Waymon Logan and his kids

We have some pretty interesting people at the Division of Structures and one of them is Waymon Logan, who works in Debbie Vickers Unit. Before Waymon came to work for Structures he was a professional football player and played with Tennessee and Dallas. But, this isn't a story about Waymon's football career, it's a story about one person's initiative to try to change the lives of the children in his neighborhood.

I saw a video that Channel 47 did of Waymon working with children and asked Waymon how he started working with these kids. He said it all started with a pair of shoes. Waymon had ankle problems so shoes are really important to him. He usually only wears them about a month then gives them away. So, he started giving his shoes to kids who needed them. Waymon started working with this particular group of kids after he moved into a new neighborhood in Sacramento. He said it is a nice looking neighborhood with nice people but one day he was driving by the school and saw a lot of kids shooting dice and gambling. He said he went home and felt defeated by what he saw. The feeling of defeat prompted him to start playing basket-ball with the kids. At first, he said, the kids played selfish. They had bas-ketball stars they idolized and tried to be like them and not part of a team. What Waymon has tried to teach them is to make the most of their own skills and acknowledge the skills they have.

Waymon and his wife Tammy work with girls and boys, but mostly boys. This is a family affair. Tammy is a gospel singer and she sings to the kids as well as helps them with their reading skills. Tammy and Waymon set an example of how the kids should treat people.

The Logan's are religious people. They feel if their "kids" don't believe in God then they have no answers. But , if the kids believe there is a God then things matter. They try to instill in the kids that they matter and what they do matters, so they will have pride and respect for themselves and others.

Pushups!!! This is the price of cussing when Waymon is around. It's also the price of being rude. There are some strict rules about having clean shoes in the house, no cussing, no hats in the house, and treating others and yourself with respect.

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