The Timothy Francis Jones Foundation continued to expand its community outreach efforts on July 19, 2019. Thanks to a gracious invitation from Lavelle Sykes of SuccezZ The Store, the foundation was able to attend SuccezZ Sneaker Feast 2019. The event was held in Chicago at the Revel Motor Row complex located at 2400 S. Michigan Ave. which includes the building which was formerly occupied by the historic Chicago Defender newspaper. The dynamic venue opened its doors at 3:00 PM to all age groups. The building featured a central, open-air courtyard with refreshments and seating. The courtyard was surrounded by glassed-in galleries which contained live artistic performances, music provided by area DJ’s and vendors selling apparel and, of course, sneakers!
The afternoon offered us a great opportunity to share our message of proactive healthcare for men and especially men of color with the public. We had a chance to speak with people from throughout the tri-state area and even one family on vacation from Norway. This encounter was so gratifying for two reasons. First was the coincidence that Tromsø, Norway was the first place outside the United States that Tim performed during an engagement with Teen Street Chicago in the 90’s. The second point was that the father and his two young sons grasped our message implicating that our message could resonate globally not just locally. We also made several connections to folks involved with organizations interested in collaborations to further our community outreach opportunities.
At 7:00 PM the event transitioned to the 21 years and older crowd. With that change came a fresh wave of our target audience, young men of color. Interacting with the crowds really helped us hone our message and improve its delivery. We also had a chance to meet and greet many existing friends and supporters such as Terri Evans, Mustafa Rocks and DJ Word.
As the ten o’clock hour approached, we packed our wares and made room for the serious party that followed. From all reports, everyone who attended the follow-on party had an awesome time capping off a day that was a blow out success! Our thanks go out to Lavelle and La La of SuccezZ for giving us the opportunity to participate, to the Revel Motor Row staff for their assistance and to everyone who stopped by to talk with us and shared their stories.
Photos courtesy of TFJ Foundation.