Mike Roberts speaks to Shreve neighborhood youth group
By Gerald Pace
For the St. Louis American
“Be a no-box thinker, because if you think outside of the box that means you’re still in it,” said Michael Roberts, prominent St. Louis business leader, as he spoke recently to a group of about 30 students and adults at the Shreve Neighborhood Center.
The Shreve Neighborhood Center invited Roberts to be a guest speaker during its financial literacy program, which is a component of the center’s curriculum that focuses on educating youth in the stock market, personal financial planning and building wealth.
“I couldn’t think of anyone better to come and speak to our youth,” said James Ingram, program director of the center and St. Louis American columnist. “I wanted them to connect with someone from their own community who is a success story and owns jets, theaters, condo developments, hotels and other companies.”
The center acquired a grant from Citigroup Financial Services to run the financial literacy program. Ingram has invited several speakers and workshop conductors who have taught students to balance bank accounts, make financial choices with a mock stock market and produce and sell products.
During the motivational session, Roberts asked each young person about their future plans and entrepreneurial goals. He then helped each student to compose a plan of action and money-making strategies to make that dream a reality.
“What we should see is open opportunity. Mother nature gives 86,400 seconds every day to the rich as well as the poor. What are we going to do with that time?” Roberts said. “If you’re using your seconds right, you will stay focused.”
“You can decide what you want your life to be like. You are your own architect. I’ve created 1,000 jobs during my career. I have over 60 companies and we’re all located in the ‘hood,” he said.
Roberts encouraged the students to build legacies and wealth for the next generation. He spoke of the importance of building wealth in African-American communities and using their own names to marquee their future companies.
“I named my building in St. Louis after my dad. Other companies have done it. Why can’t we?” he said. “I wanted to remain in my community.”
He taught some of the principles from his recently released book, Action Has No Season. In the book, he has coined the term “actionaire” for a person who takes their dream and pursues it. He said that he is now the largest black hotel owner in the United States and the largest black developer in the Bahamas.
“You can have a global perspective,” he said.
“He told us what we needed to hear, because many kids think they can make it selling drugs,” said 14-year-old Na’aigner Jones, a student at Parkway West High School.
“I learned a lot. It was interesting,” said Chaun Kelly, a student at Beaumont High School.
The Shreve Neighborhood Center, in its twelfth year of operation, is an outreach program of Provident Counseling, a St. Louis-based counseling and community service since 1860. According to Ingram, about 360 students are enrolled at the center and about 60 students are serviced each day.
“We get a chance to have help with our homework. We also help younger kids with their homework. There’s a teen lounge to hang out and play checkers,” said 13-year-old Alex Rockett.
“We try to be positive role models to teach our youth socialization skills,” Ingram said. “This is an after-school program with strict guidelines. Students complete homework assignments first and if they say they don’t have one, we assign one.”
The center has an academic incentive program where students receive awards, gift certificates and special privileges. Some of the highlights of the center are field trips, the Umoja program, a gang abatement component, a teen pregnancy prevention program and summer programs.
“Students are able to attend Rams’ football games in limousines provided by Officer Funeral Home,” Ingram said.
“I worked on a project here called ‘Granting Dreams,’ and I won $100 from it,” said DoaJai Elliot, a 13-year-old student. “We also clean the neighborhood.”
“In the Umoja program, they teach us about STDs, AIDS and health,” said Irish Smith, a Rockwood Middle School student. “We have to do homework before we get privileges such as using the computers.”
Ingram, serving his fourth year as director, stated his goal is to keep the youth of the community out of the streets and out of gangs. He felt Roberts’ session made a very positive impression on the students. During the session, he informed students that Roberts grew up in the community.
“I got more out of it by coming back and contributing to kids in this community. I want to plant a seed for entrepreneurial living. Hopefully, I planted some seeds and hopefully some fertilizer today,” Roberts said.
