Ricardo Waddy has been working with at-risk youth for the last six years throughout the Altgeld and Roseland community. He noticed a void of positive men within the 9th ward of Chicago. While working as the assistant dean at CICS Larry Hawkins, Ricardo realized the effect and relationships he had built with the students from his community. At this time, he felt it was the perfect opportunity to create programs for the youth. Ricardo Waddy is the founder of the Altgeld Boys TO Men Mentoring breakfast and the reading initiative Books Over Bullets. The mentoring breakfast is within its third year as of May 2014 and proudly serving an average of 100 men and at-risk males each year. Ricardo is also the creator of “Books Over Bullets”, a six-week summer reading program for at-risk students. Ricardo is currently enrolled in college to earn a bachelors degree in business administration.