For the fourth consecutive year, the Concerned Black Men of Los Angeles (CBMLA) will present their Annual Awards Gala recognizing promising young men and women in the city.
The event takes place on Saturday, August 25, at 7 p.m., at The Proud Bird, 11022 Aviation Blvd., in Los Angeles. The theme is “Concerned as a Community, Together in Unity.” Kevin Frazier, co-host of “Entertainment Tonight,” will return as the keynote speaker.
Since its founding in 2003, the nonprofit group has focused on aiding at-risk youth through programs and resources to support the social, emotional, academic and psychological development of teens of color.
“CBMLA has assisted hundreds of Los Angeles young people during the past 15 years and a large part of our success is due to the mentors, volunteers and community partners that work with us to provide quality services to youth ages 11-to-19-years-old,” said Mark H. Anderson, CBMLA president. “We will salute all of our students and collaborators during the awards gala.”
CBMLA programs include Welcome to Manhood, a monthly workshop that features group discussions, team building exercises, and Q&A sessions with guest speakers; the Emerging Leaders Program where professional, college-educated men of color to serve as mentors to adolescents; and the CBM CARES National Mentoring Initiative, which aims to improve academic and life outcomes for middle school students by presenting weekly workshops with CBM mentees at their schools during school hours.
Recently, the organization joined with female members of CBMLA to launch a program for young girls called Welcome to Womanhood. Anderson said the initiative contains mentoring, life skills and leadership development components.
“With all of our programs, the desired outcome we strive for is to provide our youth with uplifting outlets to help them engage in constructive behaviors and positive attitudes,” explained Anderson, a former postmaster and CBMLA volunteer since 2010.
“With the community’s support, we hope to make this year’s gala the most successful we have ever hosted!”
Tickets for the event are available at cbmla.org or by calling emailing [email protected].
