Rockingham group honors friend’s memory with special program

By Steve Lawson

Published: September 9, 2008

Glen Lowe grew up in western Rockingham County. A McMichael High School graduate, he went on to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before landing a sales and marketing position with a Fortune 500 company.

Now, Lowe wants to move closer to his hometown than Greensboro to spend more time with an organization that has become a passion in his life.

Lowe is one of a trio of local men responsible for founding Parker Brothers, a nonprofit dedicated to the development of young men. Lowe, along with Randel Galloway and Mike Hoover, started planning the organization last year. The catalyst for forming Parker Brothers was the memory of Lowe’s cousin, Johnny Parker — another western Rockingham native known to all three men.

“Johnny passed away about three years ago, but he was someone really special to all three of us,” Lowe said. “He was heavily involved in working with children and worked with group homes in the Charlotte area.”

Lowe, Galloway and Hoover met together several times to develop a way they could honor Parker’s memory and simultaneously give something back to the community that meant so much to them and Parker.

“Parker already had a scholarship foundation that we’re all part of, but we started thinking about developing something that could strengthen the character of the young men in our community,” Lowe said. “Parker Brothers grew out of that desire.”

The organization’s mission statement says it seeks to develop young men by providing “healthy and positive alternatives.” The tools used in the process are listed as “mentoring, educating, encouraging, supporting, motivating and counseling.”

Although realizing other mentoring and educational groups already exist, Parker Brothers’ founders believe they bring something unique to the field of youth work.

“We’re western Rockingham originated,” Lowe said. “We all have a real passion for the young men in our own community. We all want to bring a focus on the future to our next generation of young men in the Madison, Mayodan, Stoneville area.”

The men volunteering to mentor and counsel the youths involved in the program are called keepers. Lowe said the

title was based on the biblical reference to being your “brother’s keeper.”

Galloway said he and the other keepers could identify with the young men they encounter because they grew up in the same communities and encountered the same situations along the way.

“All of us faced the same struggles of growing up in a rural community, and we know what it can be like at times,” said Galloway, a guidance counselor and coach at McMichael High School. “We grew up and went to school in the same towns these young men did and that helps us identify with what they’re going through on a regular basis.”

The goal of Parker Brothers is to sponsor at least two activities each month, including a trip as well as something to aid the community, or a charity event. The trips would assist the youths in learning social skills and increase their exposure to possibilities they might not be aware of in life. The community events are designed to build character and a sense of responsibility in regard to other people.

About 40 young men attended the first Parker Brothers meeting Aug. 30, taking a trip to UNC-Chapel Hill to watch the Tar Heel football team play McNeese State. Saturday’s open gym at the Madison-Mayodan Recreation Center drew about 25 youths.

Every Parker Brothers gathering begins with an educational lesson designed to develop knowledge and life skills. At the start of Saturday’s meeting at the recreation center, the keepers set out a maze on the gym floor for the brothers to negotiate.

“They had to learn several lessons in the process,” Galloway said. “They had to learn to plan ahead, depend on other members of their team and focus on a specific goal. It was about learning to think ahead and make the right plans to realize your dreams.”

Brothers earn points for participation in events and involvement in their community. Points are awarded in the areas of education (based on grades), athletics (participation on teams), home (written reports from parents), church (attendance at services), community (service, tutoring or fundraising activities) and keeper observation (during activities).

Not earning enough points could keep brothers from participating in special activities or trips. The brother earning the most points for each three-month quarter is named Parker Brother of the Quarter. There is also a Most Improved Parker Brother of the Quarter award. An annual winner will also be named for each award.

“We set up the points system to give the young men something to work toward,” Hoover said. “We knew from experience that everyone needs some kind of incentive at times, and this allows them a chance to earn points in different categories that appeal to them as individuals.”

An all-volunteer organization, Parker Brothers is in the process of applying for 501-c non-profit status through the IRS.

“We’re trying to cover all our bases,” said Lowe. “We’re also going before the town boards in Madison, Mayodan and Stoneville to let them know what we’re doing. We’re not going after any funding or anything. We just want them to know we’re here and that we want to help them develop the next generation of young men with character and standards.”

The Parker Brothers will have a booth at Saturday’s Mayodan Homecoming Festival. The organization’s next event will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 20 at the Sharon Baptist Church Center — the old Stoneville Middle School — with open gym activities and hot dogs.

“Our first charity event will be participating in the Walk to Cure Diabetes at Grimsley High School in Greensboro on September 27,” Lowe said. “We want to instill in these young men how important it is to give of yourself to benefit others. That’s just part of building character for future success. It’s just another life skill they need to learn.”

To learn more about Parker Brothers, visit the Web site at http://www.parker-brothers.org or call Lowe at (336) 404-9777.

News editor Steve Lawson can be reached at .