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

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.