| For three years, high school student and football player Eric Williams kept his grades high because he knew that Tony Thompson, CEO of Kwame Building Group, Inc. (KWAME), would ask about them at the Gentleman’s Club, a weekly mentoring group Thompson sponsors at Carnahan High School. This year, Williams’ diligence paid off when he became the first Carnahan student athlete ever to receive a Division 1 football scholarship. Williams will attend Southeast Missouri State University on a four-year, full-ride scholarship.
“I feel like I’ve really accomplished something,” said Williams, the son of Eric Williams and Arlena McCombs. “The Gentleman’s Club is one of the reasons I was able to receive this scholarship. I learned the importance of having a business mind and being a good person.” Carnahan High School Coach Jonathan Griffin agreed that the Gentleman’s Club had a tremendous impact on Williams. “I am so proud of this young man and everything the Kwame Foundation does to help him and other young men like him,” said Griffin. Every Wednesday, a group of men from KWAME and Charlie Bean, Carnahan’s attendance officer, meet with male students to mentor, inspire them to be gentlemen and leaders, and help them realize their potential. KWAME’s philanthropic organization, the Kwame Foundation, sponsors literacy, education and mentorship programs at numerous elementary and secondary schools in the St. Louis Public School District. “It’s an empowerment,” said a recent graduate of the Gentleman’s Club. “I’ve never seen Mr. Bean or Mr. Thompson step outside of what we call gentleman-like ways. They’re not just telling us, they’re showing us the ways.” Kwame Foundation is a non-profit charitable organization founded by Kim and Anthony (Tony) Thompson to develop a doorway of opportunity into the professional world for youth in underprivileged communities, through mentoring programs and scholarship opportunities. Construction Forum St. Louis ©March2015 |
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