As reported on onmilwaukee.com, written by Allison Dikanovic
Davonte (Dae) Hill recalls the day he stood in front of a judge as a 16-year-old. He was given two options: serve time in a detention center or get connected to a program at Running Rebels Community Organization.
Hill knew some kids who played on the Running Rebels basketball team, so he chose the latter.
“Looking back, I was a kid who was one good decision away from being successful and one bad decision away from throwing my life into the streets,” Hill said.
Ten years later, Hill is a full-time employee at Running Rebels. He is a youth adviser as part of an in-school program called Violence Free Zones, the head engineer of the entertainment program and a basketball coach, but the title he prefers is “mentor.”
“I think being a mentor is understanding the youth that we serve, taking them under our wings and unlocking their potential, because we see their lives from a different scope and perspective than they see their own lives,” Hill said.
He said the young people he works with know he came from a similar environment and seeing him doing fulfilling work helps them earn their trust.
“I look at the youth that I serve as the best versions of themselves,” Hill said. “I see presidents. I see the next big entertainer. I see the next big athlete or the next lawyer or doctor.”
