If you stepped inside Tyrique’s community center on Taney Street in South Philadelphia, you’d witness a nice man devoting his working hours to helping his neighborhood’s youngsters.

What you wouldn’t see is Tyrique Glasgow’s long, difficult, and terrible journey to get there, which included drug dealing, crime, prison, and 11 gunshot wounds.

“When you run a block, you’re like the face. You are the only person in that community who is aware of what is going on.

Glasgow, now 39, said CNN, “You define the rules and the limitations.” “It’s a risky way of life, but it’s a normal way of life.”

“I was weary of my community following me in the wrong direction, and I wanted them to follow me in the right direction,” he explained. “The kids gave me a sense of purpose.”

Glasgow is nominated for a CNN Hero award today. He manages the community center out of a facility he previously used for drug selling, and it now provides a secure space for children to attend summer camps, afterschool activities, or simply play and get away from the violence and misery that has become all too typical in the region.

He coaches a flag football team, a girls’ dance squad, and heads the Young Chances Foundation, which provides secure environments for urban adolescents and low-income families to grow and thrive.

He just transformed an ugly and known drug cache into a community vegetable plot.

His method of activities and community roundtable discussions with police officers has had a remarkable influence on the well-being of his neighborhood, with shooting rates falling dramatically within the 17th police district despite growing elsewhere in the city.

Glasgow’s work does not stop with youth; he also connects people with addiction treatment, rental aid, GED programs, and mental health counseling.

“It helps alleviate poverty, stress, and trauma, and when your quality of life improves, crime decreases,” Glasgow explained.

“I aim to bring folks to the table so they don’t end up on the menu.” Because I don’t point the blame at them, they accept me. I see myself when I look at them. “I’m among them.”