Community

Lakewood community has captain for positive transformation

A man with an inspired vision is ready to help transform a community. His goal is to assist the underserved in Charlotte and help the Lakewood community build an economically sustainable residential neighborhood.

The Lakewood community is minutes from uptown Charlotte, and Jamall Kinard is leading the push to help the neighborhood with community safety, beautification and youth programs.

On Wednesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney talked about a new community empowerment initiative in the Lakewood neighborhood, which offers financial and educational help to families and children before they turn to crime.

“We have to work with CMPD and elected officials to hold people accountable to make sure illegal activities are not taking place in the neighborhood,” Kinard said. “People must feel safe to build trust with each other.”

Some of the biggest issues the neighborhood association will tackle are job training, addressing drug abuse, violent crime and the need for youth mentorship programs.

Kinard said that he felt society often told him that, because he was a young black male, he and his friends had limited options for success. “Sell dope, rap or go to the NBA,” Kinard said.  “I believe that opportunity should be as universal as the potential I see in all people from all communities.”

The community empowerment initiative lays out a multilayered plan and starts with a strong foundation for the neighborhood. The hope is that, if the method is successful in helping Lakewood become a safe and attractive neighborhood where people choose to live, work and take pride in, the city can use the blueprint to help other underserved neighborhoods in Charlotte and surrounding areas.

Kinard and his nonprofit T.I.M.E. Foundation will be key partners for a free leadership academy to help young men in the Lakewood community reach their full potential.

“We must be intentional about serving our youth in a way that is impactful to show the value of having a quality education and how that correlates to living a quality lifestyle as an adult,” Kinard said.

With an end goal of breaking the cycle of poverty and positioning the youth for upward mobility, Kinard wants to make Lakewood one of the most attractive neighborhoods in Charlotte for working-class families and young business professionals.

If you have an inspirational story to share, please email Kevin Campbell, WSOC-TV/WAXN-TV community affairs manager, at kevin.campbell@wsoctv.com