A Soaring Note: Anthony Blackmon’s Journey

Anthony Blackmon, a college sophomore at South Carolina’s Benedict College, composes his own music and knows how to make a piano sing. He also has a winning smile, an outgoing manner and the ability to get others laughing, which makes it no surprise that he has almost 1,000 friends on his Facebook page.

With that mix of drive, talent and personality, Anthony looks like a young man who has found a path headed towards success. But he didn’t get there easily, and he didn’t get there alone.

Judy Stavisky, the National Executive Director of Friends of the Children, explained that Anthony was just the kind of child who was a perfect fit for the 12 year mentoring program.

“When I was younger,” Anthony says, “I didn’t really understand what it meant to stand out and be a good person. I would argue with other kids about little things. They would test my patience and I wouldn’t know how to control my anger and I would get into trouble.”

As early as kindergarten, Anthony’s behavior worried his teachers and he found it hard to pay attention in the classroom. Although his mother was a rock-steady presence, Anthony’s living situation was often unstable. The only boy among five siblings, Anthony struggled without role models.

Fortunately, adults saw his potential and recognized he needed support to reach it, explained Judy Stavisky. Friends of the Children mentors came to Anthony’s side when he was a first grader in Portland, Oregon and their consistent guidance helped set him on course.

“I have always pushed him to do things that he wanted to do,” said Tim, his mentor. Part confidante, part advisor, part taskmaster, Tim talked with Anthony about his decisions, exposed him to cultural opportunities beyond his own neighborhood, and emphasized the importance of staying focused.

The reward, Time says, has been “seeing Anthony grow, mature, become just an awesome person.”

For Anthony, the relationship with Tim helped him see someone new when he looked in the mirror. “My mentor taught me how to take responsibility for my actions. He had different expectations for me that I didn’t understand, but over time, I began to see what those expectations meant and what my mentor saw in me. He showed me how to appreciate the gifts that I have been given.”

Music is clearly one of those gifts. Along with playing piano, Blackmon is an accomplished drummer and talented vocalist, and has set his sights on becoming a music producer. That’s one way, he says, of “helping others the way that my mentors have helped me.”

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Friends of the Children has been featured on Sirius Radio, NPR, Parade and People Magazines.