Check out this interview with Van Brooks, a 2014 OSI-Baltimore Community Fellow on WBAL-TV.
After a football injury at 16 left him paralyzed and unable to walk, Brooks struggled to regain his independence. During the years of therapy and training he decided to share his story and help as many other kids as possible. In 2012, just two months after graduating from college, Brooks started the Safe Alternative Foundation for Education (SAFE). The program is designed to give youth “a backup plan for life” helping them with education and life skills. His 2014 fellowship, as well as additional support he received from the Open Society Foundations’ Campaign for Black Male Achievement allowed Brooks to expand SAFE to increase enrollment, add more programming and include more volunteers.
In the fall of 2015, the SAFE Center opened its doors in the Franklin Square neighborhood where Brooks grew up and still lives. The SAFE program, Yards for Life, was featured in our Impact Series.
