PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Just a few years ago, Hank Robinson was battling addiction and despair. Now he is in a position to help others meet their needs and overcome the same problems that once held him back.
Robinson says he found redemption through his faith and his service to others. With the help of friends James Jackson and Aaron Mathis, he created The Testimony Project, which encourages connection and healing by giving people an opportunity to share their truth.
“That is my testimony,” he said. “It just escalated. I just really like helping people. Because we are so blessed that we should be able to give something back.”
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Today he’s proud to share his story with hundreds of people. And it has opened the door for others to share theirs.
“We have people pulling us aside – we literally have people waiting and wanting to talk to us – because that's an outlet for them,” he said.
People who open up to The Testimony Project have an opportunity to find kindred spirits by sharing their stories. And with that sharing comes help from the generous network that has built up around the project.
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Over the past three years, Robinson says, they have been able to help dozens of people with problems like food and housing insecurity, addiction and abuse.
"We're going to start going into schools, not only promoting The Testimony Project, but trying to figure out how we can build bridges to these youth. And, you know, trying to hit the gun violence, prevent it before it even starts," Robinson said.
Robinson, Jackson and Mathis say they are working to make the project an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so they can create more of those useful partnerships. Their hope is to evolve into a community resource hub to expand their reach and mission.
"Because everybody has a testimony," Robinson said.