The Selma chapter of 100 Black Men of America’s dream of launching an ACT Prep Academy to assist students across Selma and Dallas County is becoming a reality on the back of a $6,000 State Executive Commission on Community Services grant recently awarded to the group.

“This funding is huge,” said Billy Young, president of the local chapter. “This is the single largest donation we’ve had thus far for this program.”

Young noted that the grant would not have been possible without the help of Alabama Rep. Prince Chestnut, D-Selma, a founding member of the local chapter, who led the effort to secure the funding for the organization.

“Representative Chestnut saw the need, he was aware of the need and he responded to the need,” Young said. “Then, he went into action to resolve the need. It’s wonderful to see politicians not just talking, but putting action to their words.”

For his part, Chestnut, who served on the House Ways and Means Education Committee during this year’s legislative session, said that he began looking into the availability of grants for education-oriented projects and organizations and the began investigating what organizations were doing “positive things in the community” and had “accountable people in charge.”

“Knowing Mr. Young’s penchant for being an accountable and reliable constituent in this community, it was a no-brainer,” Chestnut said.

The Selma chapter of 100 Black Men of America began considering the ACT class when it began meeting parents of young people who succeeded in the classroom but were struggling with their standardized tests, which are often necessary for college admission and scholarships.

With that in mind, Young said the group decided to establish a preparation program, which will launch in January, so that local students have a chance at earning high scores on their ACTs and, as a result, an increased possibility of earning scholarships and cut down on their student debt load.

“The ACT is very important for college admission,” Young said. “Getting a good ACT score can actually help a student not incur debt. Finances are a big concern for parents of college-age students and our organization has a responsibility to meet that need.”

While many of the details are still being worked out, Warren noted that the ACT class will be hosted on Saturdays and will be offered to students in both the Selma and Dallas County school systems.

“This will be offered to students in both the count and the city school system, which is big because it means that nobody is being left out,” Young said. “We are here to serve the people of Selma and Dallas County.”