What Do They DO "Mentors of Bethany in America"

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Dr. Gary Carlson is a successful professional educator who has been engaged in serving youth, higher education and people who have been disengaged with society because of their depression, low self-esteem, addiction, absentee fathers, domestic challenges, and family unity problems. He has devoted his life and career to these people starting in 1967. Through those years he has first hand experience of what is needed and what works. Mentors of Bethany In America is a consortium of men and women who have dedicated and committed themselves to implementing strategy which has been successful in the programs they serve. After five years of the nonprofit he originated and now is implemented for five years the outcomes tell the story. He clarifies what we have done in the past doesn't work but through relationships and mentors a program has evolved into a cornerstone of hope.

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Mentors of Bethany in America
“What do they do?”


Nonprofits in America are approved upon the value judgement of what they can do for the good of a person, place, or thing. Mentors of Bethany in America (MOBIA) approaches the definition being primarily focused on people. From the outset of their approval as a nonprofit, they accepted the challenge of improving and developing past approaches work better. Programs were not to be developed to maintain day to day survival of people in dysfunction but to improve their lives to the extent they could survive on their own volition. MOBIA is a mission of not only filling the gaps in life that have not been learned but presents an alternative to incarceration, homelessness, delinquency, absent parents, dropping out of school, addiction, and domestic dysfunction. During the past five years MOBIA has sought out providers who have been serving these categories of people but have not seen a decrease in need but an acceleration. MOBIA approached service with no exceptions to race, gender, or religion. The first step to offering programs were to be in the Omaha metropolitan area. All programs were created to be stand alone or with partnerships with existing providers. There needed to be an outline that MOBIA services could serve all the categories mentioned previously. Programs needed to have specific curriculum and coaching methodology to address the needs of the member participants. A necessary reality was to be assured there was a need for such programs.

​Bases of Need
Incarceration in Omaha and Nebraska
By Sam Petto: Communications Director ACLU
The average cost to have someone under supervision for a year if they’re participating in a mental health court program is $3,000 a year,” he said. “By contrast, it costs taxpayers about $40,000 a year to house someone in prison.”
 
The last 20 years, despite constant construction, Nebraska’s prison overcrowding system has continued as we have given the Nebraska prison system about a 7% budget increase every single year,” Petto said, “That’s a lot higher than say we’re spending on education or other priorities.”
 
Homeless
 
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Recent one-night estimates of the number of homeless adults, youth, and children in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area range between 1,750 and 1,900. According to the most recent survey of providers conducted by Wilder in June 2007, single men make up about one-half (48%) of the area’s homeless population. Parents who are homeless with their children (mainly single mothers) together make up another 37 percent of the population. The remaining groups include women on their own (11%) and unaccompanied youth (4%).
 
As of January 2020, Nebraska had an estimated 2,404 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
 
Youth Education and Delinquency
 
At-risk youth programs are treatment centers that help teens who struggle with behavioral and emotional issues. These mental health challenges may include depression, anxiety, trauma, substance use, technology addiction, and defiance.
 
The Omaha Street School is an alternative high school for students who have not found success in a traditional school setting
 
There is a generation of at-risk teenagers who deserve the chance to break the cycle of trauma and generational poverty to become productive, responsible adults. Everything Omaha Street School does revolves around the student and challenges the status quo. We believe in thinking differently about these future adults.
 
Even though these high school student have not been successful in traditional education settings and are often rejected by their own families, Omaha Street School envelops students in tabula rasa – giving them a fresh start and a clean slate.
 
OPS’s graduation rate declined more than 3 percentage points, dropping from 76.7% to 73.5%. (2020 to 2021) When the rest of the state increased.
 
These outcomes and reports are the motivators for MOBIA to improve upon these outcomes with programs which enhance the existing approaches with the add-ons MOBIA brings in support. 
 
Knowing now why MOBIA engages into why they do what they do the question is now again what they do?
 
As early as 1967, in our experience of how communities’ approach all the ills of a society not much have changed that would decrease these issues. Quite honestly as you can see the growth pattern with lack of success has grown and not decreased. How many years does it take to realize it is not working. 
 
By evaluating the family unit and the measures of why people are successful we can have a better attack on the gaps that has produced the dysfunctions in people and their families. 
 
MOBIA doesn’t rely on specialist, therapist, psychiatrist, or other professionals to deliver the curriculum that is offered the participants in the program. As these professionals may be needed MOBIA rests its approach upon relationships, experience, consistency, follow-up, specific curriculum, coaching methods with tools of media, workbooks, teaching techniques for the 21st century, and dedicated, committed mentors who become established servant leaders to the participants they serve. Mentors have reasonable numbers to work with for mentorship. 
 
Testimonies of the people who have been involved in the program are positive and encouraging by both mentors and mentees. The services provided have seen growth in the numbers being served. There has been an ongoing recruitment of volunteer mentors for training. Our service today are in partnerships.
 
 
MOBIA Sites of Service
 
Garland Thompson Center
Lydia House
Omaha Street School
Locker Room Program/Sandler Training Center
180 House/ Love Church
Men’s 33 Series Waterloo, Christian Church
Online Services through Zoom
 
Each site has their own mentors and unique curriculum. The value of small group and relationships is the same in all settings. The existence of the programs rely on hope, love, accountability, responsibility, trust, courage, leadership, and faith.
 
It is now five years for MOBIA to be in operation. Now after many participants and success stories we are assured what we do is working. The only challenge is that the need has become greater than our resources. For MOBIA men and women to continue to meet the calling of their servant leadership we will need the community and individuals to support this approach so it can be duplicated in other places in the community and outside the community. If we believe in our hearts, we as citizens want to curb depression, addiction, domestic violence, abuse, crime, poverty, hatred, and prejudice, MOBIA is the solution. Each group that comes and goes through the program leave as brothers and sisters to support and help each other. 
 
Your support as a volunteer or financial support is needed. Crunch time is upon us. The issue isn’t that we are looking for a solution but now is the time we must endow the practices that work. We encourage you to join the MOBIA people who have contributed to its growth over the past five years.
 
Our solution is not in the past but in the future. Today is the difference in a lifetime. 
 
Executive Director 
 
Gary R. Carlson