(bright upbeat music) - We wanted to have something fun and engaging for the kids so that they would just be entertained enough to stay here.

Because at the end of the day, what really is important, is that for three hours a day, after school, the most crucial and the most vulnerable hours of most kids' lives, we have them in a safe, fun, structured environment.

(bright upbeat music) The genesis for it started about, it had to be about 15 years ago, and I was speaking at a commencement exercise at the juvenile prison in Chicago.

And when I walked into that auditorium, there was this one guy that stood out to me among all the rest because he just looked so mean.

And after it was over, a man walked up to me and said, "My son would like to speak to you, would you mind?"

I said, "Not at all."

And I went to the table and lo and behold, it was that kid that I looked at when I first walked in.

But this time when I saw him, he had tears rolling down his eyes and he looked up at me and he said, "I want to change my life.

I just don't know how."

I got 10 minutes with this kid.

What can I say to him that could really make a difference in his life?

And that haunted me from that day forward.

And I said to myself, "I need to create a space where I could have a more sustained impact on the lives of some of these young people that are experiencing the things that I experienced in my life."

Someone that they could relate to, someone that they could trust, someone that they thought was just like them.

And then one day, I just got the nerves up, and I went to Nikki, my wife, and said, "Hey, how would you like to buy a school?"

And I didn't know what kind of reaction she would give me, but she was like, "Let's do it."

(bright upbeat music) - ART Inc actually stands for Artists Reenvisioning Tomorrow.

It is a nonprofit here in Peoria, Illinois.

(bright upbeat music) - I like to say that we offer a potpourri of arts.

We work with the kids in painting, in drawing, in dance and theater, in music.

- It's fun because you can do a bunch of activities and stuff.

- We have very engaging STEAM, evidence-based curriculums for the children.

So we have three different programs, and from 2:30 to 6:00, the ASALA program for after school, that is a main product of ART Inc, along with other programs like Project Enlightenment and EmpowHer Our Girls.

- Project Enlightenment is a program that we've created for teenage boys to basically teach them some life skills, show them some vocations that they may not have known about, as well as introduce them to some leaders in the community.

So we really push leadership, accountability, and that sort of thing.

- EmpowHer Our Girls is so fun because we get to go on trips.

Oh, and there's also speakers and stuff and they talk about bravery.

- The parents know that their kids are safe and they're also getting the arts along with academic help.

So we do homework help, tutoring, reading help, and things like that.

When you know your child is in a safe space and they're also receiving education, and not only that, they're around people from the community that care about your kids, that, it helps you go to work.

(bright upbeat music) - What we have in terms of the programming is available to anybody in the community.

It's not burdened with cost.

I would also like for the community to be more involved with making this a reality.

You know, we look for volunteers on a regular basis.

We're always trying to incorporate what we do with the kids with the community in some regard.

So just looking for opportunities to partner with organizations and individuals to make this a real community experience.

- ART Inc.

is such a unique space in Peoria that really just values community and values taking people in and making them better than they came in.

- Really thankful and honored that we have so many people behind the scenes making this a reality.

(bright upbeat music) What's more important to me is just looking at the life in these young people.

You know, I walked into a room one day and I said, "Is my best friend in here?"

And every kid in their raised their hand.

Like it's things, it's moments like that, where, you realize you had it wrong when you started this project because when we started this project, we felt that we were getting ready to pour life into them.

But when things like that happen, we realize they're pouring life into us.

- I hope that not only with what we're doing today, but what happens in the next 25, 30 years, they're still empowering, inspiring the community by having this building.

- The sky is the limit and they can do everything that they can put their mind to.

I think it really does a huge change on the community, being able to just produce kids that have a light in them that, you know, they know that they can conquer the world with everything that they do.

Communities should understand that ART Inc.

is just a place where everything blossoms, honestly.

(bright upbeat music)