Housing complexes in Newport News, Hampton and Portsmouth are cleaner after volunteers with Ketchmore Kids made their rounds with trash bags this weekend.
But beautification isn’t the only way the group leaves its mark on the community.
The organization has expanded its anti-violence youth intervention sessions since it received about $94,000 in grant funding from Newport News to address gun violence. The city distributed a total of $1.8 million to 19 community groups working on youth intervention programs last year based on results of a citywide survey on best approaches to combat gun violence.
“Before, we were maybe doing one workshop a month, maybe one every other month. It just depended on the resources we had if we could do it,” said Chanell Ketchmore, executive director and founder of Ketchmore Kids, during Saturday’s cleanup at The Grand in Hampton.
Now, the funding allows them to regularly host four sessions a month and the consistency helps build long-term relationships — a key to building conflict resolution, she said.
“Not just telling kids, ‘Oh, these are some ways to avoid conflict.’ But we’re able to actually see the follow-through to see if they are implementing some of these new strategies that they’re learning,” she said.
It also allows the organization to have a more proactive presence, she said.
“It allows us to show up, not just when someone has been hurt or killed, but when things are going good,” Ketchmore said.
Saturday’s cleanups, which took place at the Aqueduct Apartments in Newport News, The Grand Hampton At Langley in Hampton and London Oaks Apartments in Portsmouth, were one such example of touching base with the community.
About 25 people volunteered at the Newport News site, including Newport News law enforcement, with others joining at other locations.
“Ketchmore Kids is a grassroots organization that is very plugged into some of the areas of the city that we are focusing on, including Aqueduct Apartments,” said Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew in a statement after volunteering with the group Saturday. “We’ve seen a reduction in crime in these areas this year, which is the culmination of the efforts of many people.”
Activists from across the commonwealth came for the events, such as Christa Ellison of Richmond who works with Freedom Over Everything, a parole advocacy organization. Volunteer Khalid Karim was joined by much of his young family, who travelled from the Washington, D.C., metro area early that morning to be able to volunteer with the Ketchmore Kids and another group called Lessons Learned.
“It’s really helpful to the community because it creates a healthy environment for the kids, especially around the playground,” said Chloe Harris-Karim, Karim’s niece, after finishing the cleanup at Aqueduct Apartments.
Ketchmore said the dedication from those who came from other areas to Hampton Roads to volunteer also shows the challenges faced by Hampton Roads communities are similar to ones faced by others across the country.
“I’ve seen these kids, and not just particularly here but in many cities, playing and (there’s) just so much trash,” she said. “And they are still trying to have joy and happy moments swinging on the swing, going down the slide.”
Ian Munro, 757-447-4097, [email protected]
