Having overcome a troubled and angry childhood himself, Montoya Graham knows what a difference it can make to have an active interest in a child's life.
Originally from Dallas, Graham was born to drug-addicted parents. His father was sentenced to 17 years in prison when he was 4 years old.
In and out of foster homes, Montoya said he never had a father figure until he was adopted by Philmore and JaMella Graham in Vallejo when he was 8 years old.
Philmore Graham , who, as a volunteer, led the Continentals of Omega Boys and Girls Club in Vallejo for 40 years, always supported Montoya Graham , even though his anger continued through his teenage years.
"From the age of 8 to 13, I was kicked out of most every school in Vallejo," Graham said. "I carried a lot of baggage."
At 15, Graham was tried as an adult for his part in a drug deal "gone bad," he says. He spent 18 months in a youth detention facility in the Nevada desert.
A visit from his father turned it all around for him.
Philmore Graham told him that he would go to college and make straight-As and become famous one day.
"It was a comical statement at that time," Montoya Graham said. "But no matter what I did, he never gave up on me. I think that's what fathers do for their kids. Make them believe the impossible."
A scholarship from the Boys and Girls Club sent Graham to Tennessee State. He even got straight-As and graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in science.
Now, just as his father did for him and so many other children in Vallejo, Graham , 36, is doing all he can to make a difference in the lives of Vacaville's youth.
Since 2003, Graham has been executive director of the two centers of Vacaville Neighborhood Boys and Girls Clubs (VNBGC).
"Watching him (Philmore) work with so many kids, I've learned how to look at youth development over a course of generations," Graham said.
Throughout his life, Graham said he's learned three key things.
* "The only reason we are blessed is to be a blessing to someone else. We are obligated to be a blessing to someone else."
* "Education is a key to success."
* "Give back and be engaged."
Graham says he is "satisfied" when he sees a child that he knows that, without support, will not be successful or believe in themselves.
Jeris Mickens, an eighth-grader at Vaca Peña Middle School, has been coming to the VNBGC's Mariposa center for seven years. It was previously a neighborhood center run by the city of Vacaville.
Mickens said that Graham has been someone he can look up to -- and turn to -- in times of need.
"He's a huge figure in my life. He's always asking me about my grades and trying to help me all the time," Mickens said. "If you need to talk to somebody, but don't want to talk to a staff member, you go to Montoya . If you need to talk to somebody about school or home, you go to Montoya."
VNBGC board members Wanda Barkhurst and Mike Fortney said they couldn't help but got involved after witnessing Graham 's work with local youth.
They were impressed by Graham 's respect for human beings.
Both Fortney and Barkhurst said that neither could say no when approached to serve on the board.
"He's more than an executive director. He's a mentor, a big brother and a father figure for many of these kids," Fortney said. "It's contagious. You spend a little bit of time at those centers and you get this feeling like, I've got to come back, I've got to do more."
As he continues to gain support from the community, Graham is looking forward to watching the club grow.
"By focusing our impact, establishing goals and objectives, we hope to hope watch it grow into an organization that has a greater impact on the community every year," Graham said.
One way the club is doing that is by making education its focus.
Graham checks the report cards and tracks the progress of each of the clubs members. Each site has some 50 members.
"It's a 24/7 job. But it doesn't feel like a job. I feel like it's something we should all be doing every day. And that is helping young people," Graham said.
Article by:
Ryan Chalk, Staff Writer, The Reporter
First Published in The Reporter