D Up

Scotty and Hannah talk to Jakki and Corvin Davis about helping kids in High Point.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome back to another episode of CarolinaCares. It's Hannah from the MIXT Morning
Show with Scottie and Hannah. Iwould love to welcome on Jackie and Corvin
Davis. Now Jackie is co founder, both of them are She's also executive
director and Corvin is operations director.Welcome on, good morning, Thank you
for having us. Hannah. Let'sstart with the basics. What is DEUP

(00:20):
is what I'll say was a grassrootfitness and education organization. And I'm saying
was because we started with a platformof basketball, and I'll allow Corvin to
go into that first. But overthe years, getting into the community and
seeing what the needs are, we'venow evolved and we have sixteen different programs
where we're promoting events and services thatare health related, education, and also

(00:46):
life readiness. So let's talk aboutstarting out as basketball. Where did this
idea come from? Corvin? Actually, idea came years ago. Growing up
at the age of six, Istarted playing basketball. I said, I
always want to have my own gymto train and teach kids. I have
to go to the next level,maybe go to college and maybe further of
their career, even the pros.I went to a and T on a

(01:07):
basketball scholarship play four years there atA and T had a great time,
and in the back of my mind, I was like, we need to
go ahead and start there. Somy wife said, let's go ahead and
get started. So it's funny howwe started. We started actually in Greensboro
at the different schools, A lotof them have ass program. We would
go there and do different things.I would bring my basketball go and my
trailer pack and we take it offand going to the schools and have a

(01:30):
great time with the kids. Sowe made our way to high Point.
So we started going there and actuallywhat was great is Jackie was working as
a case manager, and the greatthing is about that we already had the
kids, so we had all wehad to do was get there, get
our stuff together and start working.Now we've talked with organizations from High Point
before and the city seems so fantasticand just welcoming of people who want to

(01:53):
make High Point better. What wasthat transition like going from Greensboro to High
Point. We were embraced. That'sthe word that we continue to use.
Embraced by the right people and theright time, because timing is everything,
and I think That's why we wereable to pivot in all these different directions
because it's important for us to listento the needs of the community so we

(02:15):
can come in and do whatever wethink is right. But if that's not
what people want, then it wouldnot see right. And I love how
you brought up that you focus onthe needs of the community because you are
so much more than basketball. Thegrowth has been tremendous. Let's talk about
going from well, let's get kidsplaying basketball to where you're at now because

(02:37):
you have so many amazing programs.I love the game of basketball. I've
been around basketball for many years,and I was like, this is something
I'm going to enjoy with these kids. Even when I'm seventy five years old,
I would still be playing basketball.You can be like the Miami coach,
isn't he that old? Yeah,Jim Larry Ugo. But I love

(02:57):
the kids. But one thing that'sso important growing up was the community.
All my friends, we played outside. We played on the court behind my
house. I could be out thereat one or two o'clock in the morning
shooting basketball, you know, goingto other places, playing with some of
my buddies. And that's what Isaw what's community to me was so important

(03:17):
that we keep our communities and keepour community safe where kids can have a
safe place to come and play andenjoy, don't have a care in the
world. And that was so importantto me because that's how I grew up
in a little place called Laura Hill, North Carolina, and that's why I
really got my first thought of learninghow to play the game of basketball.
I would go down to the wegot a college called Saint Andrew's College.

(03:39):
I would go there and play withsome of the older guys, the college
guys, and that's how I gotbetter at basketball. And then watching the
games on TV, magic and layeringall those I was inspired by them.
But also just seeing the faces ofkids when we out there playing be competitive,
exciting, and it's so fun.But that's that's one thing that that

(04:02):
gets to me, to be ableto see these kids come and play basketball,
challenge Come on, coach, I'llchallenger. That's what makes it fun
when you can have a relationship withthe kids. Well, one thing,
and I don't know if he'll ifhe'll care to share, because I know
it was very traumatic for him.But I don't think Corvin going through this

(04:23):
may not have us here. Butwhen he was a young age six or
seven, there was a tragedy inthe family. So there was a house
fire and he lost his sister andhis niece in that fire. I'm so
sorry, yeah, and so ofcourse it took time for healing that you
know, he shared with me becauseat six, who knows who in the

(04:46):
world knows what they want to dowhen they get older. Either a lot
of spaghetti newdles on the wall andthey didn't stick. This happened to stick.
But when we met, he alreadyknew, and so he shared,
you know, share the story thatwhen that happened, because the house was
down completely, there were seven siblings, so you had siblings that had to

(05:10):
go to different community members and familymembers. And so Corven said that a
lot of his anger, frustration,hurt was put out on the basketball court.
But then he had his older siblings, he had the other guys in
the community that were there around him. And so that's how community was important

(05:34):
to Corvin. And I remember himsaying, that's the same type of feeling
I want others to have. Andwhen he went to A and T,
he got that same kind of feeling. And so That's how I think community
is important to us, as Corvinwas saying, it is. Yes,
it's a safe haven, but alsobeing able to have a place where kids

(05:56):
are exposed, you know, theare empowered. And then what's important for
us is that it's a place ofexcellence. Equity is important to us.
And so when when you look atokay, well, how you switch from
basketball, you know, to everythingthat you're doing, it's also because of
those needs. You know, whenwe had our very first summer camp,

