The program hosts several career panels each year, with speakers from a variety of fields, ranging from medical and law professions, to fire and police academy representatives, to finance and more.
During these panels, mentees can ask questions and learn how those professionals chose their career path and their steps along the way, including their background and educational experiences.
Sometimes, the mentees even have a chance to take a closer look at the professions.
“They (went) down to the training lab of Riverside Hospital, and all of our kids (did) robotic surgery on the dummies, so that’s part of the experiential part of the mentoring program," Larry says.
Celebrating the wins
Since its inception, the program has helped many mentees create a path for themselves, with several who have graduated high school and pursued college.
Through the Boys to Men, Girls to Women program and other initiatives they’re involved with, Larry and Shirley emphasize the importance of investing in those kids, whether that’s helping keep them out of trouble or provide resources to set them up for the future.
“(We’ve) served on boards and got in nonprofits that helped either the elderly or children. That’s been our passion, to work for children and the elderly,” Larry says.
Jane Dimel is an assistant editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at jdimel@cityscenemediagroup.com.
