Former East Lake Courts resident Terry Davis remembers the embarrassment and frustration of growing up so poor that he had no pencil on the first day of school.
He remembers talking with youth who aspired to be drug dealers and pimps because those were the professions they saw.
He determined to show young people more options and better resources.
"I can't go home and go to sleep and I know the kids are hungry," said Davis about the youth who prompted his program.
He has no children of his own in the public school system, but he cares deeply about the youth enrolled.
To help
› To mentor with UnaVerSoul, contact Davis at www.unaversoul.com or call 615-933-8747.› To donate, go to https://www.paypal.me/unaversoul.
UnaVerSoul founder Terry Davis poses at Mercy Junction on Thursday, Aug. 17, in Chattanooga, Tenn.The U.S. Navy veteran wants to fill inner-city schools with role models and reward youth for good attendance and grades. He also wants to show appreciation to teachers with Snacks For Teachers (SFT).
He calls his program HELP, short for Hamilton County Education Learning Package, presented by UnaVerSoul Kids.
It's only at Woodmore Elementary this year, but if all goes well, he wants to expand.
He wants to help Woodmore Elementary move from being one of the lowest-performing schools in the state to being the school where every child meets or exceeds state standards. And he wants every teacher to be encouraged.
"Ten percent of teachers will leave before even finishing their first year in the classroom," Davis states on his flier promoting HELP. "Statistics show that low-income schools deal with much higher rates of turnover than affluent ones."
Davis got the idea for his program around 2008 when he saw hungry youth in East Lake Courts and grilled hot dogs for them. He first funded the food himself and then got contributions to serve more.
Davis didn't stop after that. He learned more about the youths' needs and helped them get school supplies, role models and food.
Then in 2015 he started UnaVerSoul Kids' HELP program at Woodmore, East Lake and Calvin Donaldson elementary schools. Woodmore administrators asked that the program continue, Davis said, while discussing HELP this month from his office at the Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center.
Wearing a black T-shirt with white letters that read "Rise and Grind," Davis talks enthusiastically about his work with youth. Even though he has no children in the local school system, he still feels driven to make lives better for the children enrolled.
"He's not faking it," said local businessman Phillip Patrick, founder of PFE Group. "He's not doing it for fame or to be liked. His heart is really into those kids."
UnaVerSoul expresses the different cultures Davis encountered while traveling around the world in the Navy and his belief that people are connected through their souls regardless of different backgrounds.
Davis, a Parkridge Valley Hospital mental health technician, purchased more than $400 worth of pizza for Woodmore Elementary youth with good attendance and grades during the 2016-17 school year.
The incentive worked. Some students didn't miss school because they wanted pizza, he said.
Keely Gilliland, director of operations for UnifiEd, a community-led movement of parents, teachers and citizens working to help kids succeed, saw Davis in action.
"It was a lot of fun. He brought in pizza and cookies and juice for the kids, and there was music. It was just a good opportunity for children to celebrate their attendance," she said.
UnaVerSoul founder Terry Davis poses at Mercy Junction on Thursday, Aug. 17, in Chattanooga, Tenn.Davis distributes pizza each semester.
This year, he wants to give bigger incentives for grades and attendance. Instead of pizza, Davis wants to give new tennis shoes and an iPad.
And he wants as many students as possible to have mentors, volunteers who routinely eat lunch and read with students during the school year.
Davis formed a partnership with a UTC psychology professor in 2016-17. The professor gave school credit to graduate psychology students who volunteered to read to youth at Woodmore Elementary.
Davis said some teachers saw improvement in students' reading ability.
He also encouraged his friends including local businessmen and women to volunteer at the school.
"What you don't see is what you won't be. That's going to be my motto," said Davis, after resolving to bring positive role models and resources to youth.
Contact Yolanda Putman at yputman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6431.