Today we’d like to introduce you to Alfred McAdory.
Alfred, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. I moved to the Dallas area in August 2016 from Louisiana. For a while, I have always said I wanted to be a mentor or someone that can speak or motivate the upcoming generation, specifically young men and boys. I honestly didn’t know where to start. Some people would tell me to just go for it. I have been told many times that I would be a great person to talk to young men and boys, but again I didn’t really know how to go about doing this because I do love kids. Once I moved to Dallas, I started working for and still currently work for a mortgage company as an Analyst. Fast forward to the end of the year, in 2016, I met Kristen Grant at an event I was hosting. We had a little conversation about what each of us did and our interests. She told me that she was the founder of Advising Generation Z which is a non-profit organization that provides millennials and youth who have not lost their way that they are still capable of making a change in the world.
At the time, Kristen had only had Lipstick Ready which catered to young women and girls. Little did I know, she was working to expand her organization to also cater to young men and boys. Kristen and I would still be in contact a little mainly through social media. She remembered the conversation we had and reached out to me in 2017 and asked if I would be interested in joining the movement. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. As time went on, she and the other mentors decided to name me as Shepherds of Healing’s Program Director. Since April of 2018, when I joined the organization, we have been doing our best to change the world one young man and boy at a time. We have done things in the community like volunteering to help with different events, conducting empowerment workshops for young boy’s grades 4-12 in schools and teen court. Although we have impacted over 600 boys and 130 young adults since Shepherds of Healing was founded back in 2017, we continue to look for ways that we can help make a positive impact in the community.
Has it been a smooth road? When starting something of this magnitude, I feel like there will always be bumps in the road. Which is why having the opportunity to lead this initiative has made the journey more meaningful. As far as struggles I’ve faced along the way, I would have to say reminding everyone that what we are participating in is bigger than us is a big one. As Shepherd’s, we want to make sure that everyone that is part of the program is committed to Advising Generation Z mission to save today’s youth. We can’t half step anything, because again, we are leading the next generation who are looking to us to be their role models. As Program Director, it is important to me that all of my team understands the impact that we can make in the lives of our students. I love what I do, but I will admit establishing the framework for Shepherds of Healing to make the same impact our sister program Lipstick Ready has made over the last 8 years has been the hardest part of the journey thus far.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Shepherds of Healing – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others. Shepherds of Healing is the product of the non-profit social skills mentoring program called, Advising Generation Z. In order to become a Shepherd, one must be committed to defying the myth that 21st Century men have lost their D.E.P.T.H. The word D.E.P.T.H. is an acronym that stands for Dedication, Empathic, Polished, Trusting, and Humble. All five of these words are taught to our students to help them take pride in themselves and their peers.
We specialize in being a program that reaches out to young men by providing group mentoring session at schools and municipal teen courts. We provide different seminars that help boys learn their worth and discover their talents. We have a podcast called Mentoring and Molding Men or Triple M where we address real issues that young men and boys may face today. Gabriel Rashad which is my right-hand man is my Co-host on the show and also a lead mentor for Shepherds of Healing.
The thing that I am most proud of about Shepherds of Healing is that while we are still in the growing process, we jump at all opportunities that are presented to us to impact the lives of the younger generation. By volunteering to do different things in the community, we are using our actions rather than our words to impact the lives of young men and boys. Advising Generation Z created an app to better serve our students, which can be located in all apps stores called ‘Advising Genz’. By downloading the app, you can listen to our show along with utilizing the other resources.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least? The thing that I like best about the Dallas area is that you have a place where you can be in the heart of the city and experience the fast pace while also being able to still have places where you can go to just relax and enjoy your own space. You have the opportunity to get the best of both worlds. I honestly do not have anything that I just dislike about the city. I have wanted to move here since I was in about Jr. High. If I had to choose one thing that I dislike, I would say it is the fact the one day you will have summer weather and the next you will have winter.
Contact Info:
Address: 550 Reserve Street Suite 150 & 250, Southlake, TX 76092Website: www.advisinggenerationz.comEmail: Shepherdsofhealing@advisinggenerationz.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/shepherdsofhealingmentors/https://www.instagram.com/alfredoo_mac/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shepherdsofhealing/https://www.facebook.com/Alfred McAdory/Other: App: AdvisingGenz
Comments