We Need More André’s

André saw the name light up his phone and felt the pain in his chest before he even answered.

“Hey Dré… you think we could partner and put on a Street2Street tournament for the kids?”

The voice was familiar. So was the weight behind it. This wasn’t about a tournament. This was a confession. A regret. A wish.

André knew what had happened. He had seen the headlines. One wrong night. One bad decision. A moment that changed everything. And now, this kid—his kid—was calling from a hospital bed, knowing what was coming. Thirteen years behind bars. No way out.

André’s mind flashed back.

His first-ever newsletter was about this kid. The pride in his words, the belief he had in him. A pure heart. Gentle. Excited about life. A kid who could’ve made it with the right decisions. André saw it all.

For years, he fought for him. Encouraged him. Showed up for him. Pulled him toward something bigger, while the streets pulled him the other way. One foot in, one foot out. Always on the edge of something better, but …

Always something, someone waiting to take away the word and truth from his heart.

And then came that night.

So many kids from his gang got locked up that night. And André kept thinking, What if he wasn’t there? Would this have been the wake-up call that finally pulled him out?

There’s no way to know. But what André does know is that this one hurt the most.

Because this wasn’t just any kid. This was a kid André walked with for years.

He was supposed to make it.

But he couldn’t see it. André saw the future—the potential, the man he could become. But the kid? He could only see what was right in front of him. The streets. The survival. The now.

And now, locked up, he could finally see everything he wished he had done differently. He wished he had committed to Street2Street. And André wished that too.

So why does Street2Street exist?

Because for every one kid that makes that call from a hospital bed, or falls by the wayside, there are dozens more standing at the same crossroads.

And we need more Andrés.

More people willing to step into these kids’ lives and fight for them. Who believe in them before they can believe in themselves. More people who refuse to give up.

This kid? His story isn’t over. And right now, there’s another kid—standing on that edge, trying to decide which way to go. They need someone to step in. Someone to believe in them. Someone to show them there’s more waiting for them than just what’s right in front of them.