Improving Our City, One Step At A Time

By: Andrea Swanson

It is with my sincere hope that you are ready to participate in something quite epic. As a donor, I am in utter awe of the state of Chicago, our “great” city.

With the constant daily reminders in the news about how dangerous and bad the city of Chicago has gotten, something needs to be done that can change the lives of these vulnerable children. These unfortunate circumstances that surround us have allowed our youth to be misguided, leaving them with little to no hope for their future.

From the tragic death of innocent 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton who was shot and killed in gang crossfire while standing with friends inside Harsh Park to the death of innocent 17-year-old Tyrone Lawson who was shot and killed after a fight broke out following a high school basketball game between school rivals; Simeon and Morgan Park.

While the community is devastated about the number of lives we have lost due to violence, the action taken to keep young people has been unrealistic and quite frankly a waste of money. We must do something to stop this tragic, and I mean TRAGIC, violence.

It is my belief as a major supporter of the Go for Yours Foundation that majority of the stop the violence campaigns has done nothing but bring praise to the word “violence” and focus solely on the negativity that has flooded the streets of Chicago.

I chose to donate to the Go for Yours Foundation solely based on the way founder Erika McCall approaches these tragic events. She believes in helping at-risk youth create goals that will ultimately lead to success.

And today, it is almost impossible to find someone who is willing to take on this kids who think that they have nothing to look forward to because nobody cares about them. This is one of the main reasons why these vulnerable kids turn to gangs because it gives them a feeling of acceptance and family.

Erika uses her book, "Go For Yours" as a tool to create a roadmap for success. She has also created programs like... 

Go For Yours Like A B.A.W.S.E!

A program that is in direct response to the growing number of African American males, who engage in activities that prevent them from reaching their highest potential. The program empowers young black males ages 14-18 to make decisions that lead to a bright future. The program even pairs them with influential black male mentors, so that they will begin to understand that a boss is a man who possesses characteristics of responsibility, integrity, and spirituality.


If this foundation doesn’t sound like something you would want to donate to than honestly im not sure what you want the city of Chicago to do about this growing violence. If we can help Erika change the lives of youth than we may be able to control this violence happening in our great city! Come on everyone; take the chance to be apart of changing our city!!