Jerome Williams Is Fighting Hopelessness With Community Investment


Jerome Williams hasn’t participated in an NBA game as a player since 2005 but the now 43-year-old isn’t done making an impact through the game that provided his livelihood for nearly a decade. The former NBA forward has been a pillar in the community for quite some time, beginning long before his retirement from professional basketball, and Williams is bringing that goodwill to the table yet again with a new program called Shooting For Peace.

The program is highlighted in a recent video from Boost Mobile and it reflects positively on Williams and the work being put forth by the initiative. Williams’ words echo throughout the piece of media and his message of positivity and uplifting spirit are widely evident in every part of his being.

“Sometimes, it’s not what you say, it’s what you do,” Williams said. “I don’t necessarily have to say something to a kid to get their attention. It’s your air, your presence, your emotion, your eye-to-eye contact. Just looking in a kid’s eyes and you showing that you’re present with them for two seconds could speak volumes more than a ten-minute conversation about nothing.”

Shooting For Peace features a wide range of events including programs targeted at literacy, creative writing contests and seminars and, as featured in the video, basketball games including greats from the sport’s past and present. While the mission is practical in nature, Williams appears dedicated to creating hope in the community at-large and gradually lifting the spirits of those who are less fortunate.

Within the construct of the montage, Williams sheds light on the hopelessness that can set in within portions of the community and the best way to combat the potentially overwhelming feeling.

“The one resource that a lot of people have,” Williams says, “that they don’t understand that they have, is hope. When we can deliver hope to communities, to kids, you take them further away from hopeless. Because hopeless is where the problems start.”

Shooting For Peace isn’t Williams’ first contribution in a non-profit, community-oriented sense, as he previously served with initiatives like NBA Cares and NBA Fit, while also participating as an NBA Goodwill Ambassador to various countries around the world. That, in addition to his work with the NBA’s “Basketball Without Borders” program bring immediate credibility to the table, and the fact that he arrives with the reputation of hard work and the relentless spirit embodied in the “Junkyard Dog” moniker makes it clear that Williams is dedicated to improving the world around him.

Not every former professional athlete can operate a program such as this and, in Williams’ case, another charity in the form of the JYD P.R.O.J.E.C.T that is dedicated to its mission to “unify people of all nationalities in a collective effort to save our kids.” With that said, the spirit of community displayed through this venture is quite evident and the impact made is both visible and potentially long-lasting given the buy-in of those around and within its gravity.

Jerome Williams is taking full advantage of the recognition, wealth and recognizability that his NBA career produced and spinning that into a productive form that can improve the lives of others. Within the opening seconds of the video, the question of “Who is the person that changed your life?” is presented and that can mean a variety of different things. Yes, direct impact and continuous relationships are invaluable, with many of those forming from the family dynamic, and they are largely irreplaceable.

Still, Williams and Shooting For Peace outline the distinct possibility that simply showing up, investing and caring for your fellow man can go an incredibly long way and the message cuts through in a big way.

Die-hard basketball fans undoubtedly recognize and recall the work of the “Junkyard Dog” in a way that casual NBA viewers or those of a younger generation simply would not. Jerome Williams, though, is more than simply a retired professional basketball player and he personifies what it is to be a beacon of light in a world where problems begin, as he says, from the feeling of hopelessness.

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