Men of Success, Beaufort County Community College’s minority male mentoring group, will host a Black History Month Black Tie Gala on Feb. 24.

The evening will feature dinner, music, speakers and presentations on the BCCC campus.

The evening’s theme will be “Honoring the Past, Celebrating the Present, Embracing the Future” and brings: Alvin Powell, president of the Beaufort County Police Activities League; Dr. Daniel Wilson, associate dean at Nash Community College; and BCCC graduate Daniel Garza Salazar to campus to speak about the keys to success. The event will raise funds for Men of Success and provide scholarships for minority males at BCCC.

BCCC Men of Success is led by Bishop James McIntyre, who serves as the program advisor and, also, pastor for Cornerstone Family Worship Center Church of God. The MOS coaches, tutors and mentors are either current students, such as Maurice Griffin, Gerardo Alvarez-Gallegos and Jeffrey Egerton, or BCCC alumni such as Terry Graham. They represent some of the best that BCCC has to offer.

Griffin and Alvarez are both members of the Student Government Association, with Alvarez serving as president. Graham is the owner of a local business, EZ Janitorial Services.

Each member of the core team focuses on a different subject for success: Griffin on positive relationships, Egerton on economic opportunity, Alvarez on social interaction, Graham on academic achievement and McIntyre on positive choices.

McIntyre said the goal of the group is to have positive relationships with students, which earns the right to be heard. If they can be heard, they have the opportunity to make a positive difference.

“What persuaded me to get involved was the passion from the group of men who wanted to see successful change in the lives of other men, both young and old, in addition to the disturbing news about minority male dropout rates and math scores across the nation,” he said.

Relationship building is important because while some barriers at college can be removed, “there are barriers that happen at home and in the community that need addressing also.”

Men of Success meets on the BCCC campus every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to all minority male attending the college.

The group is still testing out the best approaches for helping students. McIntyre said they are “building the track while riding on it.”

Men of Success starts with students at a young age by providing mentoring at P.S. Jones Middle School, conducting talks on making positive choices.

“We tell the guys, there are choices that have to be made. Try to see it from a different perspective,” he said. “Try to make it positive.”

Tickets will not be sold at the door. They are $18 per person or $30 per couple and must be purchased by Feb. 10. They can be purchased on campus from any of the Men of Success coaches or from Teresa Edwards and Kim Jackson in Building 9. They can also be purchased at St. Clair Trucking in Washington.

For more information, call 252-623-8326 or 252-946-6109 or email griffwood42@gmail.com or pastorctw@gmail.com.