Kids Off the Block: The Inspiring True Story of One Woman's Quest to Protect Chicago's Most Vulnerable Youth
"What can I do?"
That was the question Diane Latiker asked of herself as she watched
the teens in her Chicago neighborhood succumb at an alarming rate
to gangs and gun violence. Her answer started small, inviting ten
kids into her living room to talk about their struggles and dreams.
But over the years it grew. With the help of God, her family, and
many other people along the way, Diane's Kids Off the Block morphed
from a personal crusade to do what she could into a nationally
known program that has helped more than 3,000 at-risk Chicago
teens.
In this powerful, energizing book, she tells her incredible story
to men and women who are sick of sitting behind their keyboards
watching the world crumble and are ready to do something to
make a difference. Through doubt, financial strain, and deep grief
over lives lost, Diane has never lost her faith that God called her
to this life-transforming work. In these pages she'll show you that
God is calling you to do something too. Maybe something that feels
small . . . definitely something that will change the world.
- Title: Kids Off the Block: The Inspiring True Story of One Woman's Quest to Protect Chicago's Most Vulnerable Youth
- Authors: Diane Latiker, Bethany Mauger, Bill Duke
- Publisher: Baker
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2020
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781493427918, 1493427911
- Resource ID: LLS:9781493427918
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-12-07T02:04:41Z
Diane Latiker was a CNN Top Ten Hero of the Year in 2011
for her tireless work with at-risk Chicago teens. Recipient of the
2013 BET Shine a Light Award, she is an in-demand speaker and has
been featured by national media outlets, such as NBC News, CBS
News, NPR's Weekend Edition, Ebony magazine,
Time magazine, the Huffington Post, USA Today,
and more. In 2019, she spoke at the US House Judiciary Committee's
first hearing on gun violence in years, and she has just graduated
from the Goldin Institute as a 2019 Chicago Peace Fellow. Latiker
lives in Chicago with her husband and their eight children.
Bethany Mauger is the coauthor of Free Cyntoia: My Search
for Redemption in the American Prison System, as well as an
award-winning journalist who has spent more than a decade writing
about everything from the Great Recession to inspiring stories of
people making a difference. Recognized by the Hoosier State Press
Association for her local coverage of various issues ranging from
the economy to community service, Mauger lives in Lansing,
Michigan, with her husband and two young sons.