Will Keeps

William Holmes aka Will Keeps is from Chicago, Illinois. He was born into a life where at age 7 he was sexually abused by his step father. At that time, his home was no longer a place that was safe and secure, a place where he no longer called home. Due to the sexual abuse, Will was left feeling confused, sad, angry and searching for answers over t... he next several years. In Wills journey to find answers, he learned that what he really wanted was a loving father and mother that would protect him and love him unconditionally. Just like many other young teenage boys in similar situations, they did not find that love in their own home, so they look for that love and protection in the form of a gang. Will found his love and protection with The Blackstones gang in Chicago. At an early age of 13, Will found himself living the lifestyle of a gang member. This lifestyle went from feeling powerful, cared for and protected to almost losing his life and seeing others die. At age 15, he witnessed his friend being murdered by a rival gang and when the gun was pointed to his head, the gun jammed. Will was then beaten almost to death. The gang cut him with knives and beat him with a baseball bat. Will was left for dead. Gratefully, Will survived and this was the beginning of his journey to saving others lives. Will moved to Des Moines in his 20s and began a new life where he wanted to focus on his future and how he wanted to be remembered. He wanted to make a change for others so they dont have to go through life without feeling cared for, loved, or being in a home where they can feel safe. His legacy started with giving back to his community and to youth who are faced with similar situations that he was in. He began mentoring youth on a daily basis as a team member of the ManUp Iowa program for at risk youth. Will found that his true God given abilities were helping others and empowering them to go down a better pathone he wishes he would have had the opportunity to go down when he was younger. Will is busy inspiring at risk ...Read More