E.Y.E. Lead Foundation is a Chicago nonprofit started by one man who wanted to personally affect the lives of young men who need guidance and leadership.
Deshaan Alston was 14 years old when he first met founder Dar'tavous Dorsey.
"He's done nothing but show me how to become a better person for myself," Alston said. "Dorsey's been helping me stay on the path and make sure I don't do anything crazy or out of control."
"His late mother said, 'I really need for you to apply life skills to Deshaan,'" Dorsey recalled.
Now 23, Alston considers Dorsey more than just a mentor.
"That's like my father," Alston said. "I look up to him like a father."
Dorsey admits it wasn't easy to win Alston over.
"You have to have that trusted relation," he said. "With Deshaan, he was ripping and running the block, the streets, in and out of school."
Dorsey started E.Y.E. Lead to bridge the gap for young men in Chicago.
"You have so many young men or boys who can't see themselves out of the four corners of their area," he said.
For the past seven years, he's worked to help change that narrative. He takes the youngsters on camping trips, taking them beyond the circumference of their immediate surroundings and allowing them to see the greatness in the world.
It's made an impact on 15-year-old Jermiah Johnson.
"Taking me out of my comfort zone and putting me in new places showed me things," he said.
Their experiences with E.Y.E. Lead have allowed the young men to go on college tours and experience new perspectives. Dorsey knows how to follow through on these experiences, because he's walking in their shoes.
"You need to understand how people who come from like-minded communities as yours are thriving in different pathways. And it blows their minds nonstop. But the beauty is I do not leave them hanging," Dorsey said. "I put a lot of my own personal funds into what I can do for the Deshaans or the Jays. It's a passion because, yet and still, they need this. They want to see someone who can walk along the pathway with them."
Eye Lead goes a step further and provides housing for young men who are either pushed out of their homes, or in between.
"I purchased a building just for that," Dorsey said. "I have to get a building to allow young people to transition. I always had a dream to have transition leaving a place. I grew up in the system."
Dorsey said too many programs focus solely on school-age teens, but lacks attention on those who either drop out or are without families.
"I made a vow to myself: If I can get out of the trenches, I want to make sure any young person I can encounter who needs a place to stay has one," he said.
And today E.Y.E. Lead — which stands for Exposing our Youth to Excellence and Leadership — is living up to his creed. Just ask Alston.
E.Y.E. Lead Foundation is one of the nonprofits that will benefit from funds raised at Chicago's Race Against Gun Violence on June 5 in Grant Park.
CBS News Chicago has partnered with Strides for Peace as the media sponsor for Chicago's Race Against Gun Violence in Grant Park on June 5. Click here for more information on the fundraiser, how to sign up and our coverage of participating nonprofits.
Jermont Terry
Jermont Terry joined the CBS 2 team in October 2019. He's born and raised on Chicago's South Side. He's happy to return home to report on his community after 18 years of uncovering stories across the country.