Healing the Hood Foundation of Memphis

PROGRAMS

The Vision Team (VT):
Vision Team began in 1995. You may ask "Why is it called the Vision Team?" It's called the Vision Team because the Bible reminds us that "Without vision the people perish", and when we look around it is clear that many people are unaware of the divine destiny that God has set before them Weare a team of individuals that are brought together for the cause of touching the lives of those who need to know a friend that is there when everyone else has flipped out on you (His name is JESUS). Everyone has a calling from God and it is Him that empowers us to do the job that He has called us to do.

Our group consists of different ages, and that is what keeps things interesting and exciting. The greatest message for us is to be able to show people the glorious story of Jesus Christ and what he is willing to do for us. We use a diversity of tools to be able to minister to the people that we come in contact with. God doesn't what to be complicated, but He wants us to communicate to His people a clear and easy story about how we can get to know Him through His son Jesus Christ.

This team of individuals has a servant attitude and performs a multitude of outreach and ministry acts to present a Christian presentation to different groups of people that struggle with the pressures of everyday life and have found themselves in a forgotten position. Our mission is to restore and encourage the brokenhearted and low in spirit by presenting the gospel in a very creative manner that brings about change, hope, love and wholeness.

Servant acts include but are not limited to feeding, singing to, providing clothes and other resources to the homeless (Hanging with the Homeless), visiting retirement or assisted living homes (Senior Citizen Empowerment), families in the inner city or urban areas of the city (Adopt-A-Family) and performing inspirational dramatizations (community centers, jails, neighborhood centers, girls and boys clubs & homes, etc.).

The Vision Team is not about one individual person, but about a group of imperfect people working together to push the gospel of a perfect Savior (Jesus Christ). Streets, community centers, nursing homes, homes for girls and boys, and wherever the gospel is needed that's where our pulpit is. If it takes gospel rap, singing, dance, home made videos, the preached word, or dramatic skits; we are willing to do it for the sake of those that are lost. Because of our burning passion and joyful commitment to being obedient to God's vision for His people, by the Vision Team sharing the teaching and principles of Christ someone may be empowered to follow Him.

The Wake Up Tour (WUT):
The Wake Up Tour was began in 2005 and its purpose is to use creative ways that our youth can relate to by communicating a significant life changing message that shakes the audience to a state of consciousness, thus influencing them to "wake up" and think about the decisions they are making on a daily basis. The technique was developed to capture the audiences of youth ages 12-18 years of age, but has made adjustments for collegiate and elementary age audiences. The Tour so far has reached over 32,000 youth.

The Wake up Tour is an innovative tour that combines Hip-Hop Artists (Rap, Dance, R&B, and spoken word poetry), innovative film technology, actors and motivational speakers that challenge the mindset of youth today while empowering them to make a difference in their community. The Tour works as a 55 minute non-stop stage presentation that uses music to speak against violence, crime and social deviance among our youth, while providing direction and an answer to the things that plague our society. We have the ability to reach a mass audience with its hip-hop innovative style. The theatrics that are performed are breathtaking, and inspiring.

Many youth that we have come in contact with have spotlighted the fact that gang activity and many other social issues exist in their schools. The media has been filled with images of gang violence, drug dealing, and disrespect to teachers by students and murders in the school systems here and abroad. The WUT has already been responsible for several youth retreating from gang activity and living productive lives. Added, the WUT strives to recruit youth to be a part of the tour as well as spokespersons for the tour.

The artists that participate in this event are genuine recording artists with a passion for serving the community. The tour also brings together young people that model positive examples in the community so that the youth that they service can see them as rolemodels. The Wake Up Tour also works in the community and with the community helping to nurture change. They host various events for youth as well as partner with other organizations to help continue the outreach that they start once they are allowed to come into the school. The influence of these artists carries a very positive impact in the lives of the. students that we reach.

The Fusion Tour (FT):
The Fusion Tour began January 2007. It is the gospel version of the Wake Up Tour. The Fusion Tours are purposely held at churches near schools or where the Wake up Tour has performed in orGer to create a greater level of awareness, responsibility, and community unification to bring the community together in a family setting.

The Fusion Tour is a life changing experience that illustrates various forms of Christian music through singing, praise dancing, ministry teaching, and interactive skits. Many youth travel far away or quite a distance to other churches rather than attending churches in their own neighborhoods. Why? It is because most are not concerned about their community and therefore need to be made aware of the importance of community building and stepping up and making a difference in their own hoods.

It is our hope that the church will embrace the youth that is brought in by the Fusion Tour and cultivate a youth program or an avenue that will influence more youth to be a part of the church and play an active role in the community. This will also encourage more families, more partnerships to develop and other churches to work together to share resources, spread the word of God and demonstrate love to all they encounter.

The Fusion Tour consists of artists and performers from different HTH program components (such as the Wake up Tour, the Vision Team, etc.) and other local or national entertainers.

Heal The Hood College Preparatory Program:
The college preparatory program was created to provide guidance for post secondary education that gives assistance in academic, social and career goals. It began in 2007. This program challenges students to aspire for realistic goals that fit their personal endeavors that are based on personal career assessments. The program also provides interest assessment tests that give students that are not interested in college options to have a fruitful life in a career or trade of their choice. Scholarship opportunities, ACT and SAT workshops, and other educational trainings/workshops are available at no cost to the HTH students.

The Street Team:
The Street Team began in January 2008 and is comprised of HTH youth leaders and participants from the inner city & urban areas who goes into the community and local neighborhoods to promote HTH and its components through creative marketing and advertising drivers. This includes developing and creating mass productions of flyers, internet advertising, word of mouth, making phone calls, etc. This also allows the youth leaders andi'participants to gain the support of the community and people who are not aware of how can they can make a difference in their city, at their schools, at their church, and community!

The Comic Studio: NEW!
By combining popular culture with the sense of conceptual freedom, The Heal the Hood Foundation, and MAW Productions will educate young artists interested in the creative and promotional arm of comic books, graphic novels and manga. By providing a hands on environment, we will help students produce a creative body of work and provide them with experience, portfolio pieces and the drive to build their future. Click here to download brochure. CLICK HERE TO VISIT PAGE.