As Christmas approaches on my Walk Across America, my thoughts turn to the children of my South Side Chicago neighborhood. These precious boys and girls, many of them from broken single-parent homes, hang their stockings and dream of gifts and joy.
We have no choice when it comes to the world that we are born into. But we do have the power of choice as we grow into this life. Some have it harder and these kids do, having been born into a world of limited opportunity and government dependency.
I can tell you that deep down what they really want this Christmas is not the latest trending toy, but real opportunity, genuine safety, quality education and unbreakable hope.
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I’ve seen their faces up close for years. I remember Devin Howard, a young man who came to Project H.O.O.D. trapped in poverty and violence, feeling like the streets were his only option. Through our vocational programs, he learned the construction trade, gained confidence and now leads a life of dignity and purpose in the construction industry. Or the countless boys I’ve mentored who light up when someone believes in them. One boy recently told me, “Pastor, I want to be like you — strong and helping others.”
These aren’t isolated stories; they’re the everyday miracles happening at Project H.O.O.D. right now. Our construction training program boasts a 94% graduation rate, with hundreds placed in good-paying jobs. We’ve launched dozens of businesses, fed thousands of families and interrupted cycles of violence through peacemaking and trauma healing. But imagine the explosion of hope when our doors fully open.
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That is why I have been walking across America since September, stepping out from Times Square on a 3,000-mile journey — millions of steps — to raise the final $25 million needed to complete our Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center through Project H.O.O.D. This isn’t a political stunt. This is my stand for merit, hard work, faith, family and the American Dream. This is my stand against 60 years of post-1960s liberalism that has devastated our community.
Construction on the 90,000-square-foot Robert R. McCormick Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center has been steady, with a solid foundation, solid steel beams rising skyward and concrete pouring for upper floors. This magnificent facility will feature vocational trades, entrepreneurship hubs, trauma counseling, a theater, basketball courts, even a swimming pool—and at its heart, a private Christian school for boys from single-parent homes, teaching excellence, responsibility and God’s unbreakable promises.
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Thanks to our violence prevention work, our neighborhood has seen an encouraging drop in violence this year. Yet the deep scars remain. Too many young Black men lost. Too many families shattered, too many children growing up in poverty without positive role models.
Worse, some leadership in our city actively hinders the kind of opportunity we’re fighting for. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s progressive policies, his downplaying of crime, prioritizing migrant spending over neighborhood needs, attacking school choice and lowering academic standards in public schools, hurt the very Black communities he claims to champion. These approaches trap generations in government reliance, stifling the faith-driven empowerment that truly transforms lives.
True empowerment comes from faith-based initiatives like Project H.O.O.D., not endless handouts or divisive racial politics that pit people against one other.
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This Christmas, the greatest gift isn’t trending presents or more programs that breed entitlement. It’s finishing this center debt-free. It’s opportunity earned through hard work, safety built on healing and prevention, education rooted in biblical truth and excellence, and hope that declares every child is destined for greatness.
I’ve walked hundreds of miles — through rain-soaked highways, under a blistering sun — to prove that private faith, generosity and grit can resurrect forgotten neighborhoods. Just as the Babe in Bethlehem brought eternal light to a weary world, we can bring that light to Chicago’s precious children.
They deserve miracles made real. Together, let’s declare: These kids will rise. They will thrive. They will lead.
Merry Christmas, Chicago. With God, miracles aren’t just possible — they’re promised.
