INDIANAPOLIS — Center for Leadership Development is expanding to some of Indy's highest-crime and lowest-income neighborhoods.
CLD is one of two non-profits chosen as Bank of America's 2024 Neighborhood Builders.
The organization helps African American youth become professional business and community leaders.
Elijah Hill and Xen Clark just graduated from CLD's six-week Project Mr. program. Mr. stands for male responsibility.
"Each week, they teach you a different core value. They give you a different life lesson," Hill said,
"I've seen in myself, I've been more responsible. I've been taking more credibility for my actions," Clark said.
Jason Breaux is a Project Mr. volunteer who also has kids benefiting from CLD programs.
"I will say, I'm envious. I was born and raised on the west side of Chicago. I wish I would have had something like this in our neighborhood or our community. I see the transformation. I see the impact. I see the results," Breaux said.
Project Mr. is one of 20 programs CLD offers.
For 47 years, CLD's goal has been to give African American youth the skills they need to be successful.
"The organization was founded with the idea that the center would help our city populate with talent.... doctors, teachers, engineers, reporters, journalists, etc," Dennis Bland, CLD 's President, said.
Bland says being chosen as a 2024 Neighborhood Builder is a recognition of nearly five decades of work.
With it comes a $200,000 grant that CLD is using to offer expanded guidance counseling services.
"Then we're actually setting up satellite locations in some of our city's most-tested areas, highest crime, low income," Bland said.
Since 2019, $ 2.4 million has been given to 12 Neighborhood Builders in Indianapolis.
Bank of America calls the grant program an investment in non-profits that address critical needs.
"It's more than just about a bank giving out money, right? It's about, how are we helping our community? What is our focus? This is really unique and it helps us to make sure that we're doing what's needed in the community today," Geordan Coleman, Bank of America VP Market Executive Indianapolis, said.
Project Mr. Graduates Clark and Hill are pushing toward a successful future and the work is paying off.
"My personal experience, it has helped me better off in school," Clark said.
"It's given me the foundation. It's taught me the things that I need to know to get where I want to go, and it's also given me the path to show me how to get to where I want to go," Hill said.
The new CLD satellite locations will be located at CAFE on 38th and Post Road, Sankofa School near 30th and Sherman Dr., and on the West side in Indy's Haughville neighborhood.
