The hearts behind the mission

This is a true story about the founder of the Role Models Foundation and the young man he has mentored for over twenty years. The two met 20 years ago while the founder was working as a police officer at a middle school. The young man he began mentoring was 12 years old at the time and was from a single-parent home, living with his mother.

This young man was a popular kid at school, yet troubled. He was a good athlete, with football and basketball skills. Although he had all this going for him, it was not enough to give him the guidance he needed to be a well-rounded, successful young man. He was using his popularity and athletic ability to control others and influence the bad behavior of all who followed him. This young man was learning how to be a man not from a father or father figure, but from the neighborhood gangsters and drug dealers he knew. He used and sold drugs at age 12 and became a father at age 15.

This story is the basis of why I founded the R.E.A.D. Program (Respect, Education, Attitude, Discipline) — and to this day, I continue to promote good behavior among our youth, teaching them to set a good example for others to follow.

— Robert L. Releford, Founder