In a compelling interview on Chicago’s Morning Answer, host Dan Proft spoke with Pastor Corey Brooks, senior pastor of New Beginnings Church and founder/CEO of Project H.O.O.D., about his ongoing efforts to transform Chicago’s South Side through personal responsibility, opportunity, and community leadership.Brooks provided an update on the ambitious Project H.O.O.D. Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center (also known as the Robert R. McCormick Opportunity Center).
The facility is now approximately 80% complete, with a targeted grand opening the first weekend of October. A donor appreciation event is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, inviting supporters to tour the nearly finished center. To help complete funding, Brooks has been undertaking a Walk Across America. He was recently sidelined by foot issues but hoped to receive medical clearance during a doctor’s visit the day of the interview. The project has already raised about $4.5 million. The conversation highlighted Brooks’ recent Thousand Men Unity Gathering, which brought together men from across Chicago — including many former gang members — to establish violence-free zones in their neighborhoods. “We can’t keep waiting on the government to come in and fix our problems,” Brooks emphasized.
The event underscored a commitment to community-led solutions rather than relying solely on city officials. Brooks drew inspiration from civil rights leader Bob Woodson’s philosophy of transformation over transaction. Rather than fostering dependency, Project H.O.O.D. focuses on changing mindsets while providing practical skill sets. The new center will feature a trade school offering training in carpentry, electrical, roofing, automotive, and welding; an entrepreneurial school; trauma counseling; financial literacy programs (including a partnership with Wintrust Bank); a swimming pool; NBA-sized basketball courts; music and dance studios; a TV production studio; office space; and a 350-seat theater. Proft and Brooks also discussed Mayor Brandon Johnson’s comments on “teen takeovers,” in which the mayor suggested arresting people involved in crime won’t create safety. Brooks pushed back strongly, arguing that accountability is essential and that police need support to do their jobs. “Children, young people need to be held accountable,” he said.
The interview tied into broader themes of American opportunity, referencing Jeff Bezos’s story of his Cuban immigrant father and teenage mother who rose through hard work. Brooks stressed that success stories of Black achievement and personal responsibility must be highlighted so others can replicate them. “The struggle is going to make you strong,” he noted.
Pastor Brooks continues to model practical, faith-based solutions that empower individuals rather than entrench government dependency. For more information or to support the center and the walk, visit projecthood.org.