Dr. Sydel LeGrande said she’s at war with black on black crime. 

“It’s not to complain. This is a call to action, there’s something that has to be done," said LeGrande.

A new organization, Fruit of Glory Ministries, is aiming to get to the root of the pressing problem by mentoring young people.

“People selling drugs, police always around, people playing music late at night so people can’t sleep and a lot of drama going on," said New Image Youth Center mentee Jean Sylvain. He was describing what goes on every day on the street he lives on.

Dr. LeGrande, who is a minister and medical doctor, said she has a diagnosis for saving and protecting children here in Orlando from what she calls a cycle of hate.

“You see our children have been infected. They have literally become desensitized to the reality of life and death, to the sanctity of life, to the eternity of death.  They don’t get it," Dr. LeGrande explained.

This project is personal for Dr. LeGrande because of the current troubles her own son has with the law, landing him behind bars. 

An example of how mentoring can affect change can be found on Parramore Avenue at the New Image Youth Center. 

 “I would say it had an impact on me because my parents, they’re Haitian. So they wouldn’t understand things like my homework. So I come here and I always know that I have somewhere to come to," explained 11-year-old mentee Christopher Amervil, who has been attending New Image Youth Center since he was four years old.

“It helps me stay off the streets, stay out of all of those troubles. It’s like a second home for me," Sylvain added.

Dr. Shanta Barton-Stubbs, co-founder of the New Image Youth Center, said there can never be too many mentoring programs in Orlando and even though she has successfully molded young people in Parramore for the past 11 years, she’s had her fair share of challenges. 

“Funding is an issue. There are many days I’m crying not knowing what’s next,” Dr. Barton-Stubbs explained.  “But if you want to see our youth be positive individuals, grow up and be successful citizens, then it takes more than me, it takes more than my board [of directors], it takes more than the business down the street, but it takes a village and it’s time for that village to stand up and let’s get the work done."

Dr. LeGrande’s vision is a three-year pilot after-school program for students between the ages of four to eight in Pine Hills and Parramore.

“What I want to do is develop a curriculum, something that will be in our schools, starting at the age of four years old. You see we can do something with the kids between the ages of four and eight.  Once they get older, they have to make their own decisions. But we can mold children between the ages of four and eight," Dr. LeGrande said.