Still sore from back pain that landed her in the hospital, King sat on the steps of a modest two-story home on the 4700 block of West Race Avenue, smiling, eating ketchup-covered fries and quizzing some kids.

“The doctors found some nodules in my back. They’re not cancerous or anything. I’ll be all right,” said King, tape still on her right hand where her IV had been.

And with that, King led five kids up the stairs and into the work area for Young Creative Minds, a three-year-old program she started to keep children from the negative influences in the Austin area.

“My main focus/vision when I started YCM was to inspire and help these kids go to college. I wanted to change their mindset and create a dream for them, a goal,” said King. “I accomplished this by setting up a tutoring program to help kids improve their grades and raise their test scores, training the kids in skills they can use to help the community like landscaping, going to free or discounted events like concerts downtown, exposing the kids to activities that highlight their heritage and, most important, teaching them about their rights which they in turn share with their parents.”

King devotes much of her life to the teenagers who come to YCM seeking solace from difficult circumstances. “We started going to church, helping people in the community, cleaning vacant lots, cleaning elderly peoples’ yards,” said King. “Then one day, the Westside Health Authority noticed us on one of our cleaning trips and offered to help us out. That is how I got my first grant.”

“Danette started coming to the meetings set up by Every Block A Village and has been a subcontractor under the Austin Safety Net Works grant,” said Natasha Sewell, youth employment coordinator at the Westside Health Authority.

King came to Austin as a teenager in the late 1980s seeking refuge from abusive situations in group homes. She credits her godmother for being a constant source of support. And through overcoming her adversities, she remains optimistic in her ability to help others in her area.

“The kids, ages 5 to 10, are part of the tiny tots group. They are the newest batch of Young Creative Minds,” said King, 35, a pre-law student at Harold Washington College. “I started mentoring teenagers (ages 13 to 18) when I started this group three years ago. But I found that a lot of people did not have a place to send their younger kids for tutoring/mentoring after school, so I started taking in the young ones in the neighborhood.”

Kyeshia Louis, 19, a medical assistant student at Coyne College, started coming to YCM for counseling three years ago.

“Danette made me feel like I could open up to her. She did not judge me,” Louis said. “Danette helped me get back on my feet. She really helps discouraged children by building them up and focusing on their strengths. And she teaches us to do the same for others. Nobody leaves anybody behind here.”

Westside Health Authority collaborates with Danette on the Austin Safety Net Works Youth Employment Program, Sewell said, where kids learn responsibility as well as business skills.

“Every summer, we send Danette eight to 10 youth that are hired as part of a youth beautification project,” she said. “It is important for them to know it is a real job and that they will get paid for the job they do. Danette makes them understand that.”

“Our motto at Young Creative Minds is S.M.I.L.E. I teach the kids that before you can smile, you must have Self-respect, Motivation, Integrity, Leadership and Education,” said King. “Seeing the kids smile every day is what makes me happy. I want them to grow up knowing they can turn their dreams into reality.”

Austin, the largest of Chicago’s 77 communities with a population of roughly 117,527, is part of Chicago’s West Side, which also consists of West Garfield Park, East Garfield Park, North Lawndale and Near West Side. U.S. Census Bureau statistics show the area to be predominantly African-American.

Ralph Johnson, a Social Service Agency Senior Employment Program volunteer, said the Austin community has slowly been in decline since he moved there 30 years ago. “Austin’s pretty much the same. The crime elements have become a little more brazen as of late. The economic conditions have contributed to their boldness,” said Johnson.

A lack of education coupled with a weak job market have contributed to the increasing number of gang members in the community. “Violence spreads across all ages,” said Terrayne Ellis, a program coordinator at the Austin YMCA. “It starts out as bullying in elementary school. Kids get into fights to established position. These kids grow up to be teenagers and, true enough, through peer pressure, become involved in gang-related activities.”

Pastor Anthony Hall, who has worked with reforming gang members and has mediated gang-related disputes as part of the New Birth Christian Center for the last six years, believes depressed communities like Austin continue to be challenged because residents live with challenging situations all their lives.

“When all you’re exposed to are beauty shops, fast food restaurants and auto shops, that is all you aspire for. The lack of motivation, the lack of drive, is what leads to people taking things that are not theirs. This type of criminal behavior will continue to become a recurrent fact unless there is major community involvement,” said Hall. “We must teach kids to aspire for more.”

Danette King started Young Creative Minds, an Austin-based nonprofit organization that provides mentorship programs to at-risk youth, in 2007. Through her work, King has given troubled teenagers an environment where they can learn the value of self-respect, motivation, integrity, leadership and education. “Kids are able to express themselves here, and with that release comes a decrease in violent behavior,” said King. “These kids need to know someone is listening, someone cares for them.”

