Walk With Us!
It started with Pastor Brooks walking out of Times Square, headed for the West Coast. A foot injury and surgery forced him to stop walking. The mission didn't stop — it became a nationwide movement, and it raised $4.3M+ for youth, families, and the LEO Center.
This campaign has closed. The building it paid for is still going up.
$4.3 million. Every dollar audited.
Given by thousands of people who had never set foot in Woodlawn. It went where it was promised — mentorship, youth development, violence prevention, leadership training, education, and the LEO Center.
One journey. One community. One movement.
In 2025, Pastor Brooks set out from Times Square to walk across America — to put the South Side on the map and raise the final dollars for the LEO Center. A foot injury and surgery forced him to pause the walk. The mission didn't stop: it became Walk With Us.
Communities across the country carried it from there — walks, church activations, volunteer days, and prayer gatherings, in towns most of us will never visit. Together they raised $4.3M+.
What the walk paid for.
The building
Final capital toward the 90,000 sq ft LEO Center on S. King Drive — the permanent home for all five program pillars.
See the LEO Center →The programs
Mentorship, youth development, violence prevention, workforce training, and re-entry — the work that runs every week whether or not a camera is on.
See the programs →The proof
Graduates of our construction cohort worked the site — union carpenters and roofers who helped build the place that trained them.
Read their stories →"They told me I was crazy to walk across America. I told them I was crazy to watch another kid get buried."— Pastor Corey B. Brooks
Brick by Brick.
Get your name engraved in history. Every brick in the LEO Center's Walkway of Destiny represents someone who believed in Chicago's South Side — before the rest of the world caught up.
Long after the ribbon is cut, families will walk across these names. Young people will step into new futures because of the foundation you helped build. This is your chance to leave more than a donation — it's a legacy engraved in stone.
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Legacy Brick$10,000
Prime placement · engraved name
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Heritage Brick$5,000
Engraved name · permanent placement
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Foundation Brick$2,500
Engraved name · lasting legacy