CLEVELAND — Delonte Hawkins leads thousands to laughter through his Instagram account. The local comedian calls his movement “Comedy with A Purpose.” Hawkins said he aims to do more than make people laugh, he intends to raise community awareness about depression, anxiety and poverty.
A recent video of his suggested news stations won’t cover anything positive. Hawkins was referring to video he had recorded of teens building a community garden.
"Never thought I’d be out here growing greens,” said Trey Hopkins.
The garden was grown from the rubble of a seedy house. Hopkins is one of dozens of youth volunteers that Hawkins’ friend, Stephen Walker works with.
"The selling piece was: We all need to help each other,” said Hopkins.
They've spent much of the summer working five days a week. The whole crew built the garden. Steve pays through mentorship and there’s no cash exchanged because the 12-hour days offer a wealth of wisdom.
"I love him, man. He's like a brother to me,“ said Hopkins.
Depression and anxiety are sometimes lead characters in Hawkins’ sketches.
"I call them "stay woke" videos,” said Hawkins.
He works to weed out stigmas, hoping to awaken folks to the urgency of mental wellness. Including people who will soon run the community.
"I know I’ve been through things,” said Hopkins.
"You never know what's going on at home. You never know what's going on in a person's background,” said Hopkins.
Upcoming community events can be found here.
