(L) Keith Butler, Founder of Detroit Boys Mentoring Club and mentees (Image Courtesy of The Detroit Boys Mentoring Club)
With a wait list of approximately 100 young boys, a bustling room filled with over 20 enthusiastic young boys, from energetic toddlers to spirited teenagers, eagerly congregates on Saturday mornings, brimming with anticipation for the day’s activities intentionally planned by the Detroit Boys Mentoring Club.
In 2013, Keith Butler, driven by a personal commitment to his community, established the Detroit Boys Mentoring Club. This transformative initiative is dedicated to mentoring and guiding young boys in the Detroit community. The primary objective of this program is to foster positive leadership qualities and impart essential skills, contributing to the revitalization and unity of the community.
“The seeds I planted back then have grown into the Detroit Boys. The things that we were doing back then, when I had just two kids showing up, I kept at it because I could see a room full of young black boys in my mind even when I didn’t have a room full of young black boys sitting in front of me, and this is a testament to that,” Butler said.
No Saturday is the same; the Club offers diverse activities to keep the young boys fully engaged. These include exciting hands-on technology simulations involving drones and robots, informative career-related panels, and enriching field trips around the city. The field trips involve different experiences, such as riding the People Mover or meeting business owners, allowing the boys to explore the city uniquely while providing them with valuable knowledge and exposure to various opportunities.
“I want to be the platform and the pathway for our young boys to whatever they want to do, literally their wildest dreams, and walk with them through that process,” Butler said.
“Our key mission is to have a safe space for the boys to come, to be scholars, to learn stem, to learn about the entertainment industry, etc.”.
Unique in its approach, Detroit Boys Mentoring Club aims to address the pressing issues that the community is grappling with, such as low graduation rates, high rates of youth incarceration, and the lack of access to high-quality programs in sports, coding, life skills, financial literacy, the arts, digital literacy, and entrepreneurship.
Keith Butler, Founder of Detroit Boys Mentoring Club and mentee (Image Courtesy of Detroit Boys Mentoring Club)
Butler is no stranger to community engagement and has established strong relationships with influential figures in Detroit. In addition to his community connections, Butler serves as the District 5 Deputy Manager through the Department of Neighborhoods with the City of Detroit.
Butler was looking for a venue to host the Detroit Boys Mentoring Club; Bartel Welch, the Executive Director of Code 313, played a pivotal role in helping secure the space. This connection was introduced through Butler’s wife, Robyn K. Fuller Butler, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) at J&F Advisors.
“When Keith said what he needed, I didn’t let him finish his sentence; I told him, ‘Whatever Saturdays you need, whatever is here, it’s all your’s,” Welch said.
Code313 is a Detroit-based nonprofit organization dedicated to providing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and opportunities to youth in the community. The organization focuses on coding, digital literacy, and technology skills to prepare young people for the future workforce.
“What Keith is doing here on the weekends is one of Code313’s purposes of being here,” Welch said. “That allowed me to have somebody here to focus on mentoring.”
Bartel Welch, Executive Director of Code 313-(Photo Credit Davon Travier & Joshua Jemison)
Code313 aims to bridge the digital divide by offering programs, workshops, and events that inspire and equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in a technology-driven world. The organization collaborates with schools, community centers, and other local entities to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for students of all backgrounds.
Butler eagerly anticipates what’s to come for the Detroit Boys Mentoring Club as the future unfolds. Witnessing the growth of the young men as they journey through the program brings great joy and inspiration. Butler wants the Club to extend beyond Saturdays.
“I’m really looking forward to, and we are currently working on our end goal to have a compound where, literally, the entire week, Monday through Sunday, we have services available onsite for our boys,” Butler said.
Butler’s relentless dedication to instilling hope and empowerment in every corner of Detroit is truly inspiring. By prioritizing compassion, Butler steadfastly pursues his mission of leaving behind a legacy characterized by unity, hope, and limitless opportunities for young boys in Detroit.
“One day, I want to say he (mentees) is running this company over here; he is running his company over there. He is on the City Council or a 40 under 40 honoree or a Men of Excellence because here (Detroit Boys Mentoring Club) are the seeds we have sewn, and so far, we are off to a pretty good start,” Butler said.
For more information on the Detroit Boys Mentoring Club, visit, www.thedetroitboys.org
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