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Our July Man of the Month is Alonzo Ramon Stallworth, also known as rapper and producer King Yadee, as well as founder of Th3 Block Development.
Alonzo, a Detroit native, grew up wanting to pursue his passion for music. After graduating from Henry Ford High School, Stallworth launched his music production company, Stash House, in Detroit and started using his influence to encourage youth to get involved with the company to avoid selling drugs and participating in gang activity. Stallworth eventually expanded his music business to Atlanta, Georgia and was amazed at the impact he had when it came to guiding teens and young adults in a positive direction. From there he decided to capitalize on a skill set he learned from working with his father - renovating properties and construction development. Stallworth founded Th3 Block Development to help provide youth with valuable life skills while also transforming neighborhoods throughout the city of Detroit.
Stallworth started Th3 Block Development in 2018 after returning to his old neighborhood near West Seven Mile Road and the Southfield Freeway. Through his company, Stallworth purchased and rehabbed five homes in the area for families to rent and reside in. Not only does Th3 Block Development help beautify neighborhoods, but the organization also works to provide jobs and other much-needed resources to help transforms the lives of those participating in programming. To date, Stallworth has trained more than 100 young men and women in building construction and renovation; a rotating crew of about 10 staffers help with projects on a regular basis. Stallworth and his employees currently use their own funds to purchase the homes that they currently work on and plan to redevelop. In the future, they plan to launch a non-profit sector for the organization to secure grants and additional funding.
“You’ve got to have a passion for this work,” said Alonzo Ramon Stallworth. “You really have to love this work because the money won’t come pouring in immediately, but it will show up eventually. I’m living proof of that.”
Following the organization’s motto “Building Th3 Community While Building Th3 Youth 1 Block @ A Time,” Stallworth plans to expand Th3 Block Development to various neighborhoods throughout Detroit and even use this model to build up other cities across the country as well.
To learn more about Th3 Block Development, visit https://www.th3blockdevelopment.com/.