North Las Vegas male role models work with nonprofit to aid kids in need

Some men don't deserve just a regular necktie this Father's Day because some men aren't just regular fathers. Meet two North Las Vegas dads who fit the description.

uncle al

Albert White chuckles to himself when asked how many children he has.

Three biological, he'll answer, and 150-plus "adopted."

The 43-year-old North Las Vegas resident answers to Dad or "Uncle Al" to several godchildren, mentees and participants of the after-school program he founded.

White has filled a father role his entire life.

"I say I never had a childhood because I didn't," he said.

The eldest child of a single mother, White was the man of the house until age 15. He fathered his eldest son, Al-Maurice, and "immediately grew up," he said.

"I wasn't as afraid of the baby as I was (afraid of) disappointing my mom," he said. "But she supported me."

Teen fatherhood spurred White to join the Air Force and move from his native New Jersey to Las Vegas. White - dad of Al-Maurice, now 27, Sheraud, 21, and Chandra, 20, and grandfather of three - stayed in town, put down roots and married wife Brenda. Today he is a real estate agent, founder of The Symbolic Art Center and office administrator for Promoting Healthy Adolescence through School, Education and Services, or PHASES. He mentors area youths with his after-school resource program, which is to merge with PHASES this summer.

Dreana Sweeney met White when the pair were working for a mental health organization. She sought him out when she founded PHASES last year.

"I said, 'I know you're a good person; I need you on my team,' " she said. "He's been my right-hand man."

He also stepped in as family man to Sweeney's sons, ages 4, 5 and 6. White home-schools the boys and serves as a father figure for the brood.

"He is the epitome of patience," Sweeney said. "He's Uncle Al and 100 percent dedicated to improving their lives."

White said he tries to exemplify the type of person he wished he had growing up.

"The one thing I always wanted was a mentor, a father figure or someone to tell me how life works," he said. "I love all my kids the same. They mean the world to me."

The virtues he tries to impart include integrity, trust, compassion and honesty. He tries to listen and give his undivided attention whenever possible, he said.

White's ideal Father's Day gift isn't a material object.

"The best gift someone can give me is to realize their full potential," he said. "Do you know the movie 'Mr. Holland's Opus'? I fashion my life after (that movie). It's a symphony of everyone you meet along the way."

A cut above

As a barber, Anthony Staten has heard his share of problems.

As a father and mentor, he has worked to solve a kid's share of problems.

The 32-year-old Las Vegas native and owner of 1st Impressions Barbershop, 2755 W. Cheyenne Ave., Suite 106, lives and preaches a life of accountability.

"I wanted to be independent and self-employed," he said. "I like to have no one to blame but myself."

Staten is father of sons Anthony Jr., 10, Donovan, 7, and stepson Mychal Johnson, 4, who are regulars in his barbershop.

"Oftentimes I'm helping with homework behind the chair," Staten said.

Quality time with his three sons ranges from tossing a ball in the yard to playing video games and talking, he said. The trio have plans for Sunday's holiday, Staten said.

"They say they have a surprise," he said.

He also coaches youth basketball.

His shop is also a classroom to the young people he mentors and leads as a case worker for PHASES. Staten and Sweeney are longtime friends, and when she divorced her husband, Staten stepped in.

"He saw I was raising my kids along, and he said, 'I want you to know they always have a father,' " she said. "Even if you don't need him, he's there."

Sweeney has imparted wisdom from her years in social services, he said.

"She inspired me to do what I'm doing," Staten said. "Her energy is my energy. I tell her, 'You charge my battery.' "

The pair's businesses neighbor and often overlap.

"He cuts the kids' in the program hair and teaches them a trade and how to develop a good work ethic," she said. "He was interested in getting involved with PHASES and has a case load of three."

Staten is studying to become a probation officer. He hopes to perform dual roles as officer and businessman and possibly give mentees employment in his shop, he said.

Staten said he lacked a strong male influence until he was 18 and developed a relationship with his grandfather.

"I know what it's like to come up without," he said. "I saw my friends do things that I knew weren't right. I wanted to break what I call the generational curse and not settle."

Staten prides himself on being a driven role model, he said. Small moments remind him his methods are working, he said.

"It can be something as simple as being a man of my word," he said. "If I say I'm going to pick them up and go out - I follow through."

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.