Successfully impacting the development of Black youth everywhere possible through education and other resources.
Operation ReachBack, Inc. (“ORB”) was founded in 1994 by Calvin B. Rock, Ph.D., D.Min. The primary program was a think tank to address the state of Black Seventh-day Adventists as we approached the twenty-first century. After the first think tank convention, a book was produced, “Prospectives: Black Seventh-day Adventists Face the Twenty-first Century” (1996, Calvin B. Rock, Editor).
Today, ORB is building three primary programs: a Scholarship Program, a Mentorship Program, and the Calvin B. Rock Institute
ORB is dedicated to developing Black students from early childhood through college and those learning trades by providing scholarships to help them complete their education. Supporters provide funds to ORB, which are distributed to the 52 Seventhday Adventist conferences in North America to be allocated by the conferences to their schools for student scholarships. The intended outcome of this program is to keep these students in Seventh-day Adventist schools until they graduate from college. This program will launch in the fall of 2026.
The mentorship program targets Black students in the 13 Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities in North America. Potential mentors from various disciplines are recruited by local ORB chapters throughout North America. Those individuals apply to become commissioned as an ORB mentor and undergo a background assessment and orientation to qualify to serve their assigned mentee. The intended outcome of this program is to ensure college graduates become established in their chosen careers. This program will launch in early 2027.
The Calvin B. Rock Institute produces an annual social justice Sabbath School lesson that is available worldwide. The future for the institute includes calling an annual international convention to develop and implement practical solutions to problems affecting the Black community and the Black church. The intended outcome of this program is to solve problems that hinder the spiritual, social, educational, and economic advancement of the Black community and the Black church. This program is ongoing. The next international convention will be in February 2027.
ORB has divided North America into nine districts. Within these nine districts, there are many local chapters. The primary role of the district leaders is to organize chapters within their district. The predominant focus of the chapters is to recruit supporters to fund ORB programs and recruit potential mentors to serve college students registered in the mentorship program. Districts and chapters will be expanded over time to cover the globe.
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