Celebrating Youth who Choose a Life of Honor
by Staff
November 30, 2010
DALLAS, (christiansunite.com) -- Young men and women from all over North Texas will gather to celebrate their accomplishments and choice to be Men of Honor and Ladies of Honor this weekend in Rowlett, Texas at the "Men of Honor & Ladies of Honor" Annual Awards Ceremony.The youth will be applauded and challenged to further transform their communities by displaying chivalry, honor, servant leadership, and addressing social issues. The success stories will include decisions to stay drug-free, avoid gangs, honor & obey parents, confront bullying, and stay sexually pure until marriage. The annual awards ceremony will be held at the Church in the City Auditorium, 6005 Dalrock Rd in Rowlett on December 4th at 5:00PM. Special guest will include advisory board member, Rowlett Mayor, Dr. John Harper, Principals, Superintendents, Pastors, and friends of the organization.
"These guys and gals are world-changers who are being trained in principles of chivalry, honor, moral excellence, and courageous leadership," said Tony Rorie, founder of the Men of Honor. Rorie founded the character education program while working as a Principal of a Public charter school in the Pleasant Grove area of Dallas.
Award ceremony attendees will be celebrated for their positive choices, gain visibility and commonality with other youth making similar stands, and learn principles for success from top Christian and business leaders with the goal to "Impact culture and turn the tide of moral decline in youth culture." Participants will be encouraged to engage youth from all walks of life, in their schools and communities, to guide them in principles of chivalry, honor and moral strength.
Since it's inception in 2003, Men of Honor and Ladies of Honor has made significant impact in the public school system by reducing bullying and disciplinary incident rates. "We are very excited that our program reduced disciplinary incident rates by 40% for the entire school population and by 80% of those in the program within one school year, including drug use and bullying. We're now being invited into other cities. The program and corresponding curriculum make a great character education component for after-school programs and also powerful discipleship program for churches." Rorie said.
Other public schools and churches here are adopting the program in the states with plans to begin additional groups in Indonesia, Mongolia, and Mexico also in the works.
Pastor Dwayne Pickett of New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, Mississippi, is starting another "Men of Honor" public school program. "Today there are more African American males in prison (761,000) than in college (603,000)," explained Pickett. "This is a significant shift from 1980 when there were 464,000 African American men in college and only 143,000 were incarcerated. This program is a way that our men can link arms and make a difference in our community."
"Young people are facing a tough road when it comes to sorting out choices and making positive decisions concerning their future. They are given a declining moral example by popular culture and the results are devastating. Teen pregnancy, suicide, and juvenile delinquency are on the rise largely because the rates of absentee fathers are also on the rise," Rorie explained. "We want to celebrate these young men & women for the decision they have made to live a life of honor and give them the tools they need to reinforce those decisions."
The program has trained young men and women in North Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma. The program uses a strategy that includes camps, conferences, and weekly curriculum based meetings. Men of Honor curriculum consists of books, workbooks, and DVD's written and produced by Rorie and Dr. Edwin Louis Cole and are available by contacting the Men of Honor on their website at www.themenofhonor.org.
