Ask anyone and they’ll say the word that best describes Stephan “Coach” Hicks is “passion, viagra buy ” especially when it comes to men’s ministry.

Nearly every evening of the week, discount after he’s put in an eight-hour day as a Human Research administrator at VCU, sales you can find him at his other job – mentoring men. It is a labor of love for him and the mission of his organization, My Brother’s Keeper of Greater Richmond, which Hicks started five years ago when he began his own journey to become a better man.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Embassy Suites, 2925 Emerywood Parkway, My Brother’s Keeper of Greater Richmond (also referred to as MBK) will hold The Manny Awards Dinner to recognize men throughout the Richmond region. These are men who’ve journeyed along their own paths to become better husbands, fathers, community leaders, and just better men in general.  MBK wants the public to know that there are men who are working to improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the community. The awards program will also be honoring several outstanding youngsters.

Tickets, sponsorships, and ad space are still available, Hicks said.

“These are men of all ages who are making a difference in ways both great and small,” Hicks said. “They are role models; a number of them are mentors. Some of them have gone through tremendous struggles and are now helping others to avoid pitfalls. Our honorees range from youngsters still in elementary and high school; to men who are business owners; to men who’ve been incarcerated; to men who have masters’ degrees.”

Hicks’ journey began in 2009, when he started holding a men’s ministry group in a spare bedroom in his home. It was sometimes a tight fit, but talk to any of the men who were part of that group and they say  it helped them become better men.

One member of that original men’s group is Manny Awards honoree, K. Antione Bailey, a husband and father of nine, and, initially a reluctant attendee.  “I got kids, I pay my own bills. I don’t need nobody to teach me how to be a man,” Antoine recalled in MBK’s monthly newsletter, The Manhood Chronicles. “I kept coming, I got into it,” he said. “Just like any other person, sometimes you have the wrong perspective of what a man is.”

Much has happened since those early days of meeting in the spare bedroom.  MBK is an official non-profit with an office in the Outreach Involvement Center, 1618 Hull Street in Richmond. It recently became a member of the Central Virginia African American Chamber of Commerce.  Earlier this year, the organization was a finalist in the Rich Tech Awards for its use of technology.  MBK began “The Manhood Chronicles,” an electronic newsletter that each month highlights a different man.

For more information about My Brother’s Keeper of Greater Richmond, please visit www.mbkgrva.org. For more information about the Manny Awards, please visit www.themannyawards.com or call Stephan Hicks at 804-502-3239

Tickets for the Manny Awards, which will be held Saturday, November 8, 6 p.m. at the Embassy Suites, 2925 Emerywood Parkway, Richmond, can be purchased via www.eventbrite.com