Like many of our clients working in the not-for-profit community, Mutual of America is dedicated to having a direct, positive impact on our society. It is with enormous pride that Mutual of America presents the Community Partnership Award winners for 2007.

Project Success: 100 Black Men of Atlanta, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia

Project Success was born in 1987 when 100 Black Men of Atlanta went to the largest public housing project in Atlanta, walked into Archer High School, which had a 60% dropout rate, and from out of a hat picked a class of 35 children for its experiment in education.

"We told them, we'll provide you with a mentor and tutors and help you enrich your lives, and if you graduate from high school, we will pay 100% of your college tuition," says John T. Grant, CEO of 100 Black Men of Atlanta. "They all graduated and went on to post secondary education. Today, Project Success is involved in over 19 schools throughout Atlanta, and the graduation rate is still 100%."

Mentoring has been a cornerstone of Project Success, and a key to its efficacy in helping low-income African American students succeed in school and beyond. In Phase I of the program, mentors volunteered from the ranks of 100 Black Men's members, who viewed mentoring as a lifelong commitment to a student.

Since 2005, Project Success has been in Phase IV, providing mentoring, academic support and scholarships to 112 fourth graders and 112 ninth graders selected in groups of 28 each year until 2008. It has also begun the Collegiate 100, giving college students the opportunity to mentor high school participants. In addition, Project Success collaborated with the Atlanta Public Schools to open a single-gender school for underserved 6^th-12^th graders.

Project Success has energized the Atlanta community and demonstrated the power of collaboration. Inspired by the program, Atlanta's mayor has initiated a fund raising campaign that will bring the city together to help overcome the financial obstacles to higher education and achievement for all of Atlanta's youth.

Partner: Atlanta Public Schools