Many athletes find a way to give back to the community. Some donate money to various organizations, while others build homes or recreation centers.

A select few, however, have as large of an impact on the lives of teenagers as former NIU basketball player Rodney Davis.

Davis was recruited out of Aurora East High School in the famous NIU “Magnificent Seven” recruiting class of 1984. The former guard currently ranks No.1 at NIU in career three-point field goal percentage (.450), No. 3 in career assists (332), No. 13 in career scoring (1,175 points) and will be inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 12.

One of Davis’ accomplishments after his brief NBA career and completing his bachelors’ degree, is forming L.I.F.E. Support Inc. He began L.I.F.E. (Lifting Individuals for Future Empowerment) in July 2004 in his hometown of Aurora.

L.I.F.E. Support is a non-profit organization that caters to at-risk individuals in Aurora and surrounding communities. It offers numerous social services and athletic activities including a mentoring program and field trips to various sporting events.

“As a student athlete, it created a path for me and I met a lot of people,” Davis said. “I started something positive to create great student athletes.”

One program in L.I.F.E. Support is the Academic and Athletic Empowerment Program (AAEP). It is geared towards middle and high school athletes. Part of that program is connecting with the youth on a personal level.

“We take kids away from the two to three block radius around their home and show them what else is out there,” Davis said.

Last week, Davis personally surprised a student and took him to the BMW Championships to watch Tiger Woods. This young man, who happens to like golf, was headed down the wrong path and Davis took action to steer him in the right direction.

“There are individuals who lived in the “‘hood” and have gone on to do successful things. The key is changing their attitudes,” Davis said. “With better attitude, comes better grades and it also helps with the overall home life for a lot of parents.”

Davis mentioned that the key to his success with the organization is listening to the students. He not only tells them what to do, but he also listens to what they have to say.

Last month, Congressman Dennis Hastert announced that L.I.F.E. Support had been awarded $176,000, the first installment of a three-year Mentoring Program Grant form the U.S. Department of Education.

“This amount, which equates to over one-half a million dollars over three years in the future, allows us to do great things,” Davis said.

Davis will not take sole responsibility for his success with the organization. He credits his success to people he was able to come in contact with over the years.

“I know God gave me everything including this vision,” Davis said. “I saw an opportunity and ran with it.”

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