Anthony Santora and Ricky Graham are best friends. Maybe it’s because the two 18 year-olds work together as cooks and deliverymen at d’Bronx Deli in Crown Center…maybe it’s because they both dropped out of high school, realized they made a mistake, and went back for their GEDs…or maybe it’s because they’re both studying computer programming at the Community College.
Whatever
the reason, they get along great. Sometimes they talk about sports, sometimes
it’s girls and sometimes they talk about problems in the world and what it
would take to change them. Things like, why are so many people homeless? Why
don’t more teenagers finish school? What happens to kids who can’t afford
to see the doctor or dentist? Eventually, Anthony and Ricky grew tired of
asking questions and decided to do something about the problems they see.
Together, they established the "New Society." Its goal is encouraging people to using their idle time to help others, instead of just wasting it. Anthony said, "We had plenty of ideas, but we knew we’d have a tough time convincing adults and business leaders to trust us and take us seriously. We needed credibility and direction." After talking it over, they decided to approach United Way.
As they met with United Way,
Anthony and Ricky began to realize that many of the issues they care about are
being addressed by United Way. Things like providing shelter for homeless men
and women at night (reStart); clothing for families who can’t afford to buy
their own (Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries, Don Bosco Center, Salvation Army,
Helping Hand of Goodwill, etc.); and Alternative Education and GED programs
for those who don’t finish school (Genesis, DeLaSalle Education Center,
Guadalupe Center, etc.).
Instead of trying to re-invent the wheel, Anthony and Ricky decided they could
accomplish more by helping United Way and the agencies it funds. They
approached d’Bronx owner, Robert Bloom, and asked if they could approach
their co-workers about putting part of their tips into a fund for United Way.
The teens are leading by example, putting all their tips into the fund. Ricky
says, "I don’t miss it. I usually spent it all on pop or video games
anyway."
The two creative teens also got Mr. Bloom’s permission to start putting stories about people who’ve been helped by United Way funded programs into delivered box lunches from d’Bronx. Mr. Bloom said, "Their enthusiasm and determination convinced me they’re serious and they won’t quit after a month or two. I applaud their efforts." In addition to putting United Way Success Stories into d’Bronx box lunches, Bloom agreed to match whatever employees contributed to United Way.
This week Anthony, Ricky and Robert presented United Way with a check for $250. Half is from the tips of d’Bronx employees over the past three weeks, and half from the deli. D’Bronx’s dynamic duo feels good about what they’re doing, but they want to do more. So they’ve begun picking up clothing donations for the Salvation Army. They delivered their first van full of clothing last Thursday.
"Why not?" said Anthony, "I don’t have to be at school until 8 o’clock tomorrow morning and I’m only working from 10-3. That leaves plenty of time to help somebody else along the way. I hope others join us in shaping the ‘New Society,’ or do something else to help people in need." He added, "United Way Volunteer Center would be a great place to start."