Today we’d like to introduce you to Bennie Hicks
Hi Bennie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Bennie Hicks I’m currently the president of a mens nonprofit organization called SDS Gents Support Determines Success. We started this organization back in 2012 when the owner of Swing Dance Studio Tommy Smith asked if I would take over the men that came to make sure all the ladies would get a dance on 2nd Saturday’s. I told him my vision and asked that I meet with men to men and told about my vision of it’s more than a dance and that we have the opportunity to give back to the community in some kind of matter. We came up with a project of giving box fans to seniors in the low income area of Ft Worth. We rented Swing Dance Studio as a way to getting proceeds to purchase the fans which we purchased over 100 box fans and purchased a small window unit for a older lady that had no type of cooling in her home.
We have went from box fans to scholarships in the years we’ve been in existence. We have discovered other ways of raising funds for giving school supplies to children and toy drive for kids that may not receive anything for Christmas. We currently have 20 outstanding men in our organization that are God fearing and love for the unfortunate regardless of color.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We continue to struggle with funding which limits us to how much we can give and help people in the community. People are skeptical when they see a group of men trying to be honest and doing good deeds in the DFW communities. We have been able to keep our heads above water and make do with what we have knowing we will bless someone may not be as many as we want but we know God knows our hearts.
Blessing others is first on our mind.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I was a technical professional in a call center. I worked with health insurance companies to implement call center technology. I also had to set up and install servers to work with a vendor on getting them on the network. I worked on having them route calls via an 800 number to that location. When I entered the field, I did not know anything about call centers, but through self-determination and hard work, I was able to expand my knowledge and experience in this field for over 20 years before retiring. All of my life I’ve been a giver. That was my calling from God. I’m always thinking about ways to help others. Deep in my heart, I know that helping others is the purpose of my life.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
People who know me may say that I’m caring and devoted in making things happen for the good. They would say that I’m a loving person that cares for others more than himself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sdsgents.org
- Instagram: sds.gents
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDSGENTS
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sds+gents
Image Credits
Friends to Feed The Homeless Thanksgiving Dinner 2nd Saturday
