"I was just interested in playing ball. I didn't care about grades," said Nero (pictured above, far left), a 12-year-old 7th grader at Tanana Middle School in Fairbanks, Alaska.

But then he heard about the Black Role Model Initiative. The program consisted of black men coming to his school twice a month to mentor African-American boys.

Nero said the program piqued his interest, because he was interested in learning more about African-American history.

He got that and a lot more.

At one of the meetings, Nero was introduced to former NBA players and coaches. He learned how important an education was regardless of your career plans, and he learned that he had more options for earning money than playing in the NBA.

"I realized basketball is not the only thing I can do. I can make good grades. I realized you need good grades to play basketball," Nero told Aol Black Voices. "My grades are better now. The mentors are really cool. They didn't say don't try to do sports. They said go for your dream but make sure you keep your options open."

That's the response that Bernard Gatewood, a Fairbanks council member and superintendent of the Fairbanks Youth Facility, and Bob Sawyer, a retired Army sergeant major, were hoping for when they spearheaded the launch of the group in 2007. Both were speakers on a panel at an annual leadership summit, when the topic of the achievement gap among black males came up.

The graduation rate for African Americans in Fairbanks is below 70 percent; some believe it is 50 percent or less for African-American boys. Thirty-six percent of eighth grade African-American students in Fairbanks were below basic proficiency in reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test. About 6.4 percent of students in the district identify as African American.

Fairbanks has children coming from all over the country, because their parents are stationed at the nearby Eielson Air Force Base or Fort Wainwright army base.

"It's the same issue black males are facing across the country. You bring with you who you are and your environment," said Joe Hayes, a former state legislator, executive director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alumni Association and president of the Black Role Model Initiative. "A lot of kids are from single parent households. Their parents are deployed and the deployment is adding a level of stress. Some kids are worried about whether Mom or Dad will make it home."

Gatewood and Sawyer gathered a group of black men together with the goal of finding a way to get black men in the community involved in the lives of black boys.

"We sat down and said, 'What can we do to close the gap?' We believed we had to start somewhere," said Gatewood.

Hayes says the mood was more blunt: "It was put up or shut up."

These men ranged from their early 20s to their late 70s and from all walks of life; you had professionals and construction workers trying to put together a plan.

"We asked how could we be role models," said Bill Bailey, 33, director of public relations for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District.

The group decided to start a robotics program at a local elementary school that was open to all students to get more young black men interested in math and science. And then they started the mentoring program.

"There are so many negative role models," said Gatewood. "Everyone wants to be a gangsta, whatever that means. They aren't exposed to the businessman or the sanitation worker who gets up every day and makes an honest and decent living."

Now, twice a month, men from the community meet with boys from Tanana Middle School. The sessions take the form of show-and-tell or question-and-answer periods.

Nello Cooper, 54, a juvenile probation officer, is a big game hunter. He's taken several trips to Africa. He brought in some of his trophies and the questions began to fly.

"Most of the children did not know anyone who had been to Africa. I wanted to teach them about discovery and other countries. I want them to know there is someplace larger than this and learn why it's so important to expand your mind and open it to new ideas," said Cooper.

Hayes, who was only the sixth black legislator and second from Fairbanks elected to the Alaska legislature, talked about how laws were made. (Pictured at right, Jamal Brown)

"You just see their eyes light up," said Hayes.

Recently, Kyle Bailey (pictured below), 28, Bill Bailey's brother, came to speak to the mentoring class. He is from Fairbanks and was a star basketball player there before he won a full–basketball scholarship to Santa Clara University.

He signed a contract with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs in 2005 and has been playing in Germany for the last four years. Bailey helped his team to a championship one year and was voted one of the Top-10 players in the league this past season.

Bailey talked to the boys about the importance of education and having passion and a defined purpose.

Along with his jerseys from Santa Clara University and the Spurs, Bailey brought in his degree from Santa Clara, where he majored in philosophy and minored in law.

"It's a simple cost-benefit analysis. Getting your degree will pay for 35 plus years. Basketball, even a good pro career, is 10 years. It's pretty obvious which pays off," said Bailey. "One of the most important things for minorities, is to get away from that rap music and pop culture thinking of instant gratification."

