SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Charlton Jefferson believes the youth are a community\u2019s greatest asset, and he\u2019s putting that philosophy into practice through Entire Mentoring, a program designed to fill a critical gap in households headed by single mothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhatever little things I can teach and give to the next generation, I\u2019m going to do that,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cAnd even if it\u2019s just me telling them what not to do, to avoid the mistakes I made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Addressing a Growing Need<\/p>\n
The statistics underscore the program\u2019s importance. According to data Jefferson cited, 61% of U.S. homes are headed by single parents, with women leading 80% of those households.<\/p>\n
While single mothers are \u201camazing, strong and smart,\u201d Jefferson said there are certain lessons and guidance traditionally provided by male figures that can benefit young men. \u201cA woman can raise a man with help,\u201d he said. \u201cWe all need help. Nobody can do it by themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Drawing on Personal Experience<\/p>\n
Jefferson\u2019s commitment to supporting single mothers stems partly from his own childhood. His parents divorced when he was five years old, and his mother raised him with assistance from community members who stepped in to help.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother had a lot of help from the community,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cNow is the time that we return that favor.\u201d<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that the support systems available decades ago may no longer be effective in today\u2019s world. \u201cWhat she did back in the days, it\u2019s not gonna work now,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cToday it\u2019s a whole new world. So we have to make sure that we are there for these mothers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The presence of positive male mentors \u2014 whether uncles, cousins, or respected community members \u2014 can make a measurable difference in children\u2019s lives, Jefferson emphasized. Part of Entire Mentoring\u2019s mission is adapting to modern challenges while ensuring these critical relationships are fostered.<\/p>\n
Queens Raising Kings Conference<\/p>\n
Jefferson said he is bringing his mission to life through Queens Raising Kings, a conference now in its second year that offers mothers real-world advice and perspective from successful men across all walks of life.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a group of people telling you how to raise your son,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cIt\u2019s a group of people offering advice on what their mothers did to help them become successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The upcoming conference is set to feature the mayor of Savannah, the Chatham County Sheriff, and other community leaders, along with a guest who was born and raised in Rwanda and is making the trip from North Carolina to share his story.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got three men there from all walks of life and others who will be joining you,\u201d Jefferson said. \u201cWho could give some different perspectives because there\u2019s always more than one way to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The conference operates without scripts or pre-planning. Attendees stand up to ask questions, and panelists offer honest answers based on their lived experiences.<\/p>\n
Lessons from Year One<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s inaugural conference revealed common concerns among single mothers. One of the most frequently asked questions was how to maintain discipline with their sons, even when emotions pull them toward leniency.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe punishment it\u2019s not just for him but it\u2019s for you too,\u201d Jefferson advised. \u201cYou have to know that I could easily get him off punishment but what is that gonna teach him? You have to be hard and say I\u2019m gonna punish you but like my mom used to say it\u2019s gonna hurt me more than it\u2019s gonna hurt you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The response was so overwhelming that Jefferson decided to expand the event. \u201cWhen I did the first one it was just me giving my account and me answering questions. But what I found is that a lot of ladies had a lot of questions,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I said I will do this again and I will get more men to help me with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
SEE: Queens Raising Kings returns with honest conversation on raising Black sons<\/a><\/p>\n Looking Forward<\/p>\n Jefferson\u2019s hope for the upcoming conference extends beyond a single event. \u201cI\u2019m hoping the attendees will have an opportunity to meet some people and connect with some people as well as some services within the community that they can rely on,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t want it to be just one event where everybody comes out we say a whole lot of stuff and then two weeks later nobody\u2019s following up. This is just another piece to what we need to do within our community for our young people.\u201d<\/p>\n For the young men who may be watching, Jefferson\u2019s message is one of hope and solidarity. \u201cI\u2019ve been there, I\u2019ve been in your shoes, it\u2019s not easy but a lot of people poured into me and made me the man that I am and I just want to return the favor,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not saying I\u2019m all that but I am a good law-abiding asset to my community and I want them to be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Event Details<\/p>\n Queens Raising Kings takes place Saturday, February 28, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Savannah History Museum on MLK Boulevard.<\/p>\n Tickets are available through Eventbrite<\/a> or at EntireisEverything.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WTOC. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Charlton Jefferson believes the youth are a community\u2019s greatest asset, and he\u2019s putting that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":144346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[51175,60573,9,24,63,122,124,123,60572],"class_list":["post-144345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-charlton-jefferson","tag-entire-mentoring","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-single-mothers-raising-sons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}