A Corrections Officer Turned Superhero
Madyson Bracken
Yuri Williams is a Los Angeles juvenile corrections officer, working with youth suffering from mental health issues. In 2017, Williams founded A Future Superhero and Friends, a nonprofit that provides essential support services to homeless individuals, veterans, and sick children to improve their quality of life.
The Beginning of His Career
Williams got his start in corrections after going to work with his mother, Lynda C. Hubbard, as a young child. During that time, his mother was a correctional officer and took him inside the juvenile hall she worked in. He saw firsthand what life behind bars was like, and he fell in love with the job. It was this experience that led to his career in juvenile corrections.
After graduating high school in 1994, Williams went to junior college for two years while working at the YMCA. Then, he applied as a student worker at the Probation Department with his mother. He received the position and began working next to his own hero. He interviewed clients, dictated reports, and learned more about what a probation officer is all about by watching his mother. While driving in their neighborhood, Lynda would pull over and check up on her clients. The following week, those clients would be reporting in. She loved helping people as much as she loved her job.
At that time, the LA county probation was on a hiring freeze, so Williams applied for a correctional officer position in Orange County. 23 years later, he’s still trying to make a difference in these juvenile and adult lives. During those 23 years, Williams faced many challenges, including the tragic deaths of young lives. He took off a few months to heal and find counseling. During these sessions, there was an assignment: to answer “what is one thing you want to do in life?” His answer was “I want to hug one person in each state.” It would be a few years before Williams discovered what this meant.
Williams’ Struggle With Depression
In 2009, Lynda C. Hubbard passed away after an eight year battle with cancer. Williams felt that he had died along with her. Her death knocked him into a pit of darkness for five years. “My mother’s death was so unreal for me. For years I didn’t want to accept it. When someone said her name, I would get mad. If I heard the word ‘cancer,’ I get upset. I had to go through this to be able to find my purpose.”
Seeing Yuri’s struggle, his coworkers donated 400 hours to allow him to step away from work and heal. After those three months, Williams found himself calling his mother as usual on his way to work, only to realize that no one would answer. He called into work and said he’ll be an hour late. While he gathered himself, he found himself scrolling through Instagram and came across two individuals who were giving back in their communities: a police officer in Arkansas named Tommy Norman and a cosplayer known as Hip Hop Trooper. He quickly followed both accounts and realized that he could do what they’re doing. He’s already doing what Officer Norman is doing in his neighborhood and Hip Hop Trooper is wearing a costume. Why not put them together? That is how Yuri Williams came up with A Future Superhero and Friends (AFSF).
A Future Superhero and Friends
Williams created a GoFundMe account with the desire to get screen-accurate costumes to visit the homeless, elderly, veterans, and sick children. $3,500 later, he had his first
costume: a Kylo Ren costume. He has also since acquired Spiderman, Miles Morales, a Scout Trooper, a Storm Trooper, Mandalorian, and Deadpool costumes. He chose these characters because they are easily recognizable for people of all ages.
Visits to Skid Row, LA, children's hospitals, and 5k walks for children with cancer generated the positive energy Williams needed to fully heal. He met Rodney Smith Jr. through Officer Norman’s Instagram. Smith is the founder of Raising Men & Women Lawn Care Service in Huntsville, Alabama. He travels around all 50 states providing free lawn care service to the elderly, single mothers, the disabled, veterans, and low-income families. Williams was inspired by his work and they met for lunch while Smith was in LA. They discussed Williams’ mother’s passing and his struggle with depression. The following year, Williams accompanied Smith on his 50-State Tour. As such, Williams completed his counseling assignment to hug one person in each state.
Since then, he has traveled across each state three times helping people in need. He visited children with special needs, disabilities, those battling illnesses, veterans, the elderly, and even stopping at animal shelters to drop off found and abandoned pets to be adopted.
“I never knew that going to work with my mother in a jail would turn me into what my supervisors call ‘the king of counseling…’ I am thankful for my mother showing me the ropes…I hope my mother is proud of who I have become because with her A Future Superhero and Friends would never be here.”
AFSF has a few board members, but Williams says he does most of the work himself. He wears superhero costumes as a way of easing people’s nerves. As Williams puts it, “we are all superheroes and all have a gift or superpower. But it’s up to us to find it and share it with others.” The costumes break the ice, helping people, particularly the homeless, let their guard down. Then, he helps in any way he can.
To the homeless, AFSF offers: food, clothing, hygiene kits, and other needed items to make it to the next day. AFSF grants homeless veterans with essentials to get by until they receive housing placement. They help children battling chronic or terminal illnesses and those with special needs, often through toy drives. For senior members in our communities, AFSF has an Art Healing Program.
The Art Healing Program
AFSF’s mission is to provide essential supportive services and emergency services to those who need them, to return them to stable, permanent homes as quickly as possible. One of those supportive services is the Art Healing Program.
Partnering with Creative Flow Art, AFSF strives to be a leader in offering innovative art healing programs to the communities it serves. This program educates participants on possible future employment in art-related jobs. Community members are given the opportunity to connect with each other, share valuable resources, and form mutually beneficial relationships.
Williams’ Greatest Achievement (So Far) and Ultimate Goal
As expected, Williams’ greatest achievement is as noble as his actions. He feels his greatest accomplishment is being there for those in need and completing three 50-State Tours. He has visited many children and made memories with those who are ill or have special needs. Williams is blessed to be able to surprise and help veterans, children, the homeless, and the elderly when they need it the most.
His ultimate goal is to have his own facility by the end of his four-years remaining duty. In this facility, AFSF can host its Art Healing Program, store canned goods, food, clothing, and provide other services for those in need.
In the end, Williams is very satisfied with the person he’s become and is proud he was able to defeat his depression and serve those in need. He will continue to help those in need by installing his knowledge into the next Future Superheroes. “Everyday I’m awake, I am ready to be that light for the one in the dark. And I ask you to be a part of the journey and follow our mission.”
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Madyson Bracken, is AJA’s Communications and Publication Manager. She graduated Shippensburg University with a Bachelor’s in Communication and Journalism, emphasizing in electronic media. She has experience as a ghostwriter, radio host, social media manager, and photographer. She can be contacted at madysonb@aja.org
