A Brother 2 Brother Christmas

Kylee McBride
krm001@marietta.edu

Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are what make this time of year the season of giving, which is the perfect time to introduce a new volunteer organization on campus. At Marietta College, we have various groups working on their individual service projects to give back to students and the city of Marietta. Earlier this fall, senior Darrien Fields brought Brother-to-Brother to our attention by partnering with the organization and representing them during his homecoming campaign. In the short time following the end of football season, they have already recruited close to 30 members.

According to their mission statement, Brother-to-Brother is “an open-minded,non-judgmental organization that is comprised of a united front of men.” The newly-founded group of male students are ahead of the game in terms of presenting fresh volunteer opportunities for students and faculty to participate in all over campus. Brother-to-Brother members have taken part in performances at the homecoming pep rally, at the multicultural center and recently orchestrated a campus-wide clothing drive to help others outside the college. “The thing that makes this organization unique is because of all the different kinds of people; they come from all different backgrounds and there’s really no judgement among us at all,” senior and group member, Mel Shuler said. 

More recently, Brother-to-Brother hosted a guest speaker on November 26 in AndrewsHall to discuss bringing the “Ties of Honor” service project to our campus. Members of the organization along with President Ruud were in attendance. The purpose of the Ties of Honor project is to collect dress clothes and ties for those in need. President of the organization and senior basketball player Mel Shuler was tasked with informing students and faculty about the upcoming event, along with posting highlights on all of their social media accounts. Active group members also planned to start a weekly tradition of dressing up and wearing ties together, otherwise known as “Brother Wednesday’s.” They plan to make Ties ofHonor an annual volunteer opportunity at Marietta College.

Students involved with the organization chose to start a clothing drive beforeThanksgiving break in preparation for the cold winter months approaching due to the large percentage of people in Marietta who are in need warm clothing. There was a large box placed in four locations throughout campus: the first-floor of Harrison Hall by the elevator, Marietta Hall, the DBRC and by Pit Stop in McCoyHall. These were strategically placed in areas that are frequently visited by students, faculty and visitors. Clothing items were collected until the first week of December. They plan to donate everything to local stores such as theSalvation Army or Goodwill.

On December 8, Brother-to-Brother will be hosting a holiday-themed event for students to attend after the men’s basketball game. Students will not be charged upon entry, but they are encouraged to donate any kind of canned goods as their “ticket” inside. The event will be held from 9-11pm at the Gathering Place. Students who plan on attending can expect Christmas music, and prizes that will go to “ugliest sweater” to fit the tacky holiday sweater theme; two $25 VISA gift cards, for both a male and female winner. A $50 VISA gift card will also be awarded to the person who donates the most non-perishable goods at the door.  

There are some misconceptions about the organization that active members would like to clear up; while a majority of male students involved with Brother-to-Brother are African American men, this does not mean that students from other demographics are discouraged from being a part of this organization. “It’s not limited to anyone. It’s not just for African American students even though it just so happened to be an outlet that they have all used. It’s supposed to before all men to be able to engage in conversation where we can recognize that my experiences might be different than your experiences, but we’re still here together and we can all learn from each other,” said Shuler.

“[Brother-to-Brother]It has been a really cool organization to be a part of. It is very dynamic; we have a lot of creativity and a lot of different kinds of people involved. It’s growing and getting a lot of buzz right now after all we’ve been doing. I think it’s a strong group of men that truly enjoy working together. We have a lot more coming up in the next year that we’re looking forward to,” continued Shuler.

Meetings are typically held bi-weekly for members to participate in educational discussions and brainstorm their next student-centered event. “We have a lot of service projects coming up in January for MLK along with several other things for next year,” said Shuler when asked about upcoming projects. If you are interested in becoming involved with Brother-to-Brother, contact Cam Clifton (cc006@marietta.edu), Mel Shuler (mds010@marietta.edu)or any other member. To keep up with current volunteer opportunities and upcoming events, follow their Instagram page: @b2bmc.