Caroline Edwards, a long-time Austin resident, agreed that change in the community would be a result of a collaborative effort between the local police and community workers to find productive ways with which to occupy the youth of Austin. “Job shadowing with police officers will give young adults a first-hand account of the demands and responsibilities of the job. The experience leaves them with greater respect for the hard work these police officers put into their work everyday,” said Edwards.

Despite constant policing efforts via blue-light surveillance cameras and strict curfew laws (persons 17 and under must be in their homes by 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday) in the neighborhood, many Austin residents still feel police presence is not enough to curb the increasing incidents of violence in the community.

In April, State Rep. La Shawn Ford (8th) encouraged Gov. Pat Quinn to work with Mayor Richard M. Daley in bringing the Illinois National Guard to at-risk neighborhoods in the South and West Sides of Chicago. Many residents opposed the controversial move.

“There is no need for the National Guard. We are not a war zone,” said Ald. Ed H. Smith, of Chicago’s 28th Ward. “Bringing in an outside resource implies the police is not effective. It is a poor reflection of city and local government. It suggests we are not doing the job we are paid to do.”

For Ellis, the Austin YMCA program coordinator, getting violence under control is an effort that requires the work of the whole community.

“The police can’t solve these problems on their own. Parents need to take responsibility in rearing their children,” Ellis said. “It takes a village to raise these kids.”

FOTP photo of the playground

The construction of a new playground in Grand Crossing Park on Chicago’s South Side is the site of the first community building project in a decade, and no one could be happier about it than Friends of the Parks’ Director of neighborhood parks and community relations Maria Stone.

“This project took about a year to put together,” said Stone, a 34-year-old Pennsylvania native. “Friends of the Parks worked with Kohl’s department stores and Children’s Memorial Hospital along with local legislators to secure $250,000 to build this park. We also coordinated with the Grand Crossing Park Advisory Council to get community volunteers to help construct the new playground.”

CeCe Edwards, Grand Crossing Park Advisory Council president, said Stone’s office worked with them and the Chicago Park District to make this project a reality.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C8hM_ZLdgk[/youtube]

“We need programs, we need mentors and volunteers; we need a lot of things the community people are not up on yet because the park was off the radar screen and now we got it back thanks to Friends of the Park,” said Edwards.

“One of the things my office does is help communities establish park advisory councils. I meet with concerned citizens in the neighborhood and help educate them on how to be an advocate for their parks,” said Stone. “Once a council is registered with the Chicago Park District and they start having board meetings, issues in the park such as broken swings, broken water fountains or vandalism are addressed and brought to Friends of the Parks’ attention. We, as the middleman, bring it to the Park District’s attention and make sure they do something about it.”

Stone, an impressive and energetic lady who holds a master’s degree in public administration from DePaul University, didn’t know a lot about Chicago’s rich park history before joining Friends of the Park.

“When I interned for the Chicago Park District’s Forests Initiative Program, there was a program where we served as a watchdog for the Cook County Forest Preserve,” said Stone. “We saved parcels of land from being taken and influenced the purchase of land so the Forest Preserve could increase the acreage of land they had.”

Taking on the responsibility of helping others make a difference in their communities has been a passion of Stone’s all her life.

“When I was younger, my mother would encourage my sister and me to volunteer on Thanksgiving, feed the homeless in Philadelphia. Those experiences helped guide us into realizing there’s a bigger world out there and we need to do something to help,” said Stone. “I am Ukrainian and growing up I was a member of a Ukrainian youth group where we were always doing things to help others, like doing clean ups in the park or raising money for Ukrainian projects. When I graduated and thought about a career path, I decided I wanted to do something where I could help people.”

“This job is a natural progression of how she lives her life,” said Kandy Christensen, Stone’s close friend and fellow Zumba, flamenco and ballet enthusiast. “Maria has a passion for leaving a positive footprint in the world. She’s always working on gardens, supporting local organic industries. She cares a lot about others and always tries to think of ways to incorporate fun stuff, such as kickball and sports programs, into the parks.”

“My job at Friends of the Park is so interesting. Everyday there’s something new,” said Stone. “Yesterday, I met with parks people from Milwaukee and learning about their Friends of the Park organization. Next week, I have a community meeting with Dvorak Park residents (a neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side) to help them start a park advisory council. It feels good to end my day knowing I did something to help somebody and make the parks better at the same time.”

Residents and community volunteers at Grand Crossing Park playground rehabilitation project appreciate the work Stone does on behalf of Friends of the Parks.

