According to a recent study, 90 percent of the youth involved in Boys & Girls Clubs of America graduate high school, thanks in large part to influential mentor relationships built at the clubs. Bottom line: Mentoring works. With this in mind, FRAM, MTV’s Pimp My Ride host Xzibit and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica kicked off the FRAM Ready to Role program, a nationwide initiative aimed at instilling confidence in young men through mentorship and hands-on car maintenance skills.
"Unlike with past generations where people took pride in caring for their vehicles, most youth aren’t taught do-it-yourself car care skills, but we’re aiming to change that," said Duane Pekar, brand leader for FRAM. "The hope of Ready to Role is to reignite that ‘under the hood’ passion and build confidence in at-risk youth – to give these young men skills they can use on their car and in life."
During the three-hour kick-off event at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica’s Main Branch, FRAM technicians, local car buffs and Xzibit taught the fundamentals of car maintenance to more than 50 club members ages 11-to-14 who participate in the Passport to Manhood character and life skills program. In between working on cars, the young men and technician volunteers spent time discussing cars and life over pizza.
"We know that connections with caring adults have a significant impact on the self-esteem of our young people. That’s why we create opportunities for them to be exposed to productive mentoring relationships," said Aaron Young, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Monica. "The FRAM Ready to Role program teaches our kids new confidence-building skills that they can use later in life. At the same time, mentors show them they can achieve anything they put their minds to."
FRAM also donated $5,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica and gave each child a personal car-care kit so they can continue to work under the hood of their own family vehicles.
The next Ready to Role event will take place in October with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago.
For more information about FRAM, visit www.fram.com.
To learn more about how to become a Boys & Girls Club member or volunteer, visit www.bgca.org.