When I interviewed LHHS senior James Duke for our April cover story about students overcoming great obstacles, it wasn’t until the end of the conversation that he mentioned his year or so spent in a homeless shelter. He wasn’t avoiding the topic or anything—it was but another detail in his tumultuous upbringing.
He brought it up while explaining how he got into sports: "On Wednesdays, while living in the shelter and later in transitional apartments … 12-year-old Duke participated in Rainbow Days programs for at-risk children. ‘We did arts and crafts — I made stuff for my mom — and we got to play basketball. I think that’s where my sports career sort of took off.’"
The folks from Rainbow Days read the aforementioned, tracked James down and asked him to speak at their big fundraiser luncheon, The Pot of Gold Luncheon, which will be held tomorrow at the Hilton Anatole. Of course he agreed.
Someone from Rainbow Days came by today to pick up a stack of Advocates to hand out to guests at the lunch. Go get ’em James!
