Chicago's 'Rooftop Pastor' to embark on epic cross-country journey to benefit America's troubled youth
Pastor Corey Brooks, known as "Rooftop Pastor," is preparing to walk 3,000 miles from New York to Los Angeles this September. He said his goal is to raise awareness and funding for community development in Chicago, and for underserved youth across the country.
"Our country has gotten away from God, our families and communities have gotten away from God, and we need a spiritual awakening in America," Brooks told "Fox & Friends" on Tuesday.
"That's one of the reasons why I'm walking across America, to take the hope to people across cities and suburbs and countryside to let them know that we can change things."
Brooks gained national attention in 2011 when he spent 94 days living on the roof of a rundown Chicago motel to protest violence and the deaths of young people in his community. The pastor aimed to raise money to demolish the abandoned motel, which he said had become a hub for drugs and crime.
That demonstration was a success and led to the founding of Project H.O.O.D., a non-profit aimed at helping at-risk youths escape poverty and violence. The organization's website says it provides mentorship, training, and community support to local residents.
"In Chicago, we've taken one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in all of America, and we've transformed it," said Brooks of their previous work.
Now, he wants his latest mission, dubbed the "Walk Across America," to help him aid even more young people. The journey's goal is to raise $25 million in private donations to finish building Project H.O.O.D.'s 90,000-square-foot Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center in Chicago, debt-free. Brooks said he aspires to spread Project H.O.O.D. throughout the country.
"We have a school to put in place. Our goal is to plant Project H.O.O.D. across the country," Brooks said.
"That's one of the reasons why we're walking to raise these funds. It's not just a walk about raising money, but it's a walk about raising merit."
Brooks said the effort has already received support from private citizens, business leaders, and donors.
"We're building a 90,000-square-foot center. And that's because of the help of [the] American people and [the] Fox Network," he said, expressing gratitude to those who have already supported his walk.
Brooks said he hopes his walk will teach others that faith and hard work can help people do great things.
"I really believe America still works," he said. "When we have faith and hard work and vision activated, we can make anything happen in America."
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'It kind of lit a fire,' Tim said. The couple knew their voices could help keep anyone else from losing their child to a tragedy like this one. 'We've got a little bit of a platform here, and this is a way that we can honor Sam,' Sheri said. 'It's also been very healing for us to feel like we may contribute to preventing disasters like this, saving other lives. That at least helped us make some sense of this whole tragedy.' The NTSB investigation into the crash will continue for about another six months but in the meantime, the couple is going to push to make aviation safer in other ways. Fighting for funding for a new air traffic control system is one of their current goals. Sam comes home Nine days after the crash, Sheri and Tim finally went home to Savannah. American Airlines would later provide an aircraft for their son's final trip home. It was an Airbus plane, because the CRJ regional jet Sam flew wasn't large enough to carry a casket in the cargo hold, Tim said. When the plane landed Sam was honored with a water canon salute, and dozens of pilots, including other first officers and young aviators, stood in uniform to greet him. One stood out to Tim – she told him, as he shook her hand, she wouldn't be a pilot if it weren't for Sam. He was her flight instructor and took her on her first lesson. Sam's graveside service was private, but about 500 people attended his public memorial in person, and it was livestreamed. In mid-May, Tim and Sheri went back to the site of the crash to lay a wreath in the water. The Washington DC Harbor Patrol took the couple out in a boat to the exact spot where the plane went down. What they didn't know was they'd be with the first responders who pulled their son out of the water. 'They volunteered to go with us because they felt like they already had a personal connection to us, and they kind of wanted to close that loop,' Sheri said. 'It was a very beautiful moment on the river with them.' Holding the Army accountable It's been six months since Sam died. Tim and Sheri have been to Capitol Hill six times since the crash for hearings and meetings with lawmakers and have reviewed legislation. Often, they are acknowledged in the audience at the start of committee hearings. They don't plan to stop. On Tuesday, they returned to Capitol Hill to help introduce new aviation safety legislation written by Sen. Cruz and supported by the FAA, NTSB, Department of Transportation and other lawmakers. They'll also be at all three days of NTSB investigative hearings at the end of July in Washington. While they want people to remember their son, they also want accountability. Up until this point, Tim and Sheri feel like they have heard from all parties involved, but not much from the Army. 'I feel betrayed,' Tim said. 'I'll be honest with you.' In July, family members of the victims wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Army calling out the Army's refusal to engage with them. On Tuesday, after a private update from the NTSB, the families met with the Army. 'The most disappointing part from the Army's perspective is the reaction to it,' Tim said. 'They've taken the position to hide behind the NTSB and say, 'We can't really do anything or say anything until the final report.' That's just crazy.' While a probable cause of the crash has yet to be determined by the NTSB, the couple does believe the crew aboard the Army Black Hawk were at fault. 'While I do say that they made some mistakes and caused the accident, I'm not going to hold that in my heart, I have to let that go,' Tim said. The couple also reached out to the parents of crew chief Ryan O'Hara, who was in the helicopter on a training mission that fateful night. 'Our hearts really broke for them,' Sheri said, noting O'Hara was Sam's age and had a child. 'They didn't get that support like we got. Social media rallied around us.' To this day, Sheri said, six or seven of the victims of the crash haven't been publicly identified. There's a Flight 5342 Slack channel that shares birthdays and anniversaries of their loved ones. Sheri said May was a hard month full of celebrations that never happened. 'As a pilot, you bear this responsibility to get people safely where they're supposed to go,' Tim said. 'They expected them to get there and they were almost there. It's just heartbreaking.' A life together cut short October 4 will still be celebrated between Tim, Sheri, and Lydia. Plans haven't been finalized, but they know they'll take a trip somewhere to memorialize Sam and what would have been the day he and Lydia were married. Sam met Lydia at a church camp when they were 14 and were really close friends, but she was dating a friend of his at the time. Over the years, they reconnected. About two and a half years ago, on St. Patrick's Day, Sam 'accidentally' introduced his parents to Lydia, after engaging in holiday 'liquid celebrations,' Sheri said laughing. Very quickly, Tim and Sheri saw exactly what their son saw in Lydia. 'She has so much emotional maturity, she really brought out the best in him,' Sheri said. 'They brought out the best in each other.' Last October, just east of Dublin, Ireland, Sam got down on one knee with an emerald ring in hand and asked Lydia to be his wife. In July, Tim, Sheri and Lydia went to Ireland and she showed them where Sam proposed. That spot felt sacred to Sheri – where Sam felt one of the most joyful moments of his life. The three also sat down at a seafood tapas restaurant Sam and Lydia had gone to after she said 'yes.' When their server put their food down, Sheri noticed an airplane tattoo on the server's arm. 'My eyes just filled with tears,' Sherri said. It's those little moments that let them know whether on Capitol Hill, at home in Savanah or deep in Ireland, Sam will be with them forever. Solve the daily Crossword
