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'Believe In Yourself:' 12-Year-Old Brooklyn Boy Wants To Help Others Beat The Odds

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A 12-year-old boy from Brooklyn feels he beat the odds, growing up without a father in his life.

Now, he's proving to other kids the sky is the limit and there is help available.

"When the police came through the door, I thought they might be coming after me because of my bad grades. So I hid behind my bed," Legasii Fox said.

The 12-year-old Brooklyn native who spent years in and out of homeless shelters recently spoke about an organization he says changed his life: Children of Promise. It helps kids with incarcerated parents.

"I learned ways of controlling my anger in school when I felt frustrated," he said. "You are truly changing the future for children."

Fox told CBS2's Erin Logan the organization's commitment to him is what brought him to Kidbox in Midtown, where he's one of 10 children chosen from across the country to be on the board of directors.

Kidbox is a personalized style box for kids, making shopping for name brand clothing affordable and easy for parents. It also gives back to those in need.

The CEO says the second she heard Fox speak, she knew his input would be invaluable.

"They must have known that I like fashion, because I clearly do like fashion," he told Logan.

And he wants to make a difference as a leader.

"I didn't think it would happen this early," he said.

Fox and his new friends on the board paid a special visit to Children of Promise, trying to show the kids they too can and will overcome any obstacle. He remembers what it was like sitting in their chairs, feeling scared and hopeless. His advice?

"Believe in yourself. Don't ever say you can't do it," he said.

Fox said to look for his name on an NFL roster or on the title of an architecture company. Or maybe right back here.

"Kidbox might be like a humongous company, well-known everywhere," he said.

He learned at a young age the true meaning of perseverance.

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