Help for Peoria’s at-risk youth.
ELITE Founder Carl Cannon kicked off a pilot program Tuesday that addresses ongoing violence in Peoria. It’s called Getting Out/Giving Back.
The program is an outreach for boys ages 12-17 who have already chosen the wrong track.
“It’s obvious that what we’re doing today as a community is not working.”
ELITE operates under the umbrella of the Peoria Park District.
Cannon says there have been 14 unsolved homicides in Peoria since 2018, one of them a 4-year-old boy.
“There was a day when I would have said that and if the police couldn’t find the culprit, of a four-year-old boy, the street would’ve,” Cannon said.
Cannon tells WMBD’s Greg and Dan that Getting Out/Giving Back matches young men known to be involved in gangs, who want out, with at-risk boys.
“The mindset is if he can do it, she can do it, then doggonit, I can do it.”
Cannon says mentors from ELITE’s RE-Entry program will be serving as role models and supervise the recruiters.
“I don’t know that it will work. But, I do know that if we don’t try, it won’t be getting any better.”
Cannon there is no budget attached to the Getting Out/Giving Back program. Therefore, funding is needed.
“We are crunching the numbers even as we unveil this pilot project to our inner circle of supporters. We will furnish that projected cost as soon as we are comfortable that it reflects wht it will take to get this job done.”
Cannon adds, “All I know now is that the cost of ‘not’ doing this could be far, far greater than any of us want to imagine. We are in crisis mode as it relates to the youth of Peoria. This is our attempt to get ahead of it and learn something that we can refine and take forward.”
To contribute to the Getting Out/Giving Back program, click HERE.
