KENTWOOD, Mich. — A new mentoring initiative launched at Kelloggsville High School aims to provide students with guidance and support as they navigate their futures.
The 'Youth with Potential Mentoring Initiative' was announced during a pep rally featuring the Grand Rapids Gold basketball team.
FOX 17's Michelle Dunaway was moderator for the event, asking the guest speakers about their life experiences that led them to this moment.
Bryce Willis, a guard for the Grand Rapids Gold, was one of those speakers at the event, sharing his motivation for participating in the program.
"I love sharing my experience, if it may help somebody on their journey, being impactful in many ways, other than just basketball," Willis said. "Because there's so many different walks of life out there."
Clarkston Morgan, Kentwood City Commissioner and CEO of Dunamoo, helped develop the initiative as part of broader community empowerment efforts.
"The Youth with Potential Initiative is a continuation of 'A Path Forward' efforts to be able to empower our kids," Morgan said. "We have started with the first level of recognizing the programs that were here in the community, but then we take it to the next level."
The initiative has 3 main focuses: workforce development, mental health and wellness, and anti-violence.
The anti-violence component addresses urgent community concerns, according to Morgan.
"There's situations that happen we've seen recently in these past couple of weeks, the first thing is to grab a gun and go shoot someone. The kids have a future, but they need to be reminded they have a future." Morgan said.
Principal Nick Patin emphasized the mental health benefits of having mentors available for students.
"If there's people they can turn to, people they can lean on, and that everybody can find a path forward. I think that's huge." Patton said.
Willis hopes that by sharing his experiences, he can help set the stage for the good these students can do.
"Just kind of put myself in their shoes, because I was a high school kid not too long ago. So here are some motivational words back then helped me to get to where I'm at," Willis said.
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