GREENSBORO, N.C. — You don't hear this often, but the pandemic is actually helping a Triad program grow. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Greensboro non-profit Crossroads: Pathways to Success online, but thanks to the virtual meeting space, the mentoring program for middle and high school boys is picking up steam.
"We meet 100 percent on Zoom on Saturdays twice a month," said co-founder Gerard Truesdale. "We're not gong to meet in person until the infection rate has gone down, so right now we're focused on being the best online mentorship program that we can be. It's a new thing for us! We didn't see this coming, but I like that way that it's growing."
Truesdale and co-founder Arturo McKie started Crossroads PTS to help young men prepare for college and develop leadership qualities among other life skills. Since 2009 they've had over 110 students go through the program with a 100 percent college acceptance rate.
Guilford County Schools and community groups in Winston-Salem picked up the program before COVID, but now that the program is all online, Crossroads is expanding south.
"We set up a program down in Birmingham, Alabama where we able to bridge an adult program so it's not just for kids anymore. It's going to be Lawson State community college to help adults create a pathway to the workplace," said Truesdale.
McKie says it's all about turning an obstacle into an opportunity.
"We harp on being prepared for anything. You never know what's going to happen. We always tell them to have a plan B just in case plan A doesn't work out. We really stress wealth management and having a savings, being able to take care of yourself if something does happen," said McKie. "When COVID came and everything changed abruptly, it was really just a good reinforcement of why what we teach them is so important."
You can learn more about Crossroads: Pathways to Success, Inc., who they help and how you can get involved here.