Malaak Rock, wife of comedian Chris Rock, has chosen to give back to her community. For the past year, the 40-year-old mother of 2 young girls, has been mentoring teens at the Salvation Army Bushwick Community Center in Brooklyn, New York. Rock said she was drawn there to start her program, Journey for Change, because it’s where her husband hung out when he was young.
“I believe in these kids. I’ve gotten to know them. I know their innermost secrets,” said Malaak. When Malaak mentors, she invests herself completely. She takes them out to movies, tours colleges with them, and has even taken them on a trip to South Africa.
“I want them to realize that yes, you may live in the projects, you may not have the best school, but you have the ability to go to school. When you compare it to the type of global poverty that they experienced in the shantytowns in South Africa – it’s different,” said Malaak.
“She does things to open my mind,” said 16-year-old Shawn Todd, one of her students. The program is currently helping 30 kids who were chosen through essays, interviews, and recommendations.
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