It was 1988, and the 15-year-old boy sat on the roof of his house with a shotgun. He lived in one of the most dangerous towns in Alabama, and decided he had to do what he had to do. His parents divorced when he was in third grade. His mother, Betty, was raising four kids as a single mother in Prichard, Alabama. She worked as a custodian at the local regional airport. If he had to guard the house while his mother and siblings slept, so be it.

His voice sounded strong and happy. He’s 51 years old today, and over the past 10 years he’s seen more than1,200 kids improve their lives through mentoring and teaching and coaching and loving. The kids relate to Sherman Williams because many of them have experienced the hardships that Sherman once experienced. They don’t want to go where Sherman was just a decade ago.