MAN UP Mentoring, Inc

Bonus Challenge

August 8th at 12 p.m. ET - August 12th at 9 p.m. ET, six organizations (three in each tier) that raise the most money during the time period on its Official Fundraising Page will receive $4,000. Let's go!

About Us

MAN UP Mentoring, Inc. (MUM) is a community-based nonprofit 501c(3) charity organization serving 52 at-risk youth annually, primarily ages 11 through completion of high school or the equivalent across Metro Orlando, focusing on delinquency prevention and intervention by providing social, educational, and mentoring services. Established in 2014 by Orlando natives, brother and sister duo Christopher and Samantha Wallace, the organization is managed by a full-time staff of volunteers and is overseen by a Board of Directors with more than 150 years of law enforcement and civilian experience, as well as education advisors from OCPS and social workers.

Our Vision

We seek a society where no child is absent of a positive male and female figure, where adversity is overcome, and youth are transformed into responsible, respectful, and contributing citizens. MUM realizes equipped with the proper resources, at-risk youth have the power to escape poverty and help transform the social fabric of their communities and the trajectory of their future!

Our Mission

To continually improve the quality of life for at-risk youth by providing educational, mentoring, and social services that will equip them to lead inspiring lives.

Our Outcomes

• Since 2015, 14 seniors have completed the program; of that number, 100% of them have graduated high school compared to a 90.4% graduation rate for Orange County Public Schools (OCPS, 2021). 
• 48% of our mentees have enrolled in post-secondary opportunities versus the area’s average of 20.1% for zip code 32805, 28.3% for zip code 32808, and 32.2% for zip code 32808, (townschart.com, n.d.). 
• There are zero juvenile arrests of our mentees, saving taxpayers $2.2+ million annually, (Justice Policy Institute, 2020 and Public and Private Ventures, 2014)
  
                                                                                          Our History

In the Fall of 2015, MUM entered into a federal partnership with the Orlando Housing Authority and became a service provider to their youth residents under the banner of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the ROSS Grant. Since launching MUM we have provided programming to at-risk youth through programming that directly support mentees and their families. MUM have been recognized by several organizations for the work we continue to do with youth in Orlando’s inner city and continued to grow and expand services.

 In 2016, we were awarded the City of Orlando’s Mayor Matching Grant. In the Fall of 2018 MUM was awarded the Orange County Small Scale Two-Year CRP Grant for Youth Mentoring. Additionally, MUM Mentoring have been highlighted in a five-part series entitled, Young & Arrested, by Renata Sago for NPR. In 2019, MUM entered into partnership with Orange County Public Schools, serving male youth at Eccleston Elementary at-risk of dropping out by 9th grade. In 2020, MUM again partnered with Eckerd Connects Project Bridge, to serve males and females youth ages 11-21 years old that were reintegrating to their home communities from juvenile justice residential commitment programs. In January of 2020, MUM was selected to present their newly curated curriculum, “Through Their Eyes”, a Social-Emotional Learning Photo-Voice Project as a best practice at the 10th Annual Nat'l MENTOR Summit in D.C. While at the summit, the organization was invited to attend meetings on Capitol Hill to advocate for Pine Hill’s youth. In 2020 renown New York Times Published Journalist, Renata Sago, covered the triumphant journeys of our two graduating seniors, in writings entitled, “From Gunshots to Graduation” and “From Homeless to Graduate”.  Lastly, in the Summer of 2021, MUM entered into partnership with Harbor House of Central Florida a domestic violence shelter to provide workshops on anger management and teen dating violence. MUM became an affiliate of PeaceJam Southeast in 2018 participating in the global youth advisory council in 2020, creating a pipeline for students to attend FSU.

Testimonial

At 12 years old, Edward's life began to unravel. After witnessing his father being gunned down, he and his siblings were split up and entered the foster care system for many years. Leaving Miami, Fl and moving to Ivey Lane Homes, low-income housing apartments in Orlando, FL was a fresh start and new beginning for him, his siblings, and his parents. In his words, "Thankfully I was introduced to MAN UP. They showed me the best of who I was and what I could do by providing a safe space, a loving and supportive family environment, stability, and endless opportunities."  

Following high-school, Edward became a certified pharmacy technician for Walgreens and is studying to become a senior pharmacy technician.