Program aimed at helping Benton Harbor students succeed

BENTON HARBOR, Mich – Former Michigan State Trooper and Benton Harbor High graduate Bennie Bowers teamed up with friend and former MSP Trooper Maurice Burton to create a program geared towards helping young men succeed.  

Bennie Bowers had his nephew Eric McGinnis who died under mysterious circumstances in 1991 in mind when starting his work mentoring young men.

“There were other men like myself that didn’t have a very good open and candid relationship with young people and young boys 14 and 15 years old so the program was designed around basing it off of his unfortunate death and three basic concepts my dad provided in my life and that was to be responsible, respectful and trustworthy,” Bowers said.  

The program known as Project Truth has a classroom component where the young men learn history, life skills and communication skills.

“It’s gonna show me how to get right and to go down the right path in my life and help and show how to go through college and be a good man when I grow up,” Project Truth student Shontarrius Perry said. 

Project Truth began over 20 years ago after Bowers decided to branch out after working with the Michigan State Police’s youth leadership program.

Along with the classroom lessons the program has a physical education component where the students take part in military inspired drills to learn discipline and how to interact with others including law enforcement.