2020 PPP magazine

2020 Paint the Paper Pink Lincoln Daily News October 2020 Page 37 to men who create a positive influence in the world when they leave college. Brackenridge and student Isaiah Clay explained the group’s purpose, “We help people in the area of Lincoln College, teaching peace and guiding our men on how to grow from boys to men. We are teaching them to respect others, to respect women, and to respect themselves. Then in the ‘real world,’ when we go out we will take that with us and teach it to others.” The group began as guys only, but last year a couple of gals wanted to be a part also. The group decided it could not discriminate, so they included their lady gents into the group. What the group hopes to achieve is to give students the tools they need when they leave the school and go home to their families and careers to live by example showing their children and others in their communities how to be gentle men and gentlemen. “If we can teach them how to be men, and how to be gentlemen, chivalry is not dead. We want them to go out there and show respect,” said Brackenridge. Part of the program is community involvement. The Gents have done service work in the community helping out at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois and the Salvation Army. They are continually looking for other opportunities to be involved. Brackenridge explained the progression within the group. On hand that day at ‘Gents in a tent’ there were men from class one through class six. The men begin the class as students, and then move into mentoring positions so as to work with new members. Isaiah Clay spoke about his decision to become a part of the Gents. Clay joined his freshman year. As a new student he wasn’t sure what all there was to do around the college and what to become involved with. He was told about the Gents and the goal of the group. He said it interested him because he wanted to do something that would make his mother and dad proud of him, and also set a good example for the other young men in his hometown neighborhood. He noted, “I wanted to be a better man, and I am a better man than I was before.” Brackenridge noted that the group chose to do a fundraiser and love baskets for warriors CONTINUE