Determined to Make A Difference – One Student At A Time

True story. Once upon a time in 2014, there was a certain young man that ran into some hard times. He lost his job, his home, and his car eventually broke down. However, he humbled himself and moved in with his brother’s family and reevaluated his life. Most people would’ve just thrown in the towel, but he choose to use his free time to volunteer at the LaFeyette Park summer program in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Deep down, he knew God was up to something, and the reason he had to be stripped off of worldly possessions and distractions was he could rewrite his future.

He was introduced to Ms. Shirley Meritt, Park Supervisor, by his friend, Maud King, with the reason being that most of the forty-plus students (grade levels ranged from 4th to 12th grade) had a juvenile record, low reading levels, were abused in some way, and had poor grades – “at-risk students.” To him, this was a perfect opportunity to implement a chess program that he designed to help black students learn to be proactive, conceptual, abstract, and become technical thinkers instead of reactionary (emotional) thinkers; they had to learn to take control of their lives no matter the challenges they are face with. This was the mission God wanted him to complete – to teach them to contend for the life they wanted.

The C2B Chess Club & Mentoring Program would later give birth to his non-profit organization, Courage To Believe International, and the opportunity to have the program at other parks and libraries in Broward County, Collier City Library in Pompano Beach with David Miller and Daniel Williams, and at Florida International University. He ultimately wanted them to know that they could and must create their future, not their toxic environment or judges.

 The area (Sistrunk) was and still is infamous for drugs, prostitution, robberies, sexual assaults, homicides – you name it. The very same type of environment that he grew up in, but found a way out. At the time his car broke down, he had to make do with buses and trains to get to his destination. He had to do this routine three times a week for two months in the mornings, while going on job interviews in the afternoon. Florida weather can be both brutal and unpredictable. At times, it rained and other times it was unmercifully hot! Mind you, he had to carry with him a medium-sized box to carry his supplies, which includes chess boards, pens, and paper. It gave him a sense of pride and purpose by sacrificing for these students who badly needed words of encouragement, love, and a new and improved sense of identity.

At the end of the C2B Chess Club & Mentoring Program, each student had to give a brief presentation of what they had learned. They also had to stand up and speak into existence what they wanted to do with their lives by writing a list of 5 life goals – two short term and two long term goals, of which the fifth goal was solely dependent on their personal decisions. One of the students said this, “I want to be like you, write books, and inspire people Mr. King Kevin because I believe I can become great too!”

That gentleman being referred to was me, King Kevin Dorival. I almost cried when I heard his words. I successfully completed my mission. On top of that, I found a position as a Marketing Director with a great salary. Eventually, community centers reached out to me to speak to their students all over Florida and in two other countries. The Creator was definitely up to something, and it was for my good. What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.

#ChessClub #LifeSkills #ChessNotCheckers #BlackOnBlackCrime #BlackOnblackCrimeSolution #MentoringProgram #CourageToBelieve #CourageToBelieveInternational #KingKevinDorival #BlackAuthor #Filmmaker #GoalGetter #ThrowbackThursday