(06:21):
it was because there wasn't a summercamp in that area that our families could
afford, and so we went toPatrick Harmon and because we started doing a
monthly event when we got over therecalled Let's Move in the Park, and
we did it every single month basedon whatever. You know, like if

(06:44):
we did it in February, itwould be a Valentine's Day event, but
you're in the park because the parkwas it was put together between Hayden Harmon
Foundation and the City of High Point. And of course this was right when
we came in twenty eleven and revializationhad already started, and so having kids
brings the vitality to a community,and so we did the less moving apart,

(07:08):
and we have been doing that fora while. And so we said,
we're talking to some of the kidsand we're like, what are you
doing for the summer And they said, well, I don't know. They
called me miss d of course,called Corbyn coach and I said, you're
not going to summer camp and theywere like no. And a lot of
our families have multiple kids. Soif you can imagine the cost, yeah,

(07:28):
right of summer camp, and youmultiply that times two or three.
Who can afford that these days thecost of living. Yeah. So the
very first summer two thousand and fourteen, we had our very first summer camp
and we had forty eight kids tosign up and I think we ended up
with thirty six. We wanted togo for thirty. Some of those kids,

(07:49):
one is that A and T.One is at U and CG.
But they started with us when theywere in the second crower. We have
one that was in kindergarten. She'snow graduated. That's crazy. Can we
talk a little bit about the revitalizationand how you guys have been a key
part of this. Now. Jackiehas been on the show before talking all
about Washington Street, and how itonce was this they referred to it as

(08:11):
black Wall Street in this amazing place. Can you tell us how you guys
are helping Washington Street get back towhat it once was. Yeah, so
we've been privileged and we've been workingon it for about three years now that
we have a project that's called theWashington Street Enhancement Project, and so we
are going to be like the catalystsof the revialization. Although there are so

(08:35):
many other businesses, resident resident residentsthat are working together and have been working
together for years on this. Butwe purchased the building us right on the
corner of Centennial and Washington Street,and unfortunately it had to be demolished,
and you know, we look atit. Our whole theme behind the Washington

(08:56):
Street Enhancement Project is to remember thepast to build the future, and so
it's unfortunate that building came down,but we're just you know, excited about
what is going to become. Andso the Washing Street Enhancement Project will be
two different buildings. We have anarts stamp, gym and arts complex and

(09:20):
also a black box theater and soyeah, to be the catalyst for the
revialization of the street. But Italso allows us to expand the number of
people, expand the number of programs, expand the you know, the actual
people from youth all the time towhere we'll have a place for adults and

(09:41):
also for families. And I lovehow you are giving kids opportunity. Growing
up for me in Corvin, nodisrespect, it was all it was all
sports, right. I have nocoordination, and so I didn't get the
opportunity to really see other things thatI liked, which was docking in theater.
And you guys are giving kids thoseopportunities. So maybe you don't want
to be on stage, but youI want to play basketball, you can
do that and vice versa. Wesee that it takes a holistic approach to

(10:05):
children thriving. And just because basketballis Corvin's thing, I was a cheerleader,
you know, so, but welook at all and we understand that
all kids are unique, all kidsare different. But just being able to
have a place where they're getting thatexposure and they're getting it where there is
no cost to them, because youknow, you have to look at it

(10:28):
sometimes that dispose of what income isnot there for children to have these opportunities.
So we have a pleasora of thingsfor them to do. We are
talking with Jackie and Corvin Davis,the co founders of d UP and High
Point, and you can't make allthese dreams for these little kids happen unless

(10:48):
there's some money behind it. Soif someone's listening right now and they want
to get involved or donate, howcan they do that to help Washington Street
thrive And you guys get to thepoint where you can help around one hundred
and seventy five kids. So Iwould say definitely come and visit us.
And the next few weeks we're goingto start our tours of the campus because
we operate out of four different buildingson the street and if you see us

(11:11):
at first, you'll probably just thinkor you know us of basketball, But
you need to come and see thegreat things that we're doing. And so
we're asking for people to come ona tour. And then we're also our
capital campaign is becoming public with this, we'll be having our blessing of the
property because the building was demolished inJanuary, and so now we're meeting with

(11:33):
the architects and the contractors so thatwe'll have our groundbreaking soon for the first
phase of the enhancement project, whichwould be during the summer, late summer.
So, as you said, Hannah, we need funds, and we
think, go to our website checkout everything that we're doing. We even

(11:54):
have a virtual tour on our website. And what's our website. It is
www. It's time the number twodup dot com, so it is it's
time to d up dot com.But I want to quick wrap it up
with something Corvin, you were talkingabout off air, just about compassion and
how we need it in the worldthese days. And that's really what you

(12:16):
guys are doing over there. DThat's one thing. Another thing that's deal
to my heart as well. It'shaving compassion for others and having compassion in
our city so when people come,they'll feel welcome and loved in the city
of high Point. But all thegreat things that are going on in high
Point, and you say, everythingthat's going around the world, you know,
so much negative stuff. That's whywe talk about compassion. We talk
about how do we make a personfeel like they're a part of us,

(12:41):
a part of this city. Andthat's the one thing that we want everybody
to realize. When you come tohigh Point, you come to the city
of compassion and love and how weembrace people. That is so important.
I love it. We are talkingwith Jackie and Corvin Davis of d UP.
Thank you so much for coming onagain that website. If someone wants
to see what you're all about,or even donate, it's time to d

(13:03):
UP dot com. I T ST I M E. The number two
d u P dot com. Thankyou so much for being here. Thank you