BMORENEWS.com

BPM - www.bpminc.org

Dear Corporate Friend,

Please find for your consideration the following facts sheet for Black Professional Men as supplemental data.  Please use this information as rationales for our funding request in support of the Annual Rays of Hope Scholarship Breakfast.

• BPM inception - a nonprofit organization based in Baltimore, Maryland and established in 1991 to address the social, economic and political awareness needs of the African-American community, especially those of the African-American male.
• Mission statement - primary purpose is to create initiatives that impact the African-American male personally and in his career development.
• What we do – BPM’s members serve as mentors and as role models for young African-American men (ages 12-18) in the Baltimore metropolitan region.  Members are also active in other mentoring programs, speaking engagements across the state, and serve on non-profit boards aimed at helping develop the African-American community.
• Membership - BPM’s membership includes over 50 dedicated men who come from a variety of professions, including attorneys, engineers, barbers, teachers, architects, financial advisors, councilmen and entrepreneurs.
• Membership growth –  our growth has averaged about 10% per year.
• Funding – We fund our mission through the financial support of the BPM membership, corporation sponsorship, charitable foundations, and patrons of our mentoring and tutoring programs.  The Rays of Hope Breakfast is also a major source of funding that support our student scholarships.
• Scholarships awarded – One hundred five (105) scholarships have been awarded since our inception to deserving high school graduates totaling more than $150,000 in student scholarships.
• Scholarship awardees graduation statistics – Since 1999, 41 out of 58 have graduated or 71%.  This far exceeds the national average.
• Professional fields of awardees – Our graduates have degrees that include:  Law, Engineering, International Business, Education, Information Technology and Religion, to name a few.

Success stories –

• BPM scholars 1st  semester grade point average since 2004
  • 2004, 3.1 GPA
  • 2005, 3.09 GPA
  • 2006, 3.2 GPA
  • 2007, 3.35 GPA

Note that year over year GPAs have a steady upward trend

• Scholar Achievements (Sample Group)
  • Robert Watkins III – Columbia Law Degree
  • Tavon Brooks – Cornell University, PhD
  • Brandon Tilghman  - Vanderbilt University Masters in College Administration
  • Nick Hawkins - Applying to law schools for Sports Management
  • Emmanuel Cephas - named Student Leader of the Year at the Black Engineers Conference 2004 
  • Leon Belt -  Rhode Island School of Art Design Masters
  • Mushin Rahman - University of  Malaysia (post graduate) 
  • Adam Dickerson – IT Consultant at  Perdue Corp.
  • Ishamil Ahmed – Engineer at Northrup Grumman
  • Leroy Daley – Engineer at Northrup Grumman
  • Charles Robinson - Hospital Administrator in Atlanta, Ga, 
  • Justin Hamlin - Television Producer Los Angles, California
  • Michael Clark -  Minister in Richmond, Va
  • Dr. Darryl Gray - Residency at Duke University Hospital
  • Ricardo Blackett  - Engineer at Applied Physics Lab 
  • Jordan Matthews has been offered a position at Applied Physics Lab 

o        95% of class of 2004 graduated on time

• Prior/current corporate sponsorship –
  • Current - Northrop Grumman, Verizon, and Heart & Soul Enterprises
  • Prior – Northrop Grumman, Merrill Lynch, AAI Corporation, Verizon, Dean Whitter, Comcast, State Farm, Morgan State University
• Outreach Goals for 2008/2009 –
  •  We have two partnerships with two (2) schools that currently serve underrepresented and underprivileged youth in Baltimore City.  Serving groups ranging in grades from 5 thru 12.
    • The Knowledge is Power Program (which is a national program) we provide group mentoring to the young men of the school.  Our purpose is to expose these young men, through the use of local landmarks and career exploration activities, to a world outside of Baltimore City.  This school serves the 5^th thru 8^th grade communities
    • The Maryland Academy of Technology and Health Sciences is a charter school in Baltimore City that focuses on Math and Science careers.  Black Professional Men continue to be involved in bi-weekly discussions aimed at character building and taking young men on field trips both inside and outside of Maryland.  We ask that our young men maintain an 80 average. This school serves the 8^th thru 12^th grade communities, but beginning in September of 2008 they will introduce 6^th and 7^th grades.
    • Through programs similar to these, we have promoted higher education and several of our mentees have also received the BPM scholarship and continued their education at four (4) year colleges and universities.
  • Scholarship Recipient Mentoring
    • Each scholarship recipient is tracked throughout his college experience.  We have been able to assist them in obtaining internships, academic assistance, college admittance and career guidance.  Beginning in the Spring semester of potential scholarship winners’ junior year, we host the rising juniors’ seminar.  At this session, we host an open session for all interested juniors from the Baltimore Metropolitan area to discuss BPM’s scholarships as well other higher education funding opportunities.  This will be held in May, 2008.  Many of the young men who attend this program (about 25%) receive the BPM scholarship.  All BPM scholarship recipients are required to remain in contact with a mentor designated by the organization.  They are generally matched up according to career interest.
• Financial goals for 2008/2009 –
  • Knowledge is Power Academy
    • Snacks - $500
    • Lunch - $1000
    • Field Trips – $2000
  • Maryland Academy of Technology and Health Sciences
    • Snacks - $1000
    • Lunch - $2000
    • Field Trips - $5000
  • Rising Juniors Program - $300
  • Scholarship Breakfast - $20k
  • BPM Week activities - $500
  • BPM Strategic Planning Retreat - $1500
• Upcoming events – March 2008 thru December 2008
  • Bi-Weekly Character Education sessions at MATHS.
  • Monthly mentoring sessions at the Knowledge is Power Program
  • 2008 Scholarship Recipients Sessions
  • Black Professional Men Week (April 6^th thru 12^th)
  • Rays of Hope Scholarship Breakfast (June 14^th )
  • Co-Sponsor National Entrepreneurship Week
  • Co-Sponsor Black Entrepreneurship Weekend

We thank you in advance for you consideration.  If you have any questions and/or concerns, please feel free to contact me.  Again, thank you and we look forward to hearing from you in the very near future.

Sincerely,

Quadre’ M. Washington

President,

Black Professional Men, Inc.

Tags: education, mentoring