Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Georgia has partnered with popular nationally syndicated urban radio personality Michael Baisden for his One Million Mentors Campaign and Save Our Kids tour.

Baisden’s seven-month, 72-city national bus tour stops this week in Valdosta after beginning in Dallas where Baisden’s show is headquartered.

Valdosta’s stop will be 7 p.m. Friday, New Life Ministries, 5651 Inner Perimeter Road. The public is welcome. “The Michael Baisden Show is the top-ranked urban afternoon program in the country. Every weekday, Baisden ignites lively, passionate discussions while combining the best in music, comedy and social commentary to inspire real change across America,” according to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

In 2007, he spearheaded the widely reported Jena 6 civil rights demonstration where tens of thousands of Americans peacefully marched in Louisiana to protest the justice system’s treatment of six young African-American men.

“We applaud Michael Baisden’s fearless focus on encouraging community activism and believe his outspoken advocacy and support of mentoring will make a real difference in the communities we serve,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President & CEO Karen Mathis. “We have independent evidence and know first-hand how long-term volunteer mentoring makes communities stronger and safer, empowering children and families to beat the odds. We will join the Baisden Foundation’s One Million Mentors tour, providing information about how Big Brothers Big Sisters’ time-tested careful mentor matching and ongoing support benefit children, their families and volunteers.”

During the tour, the Michael Baisden Foundation will team with local radio affiliates, Big Brothers Big Sisters, 100 Black Men of America, National Cares Mentoring Movement, the United Way, local faith-based organizations and other community-mentoring organizations to educate communities about mentoring and raise funds to support local organizations.

The One Million Mentors tour comes on the heels of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ national summit with black fraternity leaders from Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi and Omega Psi Phi, who have teamed with the nation’s largest donor-supported network of volunteer mentors in an unprecedented collaboration. Representatives from the fraternities will join local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies at the One Million Mentors tour rallies. With African American boys disproportionately representing the children waiting to be matched with “Bigs,” the fraternities have committed to help recruit Big Brothers and raise funds so that agencies can meet the demand with sufficient match support.

APA Alumni President Sirocus Barnes, a Big Brother, will be present at the tour stop with his Little Brother. He will speak on his own experiences as a mentor.