Light-Keepers Needed!

Rising Oak Foundation is on a mission. We are searching for brave hearts, nurturing spirits and inspired minds; people to help us change our reality one community, one family and one black boy at a time. We are looking for you!

Surely there exists in each of us a deep-rooted desire to be more, to do more, (and dare I say) to give more? Well, we at Rising Oak Foundation believe that there is, and we will stay committed to being a "lighthouse" for those awakened individuals, wanting to be a part of this cultural paradigm shift.

Understand that this work is truly all about love, and why we so desperately need each and every one of you to seed into the lives of boys of African descent. We are the generation they're looking to for emotional, intellectual and spiritual support. Let's not make them wait...any longer.

Please join us as we move to make a difference in the lives of our young men every single day, starting now!

Student African American Brotherhood (S.A.A.B.)

***2007 Recipient of ROF's first Pooled-Fund Award.***

Student African American Brotherhood (S.A.A.B.) is a nationally recognized organization for high school and college African American young men who are interested in furthering their educational and leadership goals. Based in Toledo, Ohio, S.A.A.B. was founded by Dr. Tyrone Bledsoe in 1990 at the Georgia Southwestern State University and hosts more than 100 chapters at institutions across the United States.

"The world in which we live is geographically one. The challenge that we face today is to make it one in terms of brotherhood." -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Photograph: "The Forgotten Journey" Artist: Larry Poncho Brown

Parenting Again: Raising My Grandsons Alone

by Claudine Kent

They come in all shapes, sizes and colors, from all walks of life. Some are men some are women; married, single, or in-between. Some are young, some not so young. Some have been abundantly blessed with resources. Others don't know whether or not they can keep the lights on. Some stay at home. Some hold down more than one job to provide for the children in their care.

The one thing they, or should I say WE, have in common is the love we have for our families. We must do what is right no matter the personal costs and sacrifice. We have the determination to carry on when the biological parents of the children have failed. We pick up the pieces of shattered families and try to heal the pain that we may not have caused but cannot ignore.

You see us at schools, doctor's offices, in the supermarket or the park. We may be laughing, crying, working or playing. We know we are not alone because according to the US Census 2000, there are more than 3.9 million of us and the numbers are climbing - we are affectionately called GRANDPARENTS.

Here's what Jeanette is reading this month.

Strength to Love by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Fortress Press, 1981.

We would love to hear from you. Please visit Jeanette's Forum to share your thoughts and comments.

Look what we're working on for next month!

• The Freedmen's Fund
• I Am a Man!
• Giving to Receive