Brother Billy Smith, Chairperson

The well-known group, Alpha Bears, is a young men mentoring program started by visionary, Brother Billy Smith in 1998 at Butler Elementary School. Brother Smith, then a teacher at the time, created a program that would allow well-established, educated, and career-oriented men to guide today's students and tomorrow's leaders. Guidance from this program encompasses, but is not limited to, interpersonal skills, academic excellence, Black and other historical site visits, extracurricular activities, self-esteem building, and conflict resolution. Brother Smith, and other brothers on his team, are closely aligned with school administrators and parents to intervene, when needed, to prevent academic and interpersonal setbacks. Students, under the guise of the Alpha Bear mentoring program, receive tutorial and peer mentoring throughout the year also.

The Alpha Bears mentoring program is not limited to Butler Elementary School, although this is where its incipiency lies. This program is expanded across the school district and has historically included young ladies as well. This program has mentored more than 550 students from more than 27 schools. The Alpha Bears hosted its 23rd Anniversary at Carey Hillard's Restaurant in early August 2023. For more information about joining the Alpha Bears or for questions concerning how you can donate to the Alpha Bears, please contact Brother Billy Smith at wayne1906@hotmail.com.