Meet The Founder
In May 2005, Leon Gatewood was startled to learn that only one in eight black boys in Anson County knew how to read.
“If only one in eight black boys are reading at grade level, something’s missing,” he said.
As a result, Gatewood started a nonprofit organization designed to help young people succeed. HOLLA!, which stands for Helping Our Loved Ones Learn & Achieve, was created with a fairly simple goal – to improve achievement levels of our children in the county’s school system.
HOLLA! is working to persistently build a community network designed to produce motivated parents and children. “We are building a community where there are fewer reasons and/or excuses to fail,” Gatewood said.
Address from the Founder
One day while setting up the sound system at a Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast in my hometown of Wadesboro, NC, Michael McLeod, the high school principal, insisted I hear him out. “Only 54% of my students are reading on grade level,” he exclaimed.
Later that day, I attended Martin Luther King, Jr Day Luncheon in neighboring Richmond County. The speaker, Ms. Glenda Manning, opened her presentation with the story of the Masai Tribe. “The Masai are of the mightiest tribes of all of Africa,” she said. She added that the elders of the tribe started each day by asking themselves, “How are the children?” The traditional greeting exchanged among Masai warriors is, “Casserian Engeri” translated as “how are the children?”. Even today, this greeting is still in use and it acknowledges the high value that the Masai place on the well-being of its children. The peace, safety, and protection of the young and powerless were and still are the priority.
One day while setting up the sound system at a Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast in my hometown of Wadesboro, NC, Michael McLeod, the high school principal, insisted I hear him out. “Only 54% of my students are reading on grade level,” he exclaimed.
Later that day, I attended Martin Luther King, Jr Day Luncheon in neighboring Richmond County. The speaker, Ms. Glenda Manning, opens her presentation with the story of the Masai Tribe. “The Masai are of the mightiest tribes of all of Africa,” she said. She added that the elders of the tribe started each day by asking themselves, “How are the children?” The traditional greeting exchanged among Masai warriors is, “Casserian Engeri” translated as “how are the children?”. Even today, this greeting is still in use and it acknowledges the high value that the Masai place on the well-being of its children. The peace, safety, and protection of the young and powerless were, and still are the priority.
It is no secret that failures in school lead to failures in life (e.g. poverty, prison, illness). I wonder how it might affect the consciousness of the children in our own communities if we took to greeting one another in the same way- “And how are the children?”. I wonder if it would begin to make a difference in the reality of how children are thought of or cared for in our community if we heard that greeting exchanged several times a day.
How cool would it be to be able to answer without hesitation, “The children are well! Yes, all of the children are well!”
I challenge you to take time today to ask about AND do something to help the children in our communities.