For almost four decades, Bennie Henry and his 501C3 nonprofit, The Support Group, have been helping to raise the youth of Chicago through a myriad of programs, including mentorship, leadership training, and violence prevention initiatives.
Since founding The Support Group in 1988 with his cousin, NBA Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway, Henry and the organization have worked with more than 150,000 students across Chicago empowering youth to dream bigger, achieve more, and become thriving leaders of their communities with programs such as Youth Peace Ambassadors in Motion (YPAM), Advancing Young Leaders, and the Parent Support Network along with enrichment programs to help kids solve problems and learn about mental and physical conditioning along with nutrition.
“These young people are the future of Chicago,” Hardaway said at TSG’s annual Safe Summer Event at Walter Dyett High School, both after presenting scholarships to eleven students from the Advancing Young Leaders program. “The Support Group is showing what’s possible when we invest in our kids. ”
N’DIGO recently sat down with Henry to learn more about the organization, his origin story, and the recently launched initiatives “It Takes A Village” and 1,000 Businesses.”
N’DIGO: In your own words, who is Bennie Henry?
Bennie Henry: I am a devoted father and grandfather who is deeply committed to advocating for young people. I am an everyday man driven by an extraordinary vision and meaningful goals. Guided by perseverance and purpose, I’m someone who believes in never giving up and refusing to settle for second best. I use my life and leadership to inspire others to reach their full potential.
What are three words family and friends would use to describe you?
Charming, Generous, and Persistent.
How did you find your way to your current path working in the nonprofit space?
I have always loved sports and was an all-star player in high school, which helped me get into college. When I went to college, I discovered I had to make the grades, and that wasn’t my strength, so I never got to play professionally. Still, I knew I was really good, and I had a lot of skills that I could teach others. I started my own basketball team, and we competed all over Chicago. Seven of my players became McDonald All All-Americans, and eventually they were drafted into the NBA. I realized how I could really use sports to get these kids off the streets and give them something to aspire towards. That’s when Tim and I started The Support Group.
Can you tell us a little about your latest initiatives, “It Takes a Village” and “1,000 Businesses for Peace”?
Absolutely. Our It Takes a Village campaign is an outreach to the community to help us sustain and expand our after-school programs. We are taking a proactive approach to impending budget cuts, and we know how important these programs are to our young people and our communities. So we are asking every person to help us raise $500K towards this effort. Similarly, we are reaching out to our business community. We are asking 1000 businesses to donate $1000 to our goal of $1M to help us continue to fight youth violence.
What are some of your day-to-day duties as Executive Director of the organization?
I am blessed to have an amazing team that makes my job easy. We work together to execute the vision of TSG. As a leader, my job is to create an environment where my team feels inspired, motivated, and has the tools needed to thrive and do their best work. I live, eat, and breathe the mission every day. I try to lead by example.
Is there a particular misconception about our Youth that you run into over and over again?
Oh yes! In the media, Chicago Youths are portrayed as deplorables. Don’t get me wrong…recent events have certainly helped to feed that narrative, but I’m here to tell you that’s not the vast majority of our kids. We’ve been honored to work with over 150K students, and many of them are leading incredible lives. Many of them were written off by many. Some still work with us to this day, and we love it when our alumni members reach out to us and get involved in our campaigns to pay it forward!
Best advice you were given as a young man?
The saying “Do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do.” I’ve never forgotten that, and I’m living proof that it works.
Best advice you can give to the youth?
Your net worth is your network! In other words, if you connect yourself with positive people, you’ll get positive results.
Favorite quote or affirmation?
That would have to come from my favorite movie, The Godfather: “I’m old school, I still believe in respect.”
What’s next for Bennie Henry and The Support Group?
We’ve been around for 36 years and gotten some amazing things done, and we want to continue the legacy of changing lives for the next 100 years and beyond. I’d like to see us expand our offering nationally and even globally, adding soccer and volleyball. We also want to help create housing for those who age out of foster care.
The Support Group aims to create a significant impact and unite our communities so we can build together and thrive. As long as only a few are comfortable and many are suffering, we can never be satisfied. We want to see a world where all can thrive. God has certainly provided the resources for us all on the planet. We just need to share with each other. As for me, my one wish is to tell my story to the world. As someone who lost both parents as a child and was raised by my sister, just 5 years older than me, by all accounts, I should have been a victim of the streets. But I learned to channel adversity into success, and boy, what a ride! There’s so much I have to share that I know can benefit so many people.
For more information on The Support Group, please visit them at www.thesupportgroup.org and connect with them across social media at @TheSupportGroupChicago
