Project H.O.O.D. CEO Pastor Corey Brooks wants Chicago’s youth to know the American dream is possible for them too, as the Windy City continues to battle a massive crime surge.
Fox News enterprise reporter Lawrence Jones, Project H.O.O.D. director Brian Alexander, and a graduate of the program, Devin Howard, joined the pastor on a Chicago rooftop to discuss how the organization is raising awareness on violence and striving to uplift troubled youth in the city.
“We want to make sure that individuals know that just because you grew up in the hood, the hood does not have to be in you,” Pastor Brooks said during “Fox & Friends” on Monday.
Pastor Paul Glyman with Pastor Corey Brooks on the 55th day of his 100-day rooftop vigil.
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Pastor Brooks is spending 100 nights on a rooftop in Chicago to raise awareness about the city’s violence, in hopes of raising enough money to build a community center to mentor the city’s youth.
Project H.O.O.D. provides mentorship and offers vocational training, among other services, in hopes of mitigating the Windy City’s crime surge.
“Just because you grew up in a tough environment does not mean that you cannot succeed, that you can not achieve, that if you put hard work in, if you are committed and courageous, you can achieve the American dream that everyone is out to get, and that’s so important not just to these young men, but to all the young men in our community, especially those who are committing these violent crimes,” Pastor Brooks said.
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Graduate of the program, Devin Howard, recalled the role the program had in his life when it mattered most.
“I witnessed a lot of my friends lose their life to the streets and gun violence,” said Howard. “Some lost their way just due to the fact that they were products out of the environment, and I told myself that if I can make a way, then I’m going to make a way, some way, somehow.”
Director of Project H.O.O.D., Brian Alexander, discussed how he desired to make a strong impact and yearned to place his roots in a community that needed his influence.
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“I just wasn’t really happy with what I had accomplished so far, and what’s really great about Project H.O.O.D. is it really providing me an immediate opportunity to serve directly,” Alexander said.
Pastor Brooks celebrated his birthday on the Chicago rooftop earlier this month, reaching a 50-day milestone while also raising $2 million for the community center.
“It’s important because we’re giving a gentleman who may not have opportunities, the opportunities,” Pastor Brooks stated. “It’s important because we’re stopping violence, we’re ending poverty.”
Today marks the 58th day of his 100-day rooftop vigil to reduce violence by building a transformative community center that will increase the equality of opportunity for those that live on the South Side of Chicago. For more information, please visit Project H.O.O.D.