On a brisk Saturday morning, about 20 boys piled off a bus onto a 40-year-old family business and experienced real farm life for a few hours.  They learned about the hard work of a farmer, the care of farm animals, and the importance of family.  My Roots Foundation had the honor of hosting boys from the Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate (BRMA) for a workshop event.  The event was Saturday March 4, 2017 at B-Bar Farms in northern Durham County.  We are extremely grateful to the folks at B-Bar Farms; Carolyn Wilson (owner), Todd Flowers, and a host of wonderful volunteers.  We can’t say it enough – “Thank you!”

BRMA is a Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools support program designed to improve the achievement of students of color. BRMA provides students with mentoring, advocacy, tutoring, social and cultural enrichment, college and career preparation, leadership development, and college scholarships. The 2017 Young Mens Retreat was spent, in part, at B-Bar Farms learning about the farm and family history.

My Roots Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on raising awareness of family history. We do this by helping adults and children discover, preserve, and share family history stories. By partnering with B-Bar Farms we are able to not only provide a wonderful experience, but also give a first hand example of family traits and passions being passed down from one generation to the next.

The boys got to see the ins and outs of caring for a horse and they each got to ride!  In addition to these lessons, Alonzo Felder, founder of My Roots Foundation, spoke about the importance of family stories and taking a close look at embracing their own family story.  They were challenged to think about the personality types in their own families, and what could have been passed down to them.

The theme of the day was to see what it looks like when somebody has a dream and then that dream is passed on thru the generations and to ask the question “What have you been given that you will pass on?” My Roots Foundation was built on the principle that the best of your ancestors lives in you and that is the message we want to pass on to all people.

About My Roots Foundation

My Roots Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit organization. Our mission is to promote awareness of family history.  We do this through Discovering, Preserving, and Sharing of family histories because we believe that all stories, big and small, should be shown respect. For more information, please see www.myrootsfoundation.com.

“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history” – Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, (December 1875 – April 1950)