This Christmas, hope is the miracle Chicago's poorest children need most

As Christmas approaches connected my Walk Across America, my thoughts crook to the children of my South Side Chicago neighborhood. These precious boys and girls, galore of them from breached single-parent homes, bent their stockings and imagination of gifts and joy.

We person nary prime erstwhile it comes to the satellite that we are calved into. But we bash person the powerfulness of prime arsenic we turn into this life. Some person it harder and these kids do, having been calved into a satellite of constricted accidental and authorities dependency.

I tin archer you that heavy down what they truly privation this Christmas is not the latest trending toy, but existent opportunity, genuine safety, prime education, and unbreakable hope. 

ELITES CALL THE SOUTH BACKWARD — BUT WALKING IT REVEALED AMERICA'S NEXT BOOM

I've seen their faces up adjacent for years. I retrieve Devin Howard, a young antheral who came to Project H.O.O.D. trapped successful poorness and violence, feeling similar the streets were his lone option. Through our vocational programs, helium learned the operation trade, gained confidence, and present leads a beingness of dignity and intent successful the operation industry.  Or the countless boys I've mentored who airy up erstwhile idiosyncratic believes successful them. One lad precocious told me, "Pastor, I privation to beryllium similar you—strong and helping others."

These aren't isolated stories; they're the mundane miracles happening astatine Project H.O.O.D. close now. Our operation grooming programme boasts a 94% graduation rate, with hundreds placed successful good-paying jobs. We've launched dozens of businesses, fed thousands of families, and interrupted cycles of unit done peacemaking and trauma healing. But ideate the detonation of anticipation erstwhile our doors afloat open.

MY WALK ACROSS AMERICA IS A LESSON IN GRATITUDE AND GIVING THANKS

That is wherefore I person been walking crossed America since September, stepping retired from Times Square connected a 3,000-mile travel — millions of steps — to rise the last $25 cardinal needed to implicit our Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center done Project H.O.O.D. This isn't a governmental stunt. This is my basal for merit, hard work, faith, family, and the American Dream. This is my basal against 60 years of post-1960s liberalism that has devastated our community.  

Construction connected the 90,000-square-foot Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center has been steady, with a coagulated foundation, coagulated alloy beams rising skyward and factual pouring for precocious floors. This magnificent installation volition diagnostic vocational trades, entrepreneurship hubs, trauma counseling, a theater, hoops courts, adjacent a swimming pool—and astatine its heart, a backstage Christian schoolhouse for boys from single-parent homes, teaching excellence, responsibility, and God's unbreakable promises.

CHICAGO'S KILLING FIELDS: ACTIVISTS CRY ABOUT TRUMP WHILE FAMILIES BURY KIDS

Thanks to our unit prevention work, our vicinity has seen an encouraging driblet successful unit this year. Yet the heavy scars remain. Too galore young Black men lost. Too galore families shattered, excessively galore children increasing up successful poorness without affirmative relation models.

Worse, immoderate enactment successful our metropolis actively hinders the benignant of accidental we're warring for. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's progressive policies, his downplaying of crime, prioritizing migrant spending implicit vicinity needs, attacking schoolhouse choice, and lowering world standards successful nationalist schools, wounded the precise Black communities helium claims to champion. These approaches trap generations successful authorities reliance, stifling the faith-driven empowerment that genuinely transforms lives.

True empowerment comes from faith-based initiatives similar Project H.O.O.D., not endless handouts oregon divisive radical authorities that pit radical against 1 other.

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This Christmas, the top acquisition isn't trending presents oregon much programs that breed entitlement. It's finishing this halfway debt-free. It’s accidental earned done hard work, information built connected healing and prevention, acquisition rooted successful biblical information and excellence, and anticipation that declares each kid is destined for greatness.

I've walked hundreds of miles—through rain-soaked highways, nether a blistering sun—to beryllium that backstage faith, generosity, and grit tin resurrect forgotten neighborhoods. Just arsenic the Babe successful Bethlehem brought eternal airy to a weary world, we tin bring that airy to Chicago's precious children.

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They merit miracles made real. Together, let's declare: These kids volition rise. They volition thrive. They volition lead.

Merry Christmas, Chicago. With God, miracles aren't conscionable imaginable — they’re promised.

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