PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia activist and community leader has been camping out for two weeks at a busy intersection in North Philly’s Hunting Park neighborhood, to raise money for anti-violence summer programming that he said will save the lives of youth.
So far, As I Plant This Seed CEO and Founder Ryan Harris has camped outside the corner of North Broad Street and Roosevelt Boulevard for 14 days and raised more than $45,000.
“I've been out here, fasting and praying, literally not eating, not one thing, just drinking water,” said Harris.
“I'm not gonna go anywhere, and I'm not going to move until we raise the money, So we can take care of these kids in the community.”
Harris said his programs, which are free for the youth he serves, are essential to keeping kids off the street and safe this summer.
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“Right now we are running 13 programs out of the Tree House, which is our community center. It costs money, not for the kids, but it costs us money to make sure that they will run it in our facility, and we have to make sure that we pay our bills,” he said.
“As soon as it starts getting hot, a whole lot of crime activity starts to rise. And in our communities, a lot of kids don't have anything to do. They find themselves with idle time, and idle time is the devil's playground, so they get into things that they wouldn't normally get into if they have some type of guidance or structure. And when you leave these kids with free time, fatherless homes, and up in impoverished communities, you find mostly negative things to do.
"If we don't provide these programs or research over the summer, we can quickly see our kids that we service fall into those same problems. We need to definitely minimize that by making sure we have what we need to provide them what they need, so they won't feel like they don't have options.”
Other community activists like Ant Brown of the Abro Experience and Buddha Thomas from Power Circle Mentoring have grabbed buckets and signs to help raise money.
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Though the group is still around halfway short of their $90,000 goal, they’re encouraged by the cash and GoFundMe donations so far.
“We raised enough money to take it when we need to take care for the summer,” said Harris. “We made our point. I didn't eat for 14 days. I don't know what else I have to do after that.”
Harris said they can’t wait on funding from the city, and that he’s dedicated to doing whatever it takes to keep his kids safe this summer.
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