Former FAU & Dwyer running back Gerald Hearns trying to make a difference 'brick by brick'
Lake Worth — Some people get up and go to work. Others are working from home. Former FAU running back and West Palm Beach native, Gerald Hearns, woke up on Tuesday and decided to feed the homeless.
"It was just something that was tickling me knowing that there is a lot going on with riots and protesting and people talking about 'All Lives Matter' and 'Black Lives Matter' and there was something inside of me saying 'there is people in our back yard who really need us," said Hearns.
"I was able to package 150 last week and bring out here, and after that first drive, I was like 'Week two' and now we have week three coming," said Hearns.
Hearns cares about all walks of life. He recently launched the Brick by Brick Academy that is open to all members of the community.
"My mindset has been building 'brick by brick' and now I'm taking a clothing line brand and turning it into an academy, teaching financial literacy, teaching fitness education and doing personal training as well," said the former FAU running back.
You would never know that Hearns childhood was incredibly traumatic. He watched his step father get shot at age of 7.
"He won the lottery and there was a lot of greed for money and they ended up murdering him in front of our house and dragged his body down the street," said Hearns.
"Experiencing that at such a young age I think it just increased my motivation to make sure my brother was taken care of."
"It's about getting up to make a difference, you can only challenge yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror and say you know what, I want to become a better version of myself," said Hearns. "As I'm building, we're all building."
