Mahogany Youth Corp receives grant from Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation

by John Bell on 2 Jul 2013 Mahogany Youth Corp. is happy to announce that they are the recipient of a grant from the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. The grant will allow Mahogany Youth to continue their 'Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs' program in Jose Di Diego and Richmond Heights Middle School, which are located in Miami-Dade County.

The Mahogany Youth Corp. works with all youth, last year they fished with over 2,500 youth but this funding is for a program that specializes in working with at-risk youth as well as children from low-income, impoverished zip codes, Title I schools or single-parent homes. If not for programs like Mahogany Youth’s, many of these children and adolescents would never interact with our coastlines. They would certainly miss out on learning about our marine environments.

The focus of Mahogany Youth’s programs centers on fishing, boating and outdoor activities. Participating in these programs builds the youths’ self-esteem, teaches them important life and social skills and introduces them to potential career opportunities.

'Everywhere we go the kids really want to fish with us.' said Robert O’Bryant, Mahogany Youth Corporation Director.

In addition, Mahogany Youth also works with a number of different organizations to teach fishing, boating and outdoor activities. If your club or organization would like a fishing trip contact Robert O’Bryant at (305) 603-7451 for more information.

Mahogany Youth will host a fishing seminar for 129 children in partnership with the Concerned African-American Women’s program on Friday, July 12, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The private event will be at the Rickenbacker Causeway in Key Biscayne.

The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation’s core mission is to fund marine science research. But the foundation is also committed to bolstering educational programs for children and young adults.

'Marine science is our paramount mission, but we know we need to reach children and teens with our ocean conservation message, too,' said Steve Stock, president of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation. 'Organizations like Mahogany Youth are especially important because they reach kids who would otherwise not see the ocean and would grow up disconnected from our vital marine environments.'

Media interested in covering the July 12 event on the Rickenbacker Causeway should contact Robert O’Bryant at Mahogany Youth, (305) 603 7451.

For more information please visit Mahogany Youth and Guy Harvey.