Hope Lives on Parkway Drive

You could say Richard Burrell has seen it all. Not because he wanted to, but because it was the life he was born into. A life that could have ended in addiction, prison, gangs, or even death at a young age. A life that could have made him hard and cynical. 

Instead, he turned his energy to helping kids who are where he was, literally. Richard grew up on Parkway Drive, long seen as Fresno’s epicenter of crime, poverty, and despair. 

On a spring day in 2012, long removed from a childhood shaped by trauma, Richard went back to Parkway Drive. As he sat in his truck, he saw several children playing in a parking lot near a raw sewage drain. He would later learn it was one of the few “safe” spaces in an area overrun with sex offenders, human trafficking, drugs, and violence. He felt an immense calling to do something.

What he did was simple yet profound. Richard grabbed his guitar and sang a song. Then he kicked a soccer ball around with one of the kids, who asked one question: when would Richard be back? Richard made a promise to return two days later. For the next two years, he went back twice a week. 

“I didn’t know anything about 501(c)(3), nonprofits, CBOs (community-based organizations),” Richard said. “All I knew was that there were 40 kids living at a motel who had huge, huge challenges in front of them. I took a portion of my work check to invest in the lives of those children. We started an after-school lunch program, then an art program, and then a music program.”

This unorthodox and grassroots approach to community outreach caught the attention of the Central Valley Community Foundation, which provides funding and other support to Live Again Fresno. 

“It’s incredible what the Central Valley Community Foundation has done for us,” Richard said. “Their funding has created jobs for people who live right here on Parkway Drive. But it’s more than money, it’s a relationship. They have an open door to their office, and they let us use what we need to get our work done. We have mentors and resources to help us help more people.”

In return, Richard is changing our community for the better, one life at a time.

“These kids had no say in where they were born, and who, through no fault of their own, are in very tough situations. Together we’re showing them that hope is real and that it exists even in the darkest places,” Richard said.

Learn more about Live Again Fresno by visiting their website https://liveagainfresno.org/. 

Richard’s story is part of the Central Valley Community Foundation’s initiative, “Sixty Stories of Impact,” to mark 60 years since our founding. We invite you to join us in celebrating this milestone throughout the year. To learn more, visit us at centralvalleycf.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn @centralvalleycf.