Raleigh teen on 'Montel'

The News and Observer

By Danny Hooley, Staff Writer

A Raleigh teen who benefited from the teachings of a nonprofit training program for disadvantaged youths is scheduled to appear on an upcoming episode of "Montel," to discuss his life since he graduated from Millionaires in Training.

Green Hope High School junior Mario Butler, 17, who lives in Raleigh's Heritage Park neighborhood, will fly to New York with his mother Thursday for a Friday taping of the syndicated show hosted by Montel Williams. The show airs in the Triangle at 2 p.m. weekdays on WNCN NBC-17.

Mario's appearance stems from a Dec. 19 appearance on the "Montel" show by the program's founder, Valerie K. Fields, who accepted a $250,000 pledge for MiT from 25-year-old Raleigh entrepreneur Ephren Taylor, CEO of City Capital Corp.

When Williams decided to do a follow-up impact segment about MiT, Fields thought Mario, who graduated from the program in 2005 (its first year), would present a perfect example of its success.

"He is coming from a tough neighborhood -- at times, being recruited by gangs," says Fields, who is also the CEO of public relations firm V.K Fields & Co. "He's really trying to hang on and make a good life for himself. That's what our program is about -- giving young people options."

Millionaires in Training teaches kids from about 12 to 15 years old how to start, operate and manage their own businesses.

They meet weekly for 18 to 20 weeks with a different facilitator each week to learn about a specific aspect of business.

Facilitators include corporate attorneys, marketers, research and development specialists, financial experts and accountants.

"[Students] apply that information to their in-house business model each week when a new person comes in," Fields says.

At the end of the semester, each student presents a business plan for graduation.

Mario's business plan in 2005 was to start a record company, and he made a music-demo CD as part of his presentation.

Now, he says, he's looking forward to attending college and considering other career options.

"Architect is one of them," he says, adding that engineering is another. "I got a first-place prize in 2002 at my middle school for a bridge-building competition. [My bridge] was made with Popsicle sticks."

He says he's also thinking about studying massage therapy.

His mother, Angelia Hinton, says she definitely sees the positive effects the program has had on her son.

"He has matured in so many ways," she says. "He stopped hanging around so much with all the little old crowd he was with. He was on the street fighting a lot and getting suspended a lot from school. Now he's doing very well in school and has very selective friends."

No air date for Mario's appearance on the show has been announced.

For more information about Millionaires in Training, go to www.millionairetraining.org.

The News and Observer - January 29, 2008

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/908778.html