About Our Founder
Pierre Hollins knows the importance of reinforcing communities through their youth. After spending over a decade working with at-risk youth in both education and juvenile justice settings, Hollins noticed the lack of strong positive male role models in the lives of young men. He saw how this affected not only behavior but outcomes for these youth, and knew that providing a mentoring opportunity could completely change their lives. On a leap of faith, Hollins decided to construct his dream into a reality by founding Rooted Ones in February 2017.
As the President and Founder of Rooted Ones, Hollins is dedicated to creating well-rounded experiences for young men in Greater New Orleans. Over the past six years, the organization has helped over 50 young men graduate from high school and attend college or vocational school. Rooted Ones is driven by their mission to provide opportunities for young men to learn about their culture, build their confidence, and grow into community leaders. Hollins is a graduate of Destrehan High School, holds a Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Arts from University of New Orleans, and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Development from Grambling State University.
Mission
We unroot the school-to-prison pipeline in the Greater New Orleans area through support, guidance, and opportunity to grow young men into responsible leaders anchored in our communities.
Vision
We create a community rooted together to support and uplift our young men to achieve their every opportunity to stay in school and out of prison.
4 Pillars
Through our four pillars, we aim to achieve systematic change for our young men and for our communities.
Rooted: We are grounded and we are humble, no matter life throws our way.
Responsible: We are all leaders in our brotherhood and we hold each other accountable.
Respectable: We acknowledge how every person’s unique abilities, qualities, and achievements have helped build our society.
Resilient: We boldly withstand difficulties through our strength and adaptability.
Past Community Events
Community Cleanup
Rooted Ones 5k
Rooted Ones ACT Bootcamp
