Walter Bremond started it. Danny Bakewell Sr. built it. And now, Charisse Bremond-Weaver is growing it.
Walter Bremond had a dream of an organization in the community that would support locals. In 1968, he and a small group founded the Brotherhood Crusade on a $15,000 personal note from Bank of America.
As part of its mission, the Brotherhood Crusade has raised and distributed more than $40 million in the South Los Angeles community.
Under Bakewell's leadership, the Crusade became well-known. He established a framework for fundraising that includes making payroll deduction plans available for employees of cities, the county, and state who wish to donate to the organization. Bakewell also established relationships with private corporations and launched other aggressive fundraising initiatives.
"He built the institution into one that was known and respected," said Brenda Marsh-Mitchell, Bakewell's longtime executive assistant.
With Bakewell at the helm, the Crusade became a partner of the United Way and provided financial assistance to organizations including the Minority Aids Project, Jenesse Center domestic violence intervention program, Dickerson Lighted School, and several others.
Former Compton City Councilwoman Deloris Zurita helped start the Dickerson Lighted School program in 1968 at Dickerson Elementary School.
Dickerson began as an after-school program and has since evolved into the senior citizen Meals-On-Wheels program.
Zurita said that although Bakewell helped the Crusade become a success, he never forgot her program.
The two organizations worked together in past years to provide Thanksgiving dinners to the needy. Zurita said that donations the Meals-On-Wheels program has received from the Crusade over the years have been instrumental in keeping the program afloat.
"The (funds) from the Crusade help offset the cost for those seniors who cannot give or afford the $2.50 donation," she said. "Otherwise, we would have come up short $10,000 to $20,000 at the end of the year."
Nearly four years ago, Bakewell stepped down, and the reins were handed over to Charisse Bremond-Weaver, the founder's daughter. While the Crusade continues its original mission of providing funding for local organizations, Bremond-Weaver has taken the organization to the next level by providing programs and services.
"We did not run programs at the Brotherhood; we were too busy," Marsh-Mitchell said. "What Charisse has done is not only ... (bring) in money to give to organizations, but she's running programs. She has done a marvelous job of bringing in other services."
Among the services Brotherhood offers is the financial literacy program Taking Financial Control Money Management, designed to aid youth.
"If they (the youth) save up to $1,000 the Brotherhood matches $2,000, so it's a 2-1 match. They can use the money to go to college, start a business," Bremond-Weaver said.
In August, the program's participants went to a Toyota facility where they learned about purchasing a vehicle and understanding what a monthly note and down payment is. Participants also toured a new home where they learned about the housing market and purchasing a home.
"We're giving them real-life experience they would never get," said Bremond-Weaver, who became executive director in January 2006.
Another program is the Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program, a collaborative effort with the city of Los Angeles for the southwest area. Over the next year, the Crusade will aim to work with 200 youth and their families by offering services including mental health, academic assessment, and recreational activities to deter them from gang involvement.
Actor William Allen Young of "Moesha" fame was a featured guest speaker at a camp outing in the Santa Monica Mountains for participants in the gang reduction program.
Allen said the program provides encouragement and support to former incarcerated kids that others have given up on.
"They are reaching out to kids who are on the fringe, reaching out to those who are not only at risk of being lost, but some who are lost and trying to be found again," said Young, founder of The Young Center for Academic and Cultural Enrichment, a nonprofit organization that offers educational programs to youth. "For those kids, there are not a lot of programs. These are kids that a lot of people are afraid to work with; not the Brotherhood Crusade."
Bremond-Weaver said the Crusade has a 10-year strategy to develop initiatives around health, education, economic development, and institutional building in South L.A.
"When you look at those four core areas ... that is our vision, to serve this community and look at solutions," she said. "I know we are making a difference. When someone stops me and says, 'You saved my life,' I see the work."
For more information on the Brotherhood Crusade, visit www.brotherhoodcrusade.org.
Chico C. Norwood is a writer for the L.A. Watts Times.
Photo courtesy of Mark Ridley-Thomas' office
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