ALPHA ATHLETES - The Sphinx Magazine

have a 2.5 grade point average and above. The program is designed
to be replicated across the country. Initially the agreement has a
five year commitment, running through the year 2012. If we find
another corporate partner willing to participate in this program at
the same level, Wells Fargo Financial will invest an additional
$25,000 to help grow the program. We need to aggressively seek
additional corporate partners. More partnerships equates to more
internships and more revenue.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF AMERICA: Brothers, you
have heard me continuously convey the urgency of answering the
call to service by becoming mentors with Big Brothers Big Sisters
of America. You have seen and visited their booths and kiosks at
our regional and national conventions. You have read articles,
received emails and phone calls, and viewed TV commercials during
the Super Bowl or during March Madness asking you to
become Big Brothers. You have been bombarded with appeals
from your leadership.
During my State of the Fraternity Address at our Centennial
Convention, I invited 10,000 Alpha men to stand up and enroll as
Big Brothers. There were a number of you who heard the call—
and who answered the call—in our enduring crusade to touch and
influence the lives of young people. Many of these youngsters are
facing a dismal abyss and have to make a choice between the contentious
forces that are fighting for their very souls.
There is an expression that is used by today’s youth. It is “Man
Up”. The definition, according to urbandictionary.com, is: “to fulfill
your responsibilities as a man, to work through impediments
and obstacles without whining”.
There are young people in our community who are waiting for
Alpha men to be Alpha men—To Stand Up, Man Up and then
Follow Up! That’s what Alpha men do. That’s what leaders do.
The goal of recruiting 10,000 Alpha Brothers has not yet been
met. We are not there Brothers but we are well on our way. There
has been a definite boost in both enrollment and services rendered
by Alpha men.
Many more have come forward but we still need more
Brothers to stand up. I’ll tell you some success stories in a minute.
Some of you who are part time Alpha men—those of you who
claim to be Alpha men when it is convenient—chose to challenge the
legitimacy of the mandate. Some of you said it was “ridiculous to set
a goal that high. The goal never should have been set that high.”
I say to you that leaders Stand Up, Man Up and then they
Follow Up! Visionary leaders set big, hairy, audacious goals. It’s
called vision, a quality that all Alpha men should possess, especially
anyone who desires to be become a leader in this great
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Fall • Winter 2008 The Sphinx: www.APA1906.net
Fraternity. Leadership is about setting goals—big goals and then
attaining those goals.
Hundreds of Brothers have responded to my summons in significant
ways. For example, 100 percent of the Brothers in Beta
Gamma Chapter at Virginia State University are mentoring as Big
Brothers. Eta Epsilon Chapter at the University of North Texas has
80 percent of its Chapter matched with a Little; and Brother Robert
Daniels, a graduating senior and a registered Big Brother, was
recently hired as an on campus recruiter. They have founded an
organization on campus to recruit other students.
NFL player and San Diego Charger Brother Roman Oben is
making such an impact mentoring as a Big Brother, a donor and an
advocate that he was designated The Big Man of the Year for the San
Diego BBBS affiliate. That’s what Alpha men do!
I defy you to show me any man in this room that can’t commit
just four hours a month to make a difference in a child’s life.
We must Stand Up, Man Up and then Follow Up! When people
see us they say: “There goes an Alpha man.” Our brand implies:
“There goes a man to help uplift the lives of wholesome youth.”
MARCH OF DIMES: You know about our partnership with the
March of Dimes – Walk for Babies initiative, formerly known as
WalkAmerica. That’s how we raise the money that funds our Project
Alpha programs. During the years 2001-2004, we annually raised
an average of $74,000 nationally for WalkAmerica.
In 2004, our best year over that four-year period, Alpha Phi
Alpha raised $89,125. We didn’t have a goal. We told Brothers to
“Just do it.”
In 2005, my first year as General President, I met with the
Brothers who made up our MOD team at the March of Dimes headquarters
in White Plains, New York. We attended a two-day volunteer
training. At that time, I set a goal of $200,000. It was a stretch but I
knew we were capable of doing much better than we had previously.
Once again the part time Alphas started saying it was “ridiculous to set
a goal that high. That goal never should have been set that high”.
That year we raised $134,754. We were shy of our goal—
never-the-less it was a significant increase over our previous efforts.
In 2006, we achieved an all time high of $181,105, yet we
were still second to the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority in MOD fundraising.
Imagine—Alpha Phi Alpha being second to the Zetas. But in 2007,
we claimed the number one position amongst the MOD category
for clubs and organizations by raising a total of nearly $240,000.
There is still a great need for more Brothers to step forward.
I say to you that leaders Stand Up, Man Up and They Follow Up!
Alpha men are leaders. Again, “only those who go too far know
how far they can go.”