Michael Baisden Foundation to Make Mentoring Matter At 9th Annual Anniversary Celebration

PHILADELPHIA, July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Guests attending Michael Baisden's 9th Anniversary celebration July 14 at the Apollo Theatre will learn why mentoring matters so much to their favorite nationally syndicated radio host.  Joining Michael Baisden, George Willborn and guest celebrities for the anniversary event will be Big Brothers Big Sisters' Mentoring Brothers in Action African American fraternity partners. 

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110613/PH17540LOGO )

Baisden donates air time, his social media platforms with nearly 550,000 followers, and dollars to help Mentoring Brothers in Action engage more Black men to get involved in one-to-one mentoring to change the odds for African American boys.  Over the past two years since launching his One Million Mentors Campaign and Save Our Kids tour, The Michael Baisden Foundation has donated more than $110,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates and its national Mentoring Brothers in Action African American mentoring program.

"Mentoring Brothers in Action brings together some of our nation's best resources to solve our communities' most urgent crises," Baisden said. "As we celebrate the 9th anniversary of the Michael Baisden Show, we will recognize our Mentoring Brothers on stage.  We will not lose sight of the reality that our kids need us and that through our time and treasure, we can provide long-term, staff-supported mentoring to help them beat the odds."

Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven by independent studies to help children overcome adversity to achieve in school and succeed in life.  Youth served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are predominately children of color from single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated, and many are children of military personnel.  While African American boys are disproportionately represented among children waiting for Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors, Black men make up only 15 percent of the nationwide mentoring network's male mentors.

The Michael Baisden 9th Anniversary event will showcase live music, a mix and mingle session, a time to hang out with artists/comedians, and the ultimate Battle of the DJs final show down. Featured artists include Eric Roberson, Conya Doss, Vivian Green, Will Downing, Angie Stone, Johnny Gill, The Legendary Chubb Rock, Tyler Craig, George Willborn, LD and Karma II Band, Vy Higginsen's Gospel for Teens Youth Choir and more.  For ticket information, go to www.BaisdenLive.com.

About Michael Baisden / Michael Baisden Show / Michael Baisden Foundation
Michael Baisden is a nationally syndicated radio personality and has been recognized as one of the most influential men in radio. The Michael Baisden Show is an entertaining four-hour afternoon radio program that airs Monday - Friday from 3-7 p.m. ET and combines the best in music, comedy and social commentary to inspire real change across America. Heard in 22 of the top 25 Urban radio markets, The Michael Baisden Show reaches more than seven million listeners each week and is syndicated by Cumulus Media Networks.

He is also a TV talk show host, filmmaker and New York Times best-selling author with nearly two million books in print. Baisden recently released his 6th book, Maintenance Man II.  He is well known for his philanthropic endeavors including spearheading the famous Jena Six March, promotion of free clinics, partnering on the Trayvon Martin rally, voter registration initiatives and, through the Michael Baisden Foundation, his "One Million Mentors: National Campaign To Save Our Kids" tour where he donated over $350,000 of his own money. Over the past five years the foundation has donated nearly a half million dollars to other 501 (c)(3) non-profit organizations throughout the U.S. to help support Youth Organizations. These initiatives lead to him being awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Foundation "Keepers of The Dream" Award. In October 2010 President Barack Obama publicly congratulated Michael on his efforts. He founded the Michael Baisden Foundation to focus on mentoring, education, and literacy. Michael believes that "books change lives" and he is living proof!

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success; avoidance of risky behaviors; and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships.  Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course.  The first-ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Youth Outcomes Summary, released in 2012, substantiates that its mentoring programs have proven, positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes for youth, areas linked to high school graduation, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and college or job readiness.

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity, often those of single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.  This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization's 100-year history.  With about 350 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 630,000 children, volunteers and families. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

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