HOPE GLOBAL INITIATIVE IN NEWNAN

Written by SUSAN MAYER DAVIS

Almost every American city has one – the neighborhood that’s tucked away, forgotten by a majority of the town’s residents who never pass that way, avoided by others who know it for its high crime rate.

In Newnan, that neighborhood is Chalk Level, a proud but problemed community about a mile from the town square and only a few blocks from the stately mansions that line East Broad and Lower Fayetteville Road.

A historic neighborhood since the 1880s, Chalk Level was once home to many of Newnan’s prominent Black professionals and working class families. In fact, in 1959, A.D. King became the minister of Mount Vernon First Baptist Church on Pinson Street. The following year, his brother, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was a guest preacher at the local church.

While proud moments such as this dot the neighborhood’s past, it fell into decline in recent decades and is reported to have the highest crime level of any area in Coweta County, according to Luke Ayers, co-founder and director of Hope Global Initiative in Newnan.

“Families look different in Chalk Level,” says Ayers. “I meet one father for every 50 children. The boys see this as an expected reality. Men are expected to not be present for their families.”

From murders, to sex trafficking, to home break-ins, and drive-by shootings, the residents of Chalk Level are exposed to it all, according to Ayers.

A sad but common example is of residents being arrested for crimes that they committed to benefit themselves or their family members. For example, what if a single mother is faced with the decision to drive to the store without a license to get formula for her 1-year-old child or to let the baby cry for hours in hunger? If she chooses to drive to the store and is pulled over by police, it’s likely she’ll be charged with a crime.

And what if a 15-year-old boy is ordered by an older man, “You will steal this from that store, you will break into that car, you will sell these drugs for me, or you will have sex with that person – or your sister or mother will pay the price.”

The teenage boy may prostitute himself so his 12-year-old sister doesn’t have to, according to Ayers, who adds, “If he gets caught, this young boy will be charged with a crime and probably get jail time unless he has a strong advocate.”

This is the reality that hit Luke Ayers and his father, Lee Ayers, a few years ago when they looked for a place in this world that needed their help. They knew the world won’t change if no one does something about it.

In Chalk Level, the father and son duo recognized there was not a safe and inviting place open seven days a week for free. So in 2016, Lee Ayers founded Hope Global Newnan and Luke became co-founder/director.

The nonprofit’s official mission is to: “Restore people’s hope so that the future they dream of can actually become a reality.”

Practically speaking, they help students become positive agents of change.

“I’m just a broken person who comes from a broken family and we just want to help broken people,” says Luke Ayers. “I think the world would be a better place and people would have more peace of mind if they recognized that we are all broken in some way. That’s something my father instilled in me from a young age – that no one is perfect and we need to stop expecting others to be perfect.”

At Hope Global, the goal, according to Luke, is “to inspire people first, and after you inspire people, you can then equip the families to find solutions. Each person needs to find solutions for themselves for problems they face. And then, once they have a toolbox of options, they will have what they need to succeed in life. Once they are inspired, equipped and have the tools they need, they are unstoppable.”

The Ayerses initially thought they would start by reaching out to mothers, grandmothers, and then teens. But then they saw the need for preventative work, according to Luke, who says they determined that helping people at a young age was the key to preventing trauma like so many had gone through by preventing a turn toward crime fueled by their environment.

“If we can intercede and prevent crime from happening, that is how we can impact people,” says Luke. “We want to see kids and students become positive instruments of change as individuals. We try to get kids to enjoy every minute of every day – to enjoy their childhood. We want the kids to know that they can choose to start over.”

The program is having a positive impact noticed by those closest to the issues that affect children and teens navigating rough and tumble neighborhoods, including Coweta Judicial Circuit Judge Joseph A. Wyant Jr.

“Hope Global has been a constant presence in the juvenile court system, providing mentorship and enrichment activities for our kids,” says Wyant. “Without Hope Global, our juvenile justice system would not be the same. The organization provides essential services not provided elsewhere – like instilling a sense of community. Weekends are filled with projects around the neighborhood, helping to mow a lawn or fix a broken set of stairs. Kids will go out as a crew to help those in need. By letting others know that they care, they come to understand they are cared for.”

Investing time and/or financial resources into the younger generation positively affects future generations and improves the community, adds Luke Ayers.

“That’s a hard thing for me to quantify,” he says. “But we encourage youth to graduate high school, go to college, and come back here after four years to start a business, shop at local markets, join a church, and to participate in community events. That helps our community.”

Luke means it when he says “our community.” He bought a home in Chalk Level, so the people he helps are his neighbors and friends now. In order to help turn around the trajectory of these neighborhood youth, he obtained a seat on the local juvenile court. Since Hope Global was established here, many youth have been given a second chance to change their life once they agree to attend programs offered free of charge through Hope Global.

Without ongoing government funding, Hope Global operates from donations with a group of dedicated volunteers who share the mission. With a waiting list of 38 boys and girls who need and want a mentor, there’s an urgent need for volunteer mentors and business sponsors.

Through programs and connections developed at the Youth Center, young people at Chalk Level are making a difference as they return from college, set up businesses and set a new example for the younger ones behind them, according to Luke Ayers.

“It’s like throwing a rock in a pond and the ripples flow out in all directions,” he says. NCM