INDIANAPOLIS — A well-known foundation is making a big contribution toward the search for solutions to gun violence in central Indiana.
"Making a difference in people's lives. I think it is very, very great," Owen Linton, who is involved with New Direction Church’s Nehemiah Project Construction Training Program, said.
The Lilly Endowment is providing thousands of dollars to 18 organizations, including an Indy church that's connecting men to training and job skills.
"You know, back in Jamaica my grandmother always said, 'A lazy man should not eat,'" Linton said.
He was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
"My mom, my dad, five brothers, me makes six, and one sister. We had a very, very hard life," Linton said.
Linton told WRTV’s Amber Grigley that he was a professional swimmer in his country, a path he thought was his way out.
"I would broadcast all over the United States and my friends would call, 'Owen you're on TV,'" Linton said.
A life in the spotlight that landed him in the Hoosier state, now he is chasing his American dream.
"You're born from a place where there is no future and there's nothing to make life," Linton said.
Seven-months-ago, Owen stumbled upon New Direction Church's Nehemiah Project Construction Training Program.
"I think that we can either choose to sit on the sidelines and watch things happen in our community, or we can help be a part of the change. So, we choose to be a part of changing lives," Pastor Kenneth Sullivan Jr., Senior Pastor of New Direction Church, said.
The eight-week program helps men find another path to a better life other than crime and destruction.
Owen saw this as an opportunity to learn new trades and mentor those young men to build a brighter future.
"A lot of workers will come here and say, are you the pastor? I say, no. They say are you the boss? I say, no, I'm a worker like you," Linton said.
"We're so fortunate to have others invest in us and our program and we turn to invest in other men, just like Owen," Sullivan said.
An investment Lilly Endowment is pouring $100,000 into to support gun violence reduction and workforce development programs.
The men involved will get hands-on experience through two of the New Direction's work sites, one on East 86th Street and the other on East 38th Street.
"Follow our dreams and if we work hard, we could get a lot of success," Linton said.
Owen is hoping to continue working on the developing projects at New Direction Church, but he wants to start his own construction company called "On Demand Jamaica."
The Lilly Endowment gave a total of $4.6 million in grants to community centers, faith-based groups, and programs that focus on kids to curb incidents of gun violence.
