Declare is honored to partner with Attack Poverty. Brandon Baca, Attack Poverty Senior Director of Programs and Development, shares what God is doing through this Texas-based ministry…

Several years ago, I met a young man named Dwayne underneath a tent. It was a hot afternoon at one of our afterschool programs called You Can Academy, and he was angry. Dwayne was in third grade at the time, and it didn’t help he seemed big for his age, lives in an under-resourced neighborhood, AND as an older brother took responsibility for taking care of his younger sister and brother.

It was such a struggle for me to make sense of this young man’s attitude.  He was harsh with his words, aggressive in his behavior, and struggling to keep within some boundaries in our program.  So… I made a friend!

Each week I sat with Dwayne and helped him with homework, played during free time, and tried to build a relationship.  It was not easy.  Unfortunately, I represent something that he hated, was afraid of, and did not trust. But I didn’t waiver. I kept showing up, and as time went by, Dwayne started coming around.

About a year later, I specifically remember having an especially difficult conversation with him. Dwayne was now in fourth grade and was being a bit of a bully. So, I took him to the side. I asked him to calm down, to treat others with respect, and to leave if he couldn’t do that. I thought it was over…

But that was far from the truth!

A few weeks later, I looked out the window at You Can Academy.  It was winding down, and the leaders asked the group to circle-up for prayer.  What I saw brought me to tears!

Dwayne had offered to pray! He stood up, and with arms out wide, he began to pray over all of his friends.

Now we fast-forward a few years to this past summer. Dwayne was helping me in North Richmond (his neighborhood) to coordinate 40 high school students. After a long summer morning, I asked Dwayne if I could take him to get a Sonic drink.  I love these times with Dwayne! Typically, I ask him about his life, the challenges in his community, family relationships, goals, and dreams.   After we ordered our drinks, I asked Dwayne what he wants to do when he grows up.  I was stunned by how my eighth grade friend responded.

Dwayne said, “I want to be the Friends of North Richmond Director.”

WHOA!  I stayed calm, although I was bubbling over with excitement on the inside.  So, we talked about work and the importance of working hard, building experiences, God’s calling on our lives, and how he could one day get that job.

And then it happened….

I looked at Dwayne and said, “You are going to be the director of Friends of North Richmond one day Dwayne.  I believe in you!”

Dwayne is learning about leadership, identifying his calling, valuing work and service, and understanding how God has made him to do great things.  He is a leader already, and we are excited that he is learning how to lead!

Every Tuesday Night he shows up early for street church to help set up and leads his peers in small group discussions.

We believe God is growing in him, and will use him for great things!  The cycle is being broken in Dwayne’s life!

At Attack Poverty we are empowering people to attack poverty in their life and community.  We do this by strengthening communities through spiritual growth, education, revitalization, and basic needs.  The goal is to break the cycle of generational poverty.

I have good news – It’s happening!

Everyday we are walking alongside families to see the cycle broken, lives transformed, and communities restored!

In the next year we plan to:

• Enroll 150+ children in our You Can Academy (after school program) – that’s 70 additional children getting after school homework help, a meal, and mentoring
• Support 75-80 Adults who will be impacted through our adult
• education classes (some of who will get their GED or a job for the first time!)
• Complete 20-30 home repairs & community revitalizations – these home repairs create safe environments for elderly, single parents, and families living at or below the poverty line.
• Construct a Secondary School in Rushere, Uganda (one of the communities we support) so 200 children can go to school, have at least one meal a day, and have the opportunity for leadership development training.
• Equip 5-7 interns through our Community Development Leadership Program to learn about holistic community development
• Encourage Community Collaboration – strengthen local partnerships with community agencies and churches for a shared community development strategy
• Support Thousands of volunteers serving locally
• Transform communities for generations!

We are so excited to move forward with this! We have already kicked off our fall programming and look forward to continuing to see the transformation in people’s lives! Join us as we continue working to strengthen under-resourced communities through spiritual growth, education, revitalization, and basic needs!

Consider a monthly, or one time gift, to support the work of Attack Poverty!  To donate, click here: https://attackpoverty.webconnex.com/donatenow

To learn more about Attack Poverty, visit our website https://attackpoverty.org or contact us at info@attackpoverty.org