RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — The HOOD program, also known as the House of Opportunity and Dreams, has three main pillars:

Youth mentoring, community support for at-risk families and youth, and Volunteer Village fundraising.

Each step of the HOOD program is an accumulation of David Townsend’s life experiences.

“The aha moment was kind of from the movie ‘Field of Dreams,’ if you build it, they will come,” Townsend said.

Townsend built a program to educate at-risk youth and young adults.

“I discovered the ability to raise money by doing concessions, so I asked a few kids to help me do concessions and one thing led to another,” Townsend noted.

Townsend has been a teacher at Madison Middle School for four years. He continues to work as a special education teacher and through the Hood program, he has raised nearly $350,000 since its launch in 2014. He says he approached this subject with a servant’s heart after 25 years of service in the military.

“I got into the social work field. You have this burning desire to want to do more to try to help your community, to help the world,” Townsend said.

Townsend shares a passion for community service with a HOOD director who has organized trips abroad with children from the program in recent years.

“We’re in central Kentucky and seeing the perspective beyond Richmond and Madison County provides so much experience for these kids,” Amber Snell said.

Jeremy Cain-Hoover and Raysha Walker reflect on their time in Germany, Austria and Switzerland as they flip through the pages of a book of photos from their trip.

“Oh my God, this trip was amazing, and it was my first trip ever… first plane ride, first of all, and it changed my life forever. I see the world
differently,” Walker said.

“It definitely impacted my life to see how different America is from other countries,” Cain-Hoover added.

Serenity Allen and Rose Snell visited Paris and London.

“I’m ready to go back to somewhere else. I’m ready to travel the world,” Rose Snell said.

“Everything everywhere is unique and that’s really what I love to experience,” Allen noted.

Experience gained from concession stands at the UK games helped raise funds to build a group home for HOOD in Broadhead.

“Kids want someone positive around them and they want something positive to do, and if you offer them those things, they’re willing to come back. If we can offer them those things in their lives, then can -maybe it will replace some of those negative things that they don’t need,” Townsend said.

They learn the skills and the bond Townsend creates, leaving a lasting impression.

Townsend’s program also continues to award scholarships while donating gifts and coats to children at Christmas.