“A lot of community volunteers helped with the mulching and installation of new slides and swings. They’re excited to receive something so great with the help of Friends of the Parks,” said Datia Williams, a volunteer who grew up in the area. “Having something new in the community shows there is someone who cares about you. I think the good work being done here today will help the people in the community going forward.”

The biggest fans and advocates of community building projects like this are the children in the neighborhood who play in the parks.

“I used to hate it when other people say ‘You have a messed up, jacked up park. Your park is horrible.’ But now, we can finally say our park looks better than yours and we did it ourselves,” said Aaron Reese, 14, Henry Tanner Elementary School student and park patron.

And Stone likes the sound of that.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C8hM_ZLdgk[/youtube]

The new program, spearheaded by Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Schools, will provide mentoring programs for 1,500 high school students and 390 “school community watchers” at 13 designated high schools, and support the creation of a “Culture of Calm” in 38 high schools where students are most at risk of violence, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

“This is an effective use of the $25 million in stimulus money,” said David Simpson, director of counseling at Youth Guidance, one of the approved vendors to implement the mentoring program.“Funding a program which can help build relationships with difficult children is the only way of stopping them from dropping out of school.”

Simpson said this initiative is the first step taken by Youth Guidance and CPS towards implementing mentorship programs. His organization, which has been working with CPS since 1969, is a non-profit group geared towards assisting children overcome challenges associated with inner-city life through after-school programs.

In February 2010, CPS hosted a bidder’s conference where RFPs (request for proposal) for counseling programs were accepted from non-profit, church and private organizations and foundations. The CBOE and a Blue Ribbon Panel Committee chose 20 of those bidders to fulfill mentorship duties in 13 high schools designated as “high-risk” by the Chicago Police Department. CPS will now assign 50 to 100 students to each organization for counseling and guidance, bringing the mentor/student ratio to 1:20 for bigger organizations and 1:5 for small ones.

Wendell Floyd, a counselor for boys at William R. Harper High School in Englewood, said more mentors in the program will translate to a more hands-on approach to counseling and, in the long run, help build deeper personal relationships between mentors and mentees. Before the program was implemented, Floyd’s mentor/student ratio was 1:45.

“I was stretched pretty thin,” said Floyd.

“I’m happy to partner with CPS to bring consistency to students’ lives,” said Trisha Kholodenko, assistant pastor at New Life Foundation in Humboldt Park. “These children (at-risk youth) lack stability in their home and school and need role models besides their teachers. It is important for them to have mentors who treat them holistically by helping them find permanent housing, inspiring them to stay in school and assisting them with employment. They need to know their mentors want them to succeed.”

“CPS wants its mentors to be a permanent fixture in students’ lives. This has to be a long-term commitment in order for it to work,” said Joshua Gray, deputy of violence prevention initiatives for CPS. “Since the federal stimulus money will run out at the end of September 2011, we are looking for other mechanisms, like the foundation community of Chicago, to tap for funds to support the growth and development of this mentorship initiative.”

The 13 high schools designated as “high-risk” based on crime data, active gang conflicts and violent incidents involving CPS students are: Thomas Kelly High School, Chicago Vocational Career Academy, Manley and Marshall High School, Robeson Achievement Academy High School, Richard T. Crane Technical Preparatory High School, Harlan Community Academy High School, Farragut Career Academy, South Shore High School, Percy L. Julian High School, William R. Harper High School, Roberto Clemente School and Hyde Park Career Academy. These schools are concentrated in the South, West and Southwest Side communities of Chicago.

Student-led mentorship programs are also on the rise. Voices of Youth in Chicago Education is a collaborative of seven different neighborhood organizations whose work focuses on using upperclassmen to mentor freshmen and incoming freshmen in at-risk high school communities.

“Freshman year is the most crucial time in high school. Achievement and attendance improved after freshmen went on freshmen retreats and attended mentorship programs that addressed their social and emotional needs,” said Moneer Damra, a VOYCE mentor for boys and a senior at Theodore Roosevelt High School in the Northwest Side of Chicago. “Because of VOYCE programs, attendance went from 55 percent to 65 percent in a year.”

Damra, who spoke on behalf of VOYCE at the CBOE meeting last week, has been working to convince CPS to fund its mentorship programs. VOYCE has invited top CPS officials to attend presentations of results-driven programs it has implemented in several at-risk high schools. Damra said they have been stood up or turned down by CPS officials on several occasions.

“I feel like CPS does not believe in youth-led movements like ours. They would rather spend money on programs that don’t work,” said Damra. “Our program results show that it works. The $130,000 in funding we are requesting will go towards programs that will break the culture of mediocrity among the youth of today. It will show them that good enough is not ok. You need to do better in order to succeed.”