The kids wanted to know how good he was in German.

"I believe you guys can do whatever you put your minds to," he told them in German.

Bailey still has his eyes on the NBA. He plans to play for a few more years and then use his earnings from basketball to buy a home and pay for law school. Bailey said he hoped the boys learned that it is still possible to pursue athletic dreams but also have other goals and plans.

"I was focused on making the NBA, but at the same time I was getting a degree and connecting with people who are now real estate investors and vice presidents of corporations in Silicon Valley," said Bailey. "I've never been afraid of life after basketball, because I've learned how to focus and do what needs to be done no matter what arena I'm in."

The hope is for these conversations and interactions to turn into currency. The boys see the mentors outside the classroom and feel more comfortable talking to older men. They stop and talk about how they are doing. The plan is for that familiarity to evolve to the stage where the men can intervene in the children's lives, where kids can talk to their mentors if they are having problems at home or feeling the crush of peer pressure.

"Just seeing these young boys around town at community events, they say, 'Hey, Mr. Bailey.' There is face recognition, and they can see the way I carry myself. There's a relationship and that's the foundation. If I ever see that young man in a situation, he will listen to my advice because he's seen me walk the talk," said Bill Bailey.

Another aspect of the program is turning the kids on to different career options. Gatewood said he was amazed at how many kids are interested in being professional athletes. "We don't want to kill that dream. You might make it, but you still need to do well in school. If you don't make it, what's your plan?" Greenwood said. To that end, the coach at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, a former professional player, has been in to talk with the kids about how difficult it is to have a professional career. He also spoke about the opportunities a free education provided by athletics can bring. They've had men in who were all state athletes who received college scholarships but did not make it to the NBA or the NFL.

"We expose them to different options and show them people who are doing well. We had one guy in who was all conference but now he's a television reporter," said Gatewood. (Pictured below from left to right are Nello Cooper, Jamal Brown, and Bernard Gatewood, officers for the Black Role Model Initiative.)

Black Role Model Initiative in Fairbanks, Alaska, Tyreke Jennis, 13, an eighth-grader, said the program has opened up new possibilities for him. "I like hearing people say you can do anything," said Jennis. "I think it's a great opportunity to learn about setting goals and accomplishing them."

In addition to the twice monthly mentoring, the group used its $55-annual membership fee to send two boys to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks' summer research academy.

There hadn't been a black boy from Fairbanks in the program for years. There are plans to expand in to other schools and send kids to more conferences and summer programs simply for the exposure. As the program began to grow, something interesting began to happen. Native Alaskan, Caucasian and Hispanic children began showing up at the group.

Pizza is usually served but his non-black classmates weren't coming just for a free slice of pepperoni, said Nero. "Some people got kicked out because they just wanted pizza, but some white kids here wanted to know more about black history and have role models," said Nero. Black Role Model Initiative in Fairbanks, Alaska, Bailey said he thinks non-black students noticed a change in their friends.

"I think others saw the confidence that the African-American boys were radiating. I'm not surprised white kids and native kids see something different in them. It's not a color thing," said Bailey. "They have some of the same struggles as black kids," Gatewood said.

One of the long-term goals is to have more mentors of all colors and races involved in the program. There are already white members in the group. The Black Role Model Initiative just applied for non-profit status, said Hayes. The goal is to take the program district-wide. "All male students need help. The irony is we looked at our population and said let's focus on them, but a lot of males are looking for role models and gravitate to people who are positive," said Hayes.

"The message transcends race, ethnicity and socioeconomic conditions. It has opened up a better dialogue and is now affecting race relations. That's something we did not expect." Nero said he's now thinking about a career as a dancer. He studies ballet and sees the possibilities there. He hasn't given up his love for basketball but is convinced his future holds more. "If I make it as professional basketball player or dancer I will look at my wall and still have a degree from my college," he said. Besides, he has people who look up to him now. "I'm a role model for some people. I have younger cousins and people in the school that look to me as an example," said Nero. "I hear from other people they want to be like me now."