Meet Adrian

Adrian loves Vincent Van Gogh. At 13 years of age, he is one of the few youth in his Crown Heights neighborhood who has even heard the name Van Gogh. But he has. And Adrian has become quite the artist himself.

In fact, he loves to paint because, when he finishes a painting, he says that he feels like a 'real' artist. You can see from the photo that he has talent.

Adrian dreams of graduating high school and attending college.  He says that his mom is his inspiration because, "she pushes me hard to do my homework so I can go to college!"

In addition to studying, Adrian enjoys playing dodge ball, basketball, and swimming in the community pool and at the beach.

He may seem like a typical kid, but when you think about where he lives, you'll realize he is atypical. Many of his adult neighbors are illiterate and have not graduated high school. The area around his house has become a hot bed of gang violence in recent years.

And yet, Adrian continues to paint. And swim. And do his homework. He is lucky. Every day he comes to the Crown Heights Community Center where our staff works with him to achieve his goals.

Adrian's art will be auctioned off on September 22^nd at Lifeline's It's Now! It's Wow! annual fundraiser. All proceeds will support the youth development programs that keep Adrian and his friends off of the streets and focused on positive, healthy activities.

Please support Adrian and his friends by joining us for It's Now! It's Wow! Get your tickets today. For more information, please visit http://www.nclifeline.org/iniw/.