Metro Atlanta organization starts violence prevention camp in Lagrange

LAGRANGE, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Saving Georgia’s young men, before it’s too late, that’s the mission of one group that just started a camp this week.

Bruce Griggs, Founder of Operation Correct Start, started a campaign in LaGrange this year, with the goal of keeping boys alive, free, and away from violence.

“Usually, programs wait until after the fact. The City of LaGrange has taken an aggressive approach. We started out with the ‘Call to Manhood’ which was at the Great Wolf Lodge. It was a three-day Boys to Men Conference, where we brought the police department, City of LaGrange brought in kids that were referred to us from juvenile court,” Griggs said.

Back in 1995, Griggs started ‘Operation Correct Start, after years of battling his own struggles.

“Operation Correct Start was the initial umbrella that I started back in 1995. I was suffering from a career-ending injury working for the City of Atlanta. I was recovering cocaine addicted coming from the employee assistance,” Griggs said.

Since then, he’s created a number of programs, feeling divinely inspired to keep Georgia’s kids from going down a dangerous path.

“What we do with our organizations, is we teach the kids and the parents that are involved that violence is a disease. It’s a public health issue,” Griggs said. “We teach that these kids are infected, that they’re not bad. Once they realize that they’re infected they want to get well. They look to themselves. They’re infected with social HIV. Hood infectious virus,” Griggs said.

“If social HIV is not attended to, then it turns to full-blown AIDS. Addiction to Incarceration and the Death Syndrome. They’re either going to die or go to jail. We got to do something. So, what we’re doing is, we’re intervening before they get to 15, before they get into juvenile court. Before they start going to ISS,” Griggs said. “You’ve got to get to these kids early,” he said.

The ‘Saving Our Sons—Boys to Men Summer Camp started June 5-July 30th in LaGrange. It’s for ages eight to 15 years old. Griggs said the City of LaGrange is working closely with his organization, adding that the City picked kids who are struggling with things like anger, to go through the program.

“There’s an epidemic of especially youth gun violence in the black community and we have to start looking at as a health issue as opposed to being a social issue,” Griggs said. “God has mandated me to do this work. I have suffered from some of the anger. I’ve suffered from some of the fear and some of the pain that these kids go through,” he said.

The eight-week rite of passage program focuses on anger management and violence prevention. The kids are going on attending field trips in the state and out of state. They also have weekly classes learning things about spirituality, African American History, personal development, hygiene, education and careers, and more.

Griggs also said the kids are getting $100 a week to stay alive and free.

“We’re going to make sure these kids can have ample school supplies, clothes and clothes. That’s $800 you get to go back to school. The thing is kids can’t miss,” Griggs said.

Griggs hopes by the end, each kid takes away a big lesson.

“That I can do anything through God. If they don’t get anything else from the experience. You can’t give up. Always be a man. Never give up,” Griggs said.

Griggs said the organization welcomes any help to assist more children. He said any help should be sent to LaGrange Police Foundation –Attention: Saving Our Sons Campaign.

Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved.