YMCA Black Achievers

Black Achievers director gives kids a chance
Clair Carey uses skilled volunteers to help give area youth opportunities
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/BUSINESS/608220323/1003

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Clair Carey, Black Achievers program director at the
YMCA in Wilmington, says she loves all of the program's
kids as if they were her own.

To those who know her best, 63-year-old Clair Carey is in the business of changing lives.

Carey, of Wilmington, is the Walnut Street YMCA Black Achievers director, providing guidance, education and a grandmother's love to more than 100 of Delaware's at-risk youth.

"They're all my kids and I love them dearly," said Carey.

A retired chemist and director of public relations at Hercules Inc., Carey found herself making the sharp transition from the corporate to the nonprofit world.

"I had been a Black Achiever in the past and really thought the program could be an asset to the community," Carey said.

The Black Achievers program pairs teenagers with black adults in various careers for a year of mentoring and networking. Saturday morning seminars and field trips, workplace visitation, college tours and scholarships are just a few of the programs tangible offerings.

Carey said career exploration is the program's mantra. Teen achievers are taken on weeklong college visits every year on the week after Easter. Last year's participating schools were Virginia State University, Spellman College, Morehouse College, Georgia Tech University, Clark Atlanta University, Emory University and Georgia State University.

The program's only full-time employee, Carey runs everything from recruitment to organizing the annual awards dinner in December, which has featured keynote speakers such as Bill Cosby, Magic Johnson, Sammy Sosa, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. The dinner awards the adult achiever volunteers chosen by participating companies.

Those volunteers say Carey has been an invaluable presence in Wilmington.

"You just can't say no to Miss Claire," said Karen Burton, city of Wilmington administrative assistant and 2004 Adult Black Achiever. "She's such a tender soul. The amount of love, education and passion she shows towards these kids that aren't even hers is absolutely amazing."

Adult achievers commit to the program for one year. But after working with Carey, many can't be torn away, staying on as volunteers.

Former achievers are in the process of creating an Adult Black Achievers Alumni Association, to provide further networking and donations for the program, Burton said.

"We don't want these kids to think that it was something we were required to do," she said. "We care about them and want to see them succeed."

The youth participants range in ages from 13 to 18. Students can remain in the program for up to five years, receiving awards and scholarships for their commitment in the annual "Senior Send Off."

"You're getting kids to see people of their color doing well," said Adriane Davis, executive assistant at Bank of America and a 2005 Adult Black Achiever. "They can do it. That's what we're trying to show them."

The national program started at the Harlem, N.Y., YMCA in 1971. The Walnut Street program started in 1989. It is one of 64 in the country. More than 600 adults have been named Black Achievers at the Delaware branch and more than 2,000 students have gone through the program.

Carey's four-year tenure has put Walnut Street's program in the limelight with higher-profile celebrities and a more rigorous public relations agenda. Major corporations such as Wachovia, Bank of America, AstraZeneca, JP Morgan Chase, and Delmarva Power have bought into her commitment, offering donations and volunteers every year.

"Some programs in different states just have the corporations donate money, the adult achievers don't do community service," she said. "I wanted to change that and keep the program true to its traditional goals."