Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr. hosted Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo at the Hagler Boys & Girls Club. The two caught a basketball game between clubs, and Mutombo talked with students about the importance of education, respect and teamwork. He and Davis held a joint Q&A session with about 90 local youth.
“People in Augusta and across the country recognize the importance of MBK and programs that help build boys and young men of color. Dikembe, the NBA and I are committed to embrace, guide and support them now so they can be the strong leaders we need for our future,” said Mayor Davis.

Mayor Davis, the NBA and Mutombo are strong advocates of the My Brother’s Keeper program. Davis is committed to keep the MBK initiative strong in Augusta and is glad to work with the NBA, which supports a variety of MBK programs across the country through their NBA Voices platform.

“It’s important to ensuring that boys and young men meet positive role models, understand the value of hard work, and see investments of time and resources, as well as a commitment to their future. It is life changing for a boy, who may not have a strong support system at home, to get that from a mentor,” said Mutombo.

Since July 2014, as part of the NBA’s five-year commitment to MBK, the NBA family has partnered with MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership to support their “In Real Life” campaign designed to spread awareness and about the importance of mentoring. To date, the NBA family has driven more than 44,000 new mentoring signups at mentoring.org.

“We are always glad to see role models and mentors volunteer to encourage and support the children in our clubs. It makes a difference when a child can say that someone took time to invest in their future and their life,” said Jeremy McCoy, Unit Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of the CSRA.