ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Rockford City Council approved $25,000 in funding for a youth lawn mowing program by Zion West Enterprises on Monday night. The funding would mark the program’s 10th year of providing opportunities for young adults.
The core of the Zion West Enterprises’ program offers participants lawn care skills. However, Reverend Marvin Hightower Sr. said the biggest impact on participants and the Ellis neighborhood comes from the extra life skills and lessons. Zion West has operated this lawn care outreach program since 2016.
The program originally started as an initiative to give young adults with a troubled past a second chance. Reverend Marvin Hightower Sr., Community Outreach Leader, explained the program’s foundational idea. “So we came up with the idea of allowing them to learn about skill in a positive way,” Hightower said. Participants in the program are paid like employees through the city’s contract…