A Place to Go, A Place to Grow: Simple Things That Make a Difference for At-Risk Kids - Hardcover

Dantzler, Lou; Felesina, Kathleen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1594864187 ISBN 13: 9781594864186

Publisher: Rodale Books, 2006

Synopsis

The inspirational story of the man who, as founder of the Challengers Boys and Girls Club, has been a father figure to over 30,000 young people.

"If it wasn't for Challengers, where would these kids be?" - Earvin "Magic" Johnson

Lou Dantzler founded Challengers in his besieged neighborhood in the wake of the 1960s Watts riots. What started out as a circle of 12 boys meeting under a maple tree has grown into a $6 million facility that has served 32,000 boys and girls to date, creating productive citizens out of potential juvenile delinquents.

A South Carolina transplant to South Central LA who was once victimized by racial violence, Dantzler was determined to break the cycle of hatred and bigotry. In A Place to Go, A Place to Grow, he shares his philosophy of caring and the secrets of his success working with at-risk kids.

The list of people who recognize Dantzler's talent for getting these disadvantaged young people to reach their full potential reads like a Who's Who of notables. President George H.W. Bush has said that Challengers' existence "proves the power of our better selves." Denzel Washington calls the club "an oasis" and says Dantzler epitomizes "what a role model is."

About this title

About the Author

LOU DANTZLER formed the Challengers Club in 1968 and today remains its president and CEO. During George H.W. Bush's term, he served on the National Commission of American Urban Families, a special commission formed to examine the decline of inner cities.

KATHLEEN FELESINA is a freelance magazine and newspaper writer. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

In the wake of the 1960s Watts riots in South Central LA, Dantzler made it his mission to create a club where neighborhood children could go to safely learn and play. Through hard work, perseverance and an unwavering faith in doing the right thing, Dantzler turned that dream into a $6 million facility, opening the Challengers Boys & Girls Club in 1968. Since then, it has served over 30,000 children and enjoyed the largesse of many African-American celebrities, becoming a model for similar programs across the country. The son of a South Carolina sharecropper, Dentzler's personal story is every bit as compelling as the stories of children he's met and helped, though he indulges in a few too many "just a sharecropper's son" demurrals. Later chapters about securing financing for the center aren't as interesting, but Dantzler's important work is a moving success story of the philanthropy business. 8 pages of b&w photos.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Rodale Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1594864187
• ISBN 13: 9781594864186
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288