Although Kirk Brown left his native Jamaica to build a new life for himself in South Florida at age 17, he was less interested in his own needs and more concerned about the lives of impoverished area residents.
“I saw a lot of homeless people and thought, ‘I’m going to fix that,’” he recalls.
Brown, now 43, has spent the intervening years moving toward that goal, perhaps most notably as the CEO of HANDY, which stands for Helping Abused Neglected Disadvantaged Youth. The Fort Lauderdale nonprofit provides underserved youth, from 9 to 25 years old, with life skills, education and support to launch them into productive adulthoods. Staffers and volunteers teach program participants everything from how to shake hands during a job interview to how to make a dental appointment.
“We function as a family,” Brown says. “We have had staff and volunteers drive 10 hours to take kids to college visits. We teach them how to make their beds, grocery shop. And we teach them how to present themselves. Your personal brand is very important.”
The Tamarac resident remembers when HANDY, which was founded in 1985, was primarily a clothing bank. Back then, he was a social worker and often helped his charges find clothes there. They also enjoyed the organization’s additional offerings, like attending sleep-away camps and other activities to which they had never been exposed. HANDY leaders noticed Brown’s involvement and recruited him to join the nonprofit 17 years ago.
Although his leadership has boosted HANDY into a veritable powerhouse, he prefers to talk about others – especially the graduating scholars, Champions of Children and LegacyAward winners who will be celebrated at the 14th Annual Scholars Breakfast in May. The event is a special time for Brown and his team.
“One of the saddest moments I had as a social worker was when I attended one of my kid’s college graduations,” he recalls. “When my kid walked across the stage, I jumped up and was yelling and applauding. I was the only one. At this breakfast, we will have 600 people celebrating kids who were abused and abandoned. They could have quit, but they didn’t. That’s what we celebrate.” O
For more information, call 954-522-2911 or visit handyinc.org.
