PEORIA, Ill. – The head of Dream Center Peoria believes more positive male role models can have an impact on reducing youth crime in the area.
Executive Director Andy King spoke to WMBD’s “The Phil Luciano Show” about how the Dream Center is making an impact on troubled youth.
Earlier this week, Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria earlier this week urged the community to come together to help steer kids and teenagers away from a life of crime. His comments came during a press conference to announce the arrest of a 15-year-old in connection to a shooting that injured a 9-year-old boy.
King says they help nearly 100 students at Dream Center each day, with a median average age of 12 years old. He says most of those students do not have a positive male role model in their lives that they can turn to.
King says having a consistent presence that can be there for a child can go a long way.
“Someone who knows their name, knows what their likes are, knows when their birthday is, that is where we can then have some change, because guess where that child then will talk or run to when they’re in trouble, they’ll go to some of these mentors,” King said.
King says one area where they’re seeing an impact is male volunteers at the Dream Center’s apprenticeship programs in areas such as carpentry and barista work, where he says just one hour a week can go a long way.
King says the Dream Center is looking for more volunteers, in order to try and have more one-on-one time with kids.
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