Vote for Raytrell: Boys and Girls Club mentor deserves national accolade

We need more Raytrells.

Here is a guy, not from this county, brought to the area for a job 17 years ago, who found his niche not in the work he was contracted to do but in volunteering.

After eight years volunteering as a coach at the Boys and Girls Club of Wayne County, Raytrell Caldwell got hired on as the teen director in 2013. He is now up for a national award as a youth development professional, nominated by the Boys and Girls Club.

Voting is open to the public, and he will need the community's support to bring home the top prize.

But more importantly, he needs the recognition from the community that being nominated for such an award -- let alone winning -- ought to bring.

Here is a guy, 21 when he started coaching and who now has three children of his own, dedicating his time and energy to making a difference in the lives of other people's children. He, along with the rest of the staff and volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club, serves as a coach, a mentor, a friend and a leader to kids who not only need a safe place to go after school but who also benefit from the guidance, education and companionship they find their.

See our story in today's paper or on our website to learn how to vote for Raytrell -- he has some stiff competition from some major-market cities out there -- but more importantly to learn more about the man and the job the Boys and Girls Club are doing in our own back yard to help reduce crime, improve education and to make a difference in the lives of the kids -- and their families -- in our community.

Published in Editorials on March 15, 2018 10:26 PM