New mentoring program hopes to guide young boys down the right path by providing positive male role model

A new mentoring program in Selma and Dallas County hopes to guide young boys down the right path before they stray. 

Cedric Wherry created the 501(c)3 organization Arise in 2022. Through Arise he started Male to Men, a mentoring program that matches men in the community with kids who need a male influence in their lives. Mentors are currently working with kids in Brantley Elementary School.  

Wherry moved to Selma from Huntsville but made it a point to go back to Huntsville each weekend to be there for his sons. He was working for an AIDS service organization and at the Dallas County Jail. 

“I saw so many young males in orange jumpsuits coming to jail for heinous crimes,” Wherry said. “And in the schools, boys were not reading on the right level, and so many were dropping out. It’s a recipe for disaster.” 

He said when he got to Selma some 16 years ago, he would ask himself, “Who’s going to do something about this.” About three years ago, “God said to me that I was who will do something about it,” Wherry said.

Having worked with troubled youth for most of his career, Wherry said he realized that most of these kids lacked a positive male role model in their lives. He also noticed that programs were for boys who were already in trouble. He designed a program that attached the problem from the front end. 

Wherry said finding men to volunteer as mentors was difficult. Initially 80 men volunteered to be mentors, but after background checks, extensive interviews and rigorous training, the program started with only five men. 

The Male to Men Mentoring program is matching the vetted adult males with a child in the first or second grade who does not have a good male role model in their lives. 

The schools are helping choose the kids that need the help. After kids are identified, the school reaches out to the parent. The program will include the rest of the family. The mentor is matched with the boy based on common likes and dislikes.

The mentor commits to one hour a week for a year. “It will grow farther than that once you build the relationship,” Wherry said. “After the year is up, they will most likely recommit.”

Wherry said having the positive male role model to guide the young boys and help them to develop into a good man themselves is the basic premise of the program. He said it’s understood that everyone makes mistakes. “We all slip and fall, but having that support” to guide the kids is what is important, and is what is missing in so many kids' lives today.

The mentor will help teach life skills, compassion and commitment and guide the kids spiritually. Wherry explained “the three things we teach them are:first to love and obey the God that you serve. Second, to be able to take care of your family. That starts with getting your education. The third is to contribute to your community.

The mentor will commit to the kid through elementary and middle school and even follow them through high school. “So, when this kid graduates -- because of how we have guarded and guided that kid along with the mom, along with the school and the community --this kid will be a better kid. We’re going to keep that kid on the right path.”

Wherry said the family of the kids may also have needs, and Arise will be there to help. He also said he hopes to see these relationships continue for years and that the mentors and mentees and their families develop a family relationship that lasts a lifetime. 

Wherry also said a similar program for girls is in the works.

Arise also offers other services including parenting services and training, intervention programs and other programs to help families.

If you want any more information about Arise or the Male to Men Mentoring program, call Wherry at 256-508-1131. The email address is ariseinc22@gmail.com. A new website is almost ready at www.arise-services-inc.org.