Dewayne Brown and children
Healing Our Own
by Fr. Dave Kelly, c.pp.s., pbmr Director
I am in my office working on a grant report when I
hear “one-two, one-two, one-two …”—so checking out
the source of this continued rhythm I see Jonathan,
one of our case managers here at pbmr, who is takes
boxing classes himself, holding a boxing class with
about 10 of our young men.
He obtained some equipment—gloves, pads, jump
ropes, etc.—in the hope of offering boxing here at
pbmr. I am sure some of you are thinking, “The last
thing we need is more punches being thrown on the
south side of Chicago.”
This class is less about boxing and more about a car-
ing adult in the lives of these youth. Jonathan is present
to them and lets them know that they are worth his time.
Some of our younger staff are from the neighbor-
hood and know what it is like to grow up without a fa-
ther and to be on your own at an early age. They know
also the dangers that await them once they leave the
Center. Therefore, Jonathan uses his time to interact
8 • The New Wine Press • September 2018
with them and show them that there is another way to
live. Today he is doing it through the boxing program.
Growing up without a father in his life, Jonathan
knows how hard it is to navigate life without that male
in your life. He has a young son and does everything
in his power to be there for him. And these young
men who come to the Center, he takes them on as
well. Frankly, he has a way with these kids—able to cut
through some of the “attitude” and get them to open
up and share their feelings and thoughts. They know
that he is someone who does not judge them.
This month at the Art on 51 st St. Cafe, we have an
exhibit entitled: “A Celebration of Fathers.” We have a
number of good fathers here at the Center and in the
neighborhood. We wanted to celebrate what they do to
build up our community.
Here are but a few of our fathers; we asked each
to choose a word that reflected what it meant to be a
father and to write a few words describing fatherhood.