I was 16 years-old and didn’t feel like I had a lot of choices while living on Indianapolis’ east side.  My 16-year-old best friend had just been killed; I was stealing cars, selling drugs and starting fights.  I’d been up to no good since I was 12-years-old.  I ran with a rough crowd, but they were my buddies and lived in my neighborhood.  The streets were all I knew. 

After my best friend’s death, everything seemed to spiral out of control.  I was no longer eligible to play basketball for Arlington High School because my grades were slipping.  I skipped school regularly and began starting really serious fights.  Life wasn’t fair and I wanted everyone to feel as badly as I did.

A man named Fred Dorsey from the Benjamin Harrison YMCA saw I was struggling and reached out to me.  He talked to me about all the options I would have if I left the streets.  He said my current path had two endings: jail or death.  I just couldn’t end up like my best friend.  Fred became my friend.  He encouraged me to do well in school, took me on trips with the Y to see what was out there beyond my neighborhood.

Fred Dorsey helped me find the confidence and motivation I needed to go to college and play basketball.  I’m proud to say I earned a scholarship to play basketball in college.  Fred Dorsey saved my life.  Fred Dorsey and the YMCA will be part of my life forever.

–Jamar Thomas, 27-years-old