A letter from Baltimore Ravens defensive end Carl Davis:
Sitting back and thinking about my journey to the NFL after being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, I realized that, not only was I given a blessing, but that I was also going to have the chance to change many lives within my community. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, on Joy Road and Appoline, the area was always full of families and was very well populated. Because of the shortfall of resources and limited funding to public schools, however, many began to flee from the city.
I remember being in the fourth grade and my mother coming to my school to volunteer with kids who were struggling with reading. It was astonishing to my mother to see that I and about six other kids were the only ones that could read fluently. Midway through the school year, I transferred to a school in a suburban area where I realized a lot of my classmates were far more advanced then I was. The whole curriculum was a lot more accelerated than what I was used to. It would take me hours to complete homework assignments because I was so far behind in the learning process at this new school.
At a young age, I knew then that not only was my city in desperate need of reliable resources, but I also knew that I wanted to be the one to bring that change. It really dawned on me that kids in the inner city of Detroit were in many ways getting left behind, especially when it came to education.
Based on my personal experience and understanding of what the city of Detroit needs, I decided to start my own non-profit organization called Trenchwork Foundation. Through this foundation, I look to bring support to inner-city youth with not only educational programs but personal development programs as well. We will prosper by creating opportunities and providing all the tools of the success that kids need.
Trenchwork Foundation is committed to healthy living, education programs and community redevelopment. The vision of the foundation is to rejuvenate Detroit's toughest areas and turn them into thriving communities.
