Author Dr. Olgen Williams’s New Book, “Healing the Heart, Healing the Hood: God Turned It Around,” Explores the Author's Life and Passion for Serving His Community

Indianapolis, IN, December 19, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Dr. Olgen Williams, a former deputy mayor of Indianapolis, past executive director of Christamore House Community Center, a Vietnam veteran, a loving father and committed husband to his wife of forty years, has completed his new book, “Healing the Heart, Healing the Hood: God Turned It Around”: a powerful and compelling true story that explores how the author turned his life around for the better, planting himself in his faith and family and, above all else, determination and passion to better his community.

Author Dr. Olgen Williams holds multiple academic degrees, including a B.A. in Religious Studies, a master’s in urban ministry, and a Doctor of Divinity from Muskegon Bible Institute. Dr. Williams has a personal commitment toward producing a better community for children and families and destined for economic prosperity. Affectionately known as the “Mayor of Haughville,” Dr. Williams is also an alumnus of the first Indianapolis Diversity Leadership Academy and is an ordained elder at Victory Tabernacle Church of the Apostolic Faith, where he has served under the leadership of Bishop Dr. William L. Harris Sr. for over thirty-five years. He has served as a Sunday school superintendent, teacher workshop facilitator, and lecturer for over forty-two years. The Indianapolis community has acknowledged the author’s outstanding contributions to the promotion of equality and acceptance and the elimination of discriminatory practices, and for influencing and improving human relations.

Throughout “Healing the Heart, Healing the Hood: God Turned It Around,” Dr. Olgen Williams traces his dramatic journey from embittered, drug-using Vietnam veteran to nationally acclaimed neighborhood activist and deputy mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana. His sudden miraculous orientation from drugs and despair to faith and freedom will inspire all those concerned with the social and personal costs and consequences of illegal drugs and drug-related crime. In December 2002, for his crime of having stolen less than eleven dollars while serving as a postal worker in 1971, Dr. Williams received one of seven pardons granted by President George W. Bush. Today, the author is firmly grounded in family, faith, and neighborhood in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he served for thirteen years as director of Christamore House, a community center in the settlement house tradition. He has pioneered and nurtured many programs—ranging from carpentry to theater, from community policing to parenting and seniors programming—that serve the diverse needs of a multiethnic inner-city neighborhood. His book is not only the story of an extraordinary life-in-progress but also a working handbook for neighborhood activism and transformation.

Published by Hawes & Jenkins Publishing, Dr. Olgen Williams’s engaging tale is a poignant read that is sure to capture the hearts and minds of readers as the author bears his very soul within his writings, weaving an intimate self-portrait of a man who truly believes in the incredible work and community outreach that he does. Thought-provoking and compelling, Dr. Williams shares his life story in the hopes of inspiring others to turn not only their lives around but help those around them at every chance they get in order to build a more equitable world.

Readers who wish to experience this riveting work can purchase "Healing the Heart, Healing the Hood: God Turned It Around" at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Hawes & Jenkins at 888-430-7450.