An Army of Normal Folks - Chavis Daniels: Mentoring 1,000 Kids (Pt 2)

Episode Date: July 4, 2023

Chavis Daniels played football for Coach Bill Courtney and was one of the accidental stars of the Oscar-winning film Undefeated. But that’s not why he’s a member of the Army. Chavis went on to found The North Memphis Steelers, a mentoring and athletics nonprofit that helps at-risk kids in the same challenging neighborhood where he grew up. Support the show: https://www.normalfolks.us/premiumSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey everybody, it's Bill Courtney with an Army of Normal Folks and now we continue with part two of our conversation with Chavis Stannules. My former player and the founder of the North Memphis Steelers of football cheerleading and mentoring program that's helped over a thousand kids in North Memphis right after these brief messages from our generous sponsors. My favorite story is probably on... so me, I got so many, but I could, one that I can name is one of my players that couldn't make a tie ceremony, it was originally a prep. And out of the blue, they called me like 30 minutes before the program and asked me to tie a substitute for his dad to go tie his tie for him. This is just a thing that they do to, a to the bloodblower and out of time. Yeah, not even just like when you

tie your tie, they make you they say they make you a man. Right, I get it. So his father could make it to an inner city bar mitzvah. Right. And that was just a static that I could make it. And I feel like there was a thing. And so you went student for the kids. Yeah, I got on the I got on the stage and tied his high form. What that make you feel like? It made me feel like it's still good people in the world.

They don't expect anything but to show you that you might get. And I beat her for you. But beyond, in this sport, beyond whatever you do realize that imprint will be on that child's mind the rest of his life. Right, yeah, and like hopefully if he make it, he give me some. And one more memory that I could say was probably one of my bests. It was recently in Manassas. Was one of our autistic players wanted to run the football? Hold it. One of your autistic players, one of your players has autism. Yes. And he always said he wanted to run the ball. We were like, well, where wants you to get hurt?

So the last game of the season, we got with the Rifts. We got with TWSWL and X-TOMCOO. We allow him to run the ball, run a touchdown. And you told the other team? Yeah, we told the other team, and they was with it. So the last player of the game, they won the game, actually, and they allowed him to run a touchdown, and he was so happy.

He felt like he just won a lottery. So would you handle the ball, and y'all ranged it so that he could run? And everybody got sure to my point. Yeah, try and play with it. Man, it was a crazy moment. Like when I say even the other fans were like cheering for like we and Manassas haven't had them any players. I mean haven't had them any fans in the game laced we were there

And we had I know at least over 200 people in the stands going crazy About helping the opportunity. I thought that was pretty cool. What did he say afterwards? Just like, he was just dancing. He said, it's like, and our video went crazy. Like, he was just, he was happy that the kids picked him up. You know, made him just feel like he was on, like he was the champion.

Like, we wanted him to. Hey, I remember, I don't know when it was. It was a few years ago, we were text about something and you couldn't do something because you had like your kids and a whole bunch of other kids at your house. What's that all about? We had to this day probably one of the most all around athletic kids I ever coach. He got four siblings so it was five of them.

And they were sleeping in a car. They were homeless. They were homeless. And he, uh, the mother and five kids. A mother and five kids, they were sleeping in a four-door sedan, like not much wrong for five people. It was fiber time. It was both.

It was kind of like end of spring into fall time. So kind of like both. How could they eat her bath? See this word see this word after we figured it out We was like oh so you didn't know it first. No, we didn't know like they heated from us So one night she was there in barracks. Yeah, she was in barracks and one night I don't know what happened, but she had a kids at work, and my mom really liked this group. And she was like, what's going on? Like, why are those kids not somewhere, you know?

You at work, why your kids not somewhere sleep, and you know, but they are at Walmart in the car. So she got a job at Walmart. She was doing security the kids. No, she was doing security. Like the patrol the light at nighttime It was an overnight job. I see and she should so she just security patrol the Walmart with her kids in the car Right, so um, me and my mom had

We really cared about the like these family so my mom has like a nice house So they stayed in the garage which the garage is like a house. It's another house they have the shower and the audit. Kind of like a guest house, but it's kind of, it's a garage. So they stayed in there for like a year. A year, a year, and couldn't pay nothing, but they had like a real bedroom type environment. It was, are they on their feet now?

The kids stayed with their father now, and I don't know what the other one's doing. So with the kids are okay. Yeah, the kids are okay. They stay in Nashville now. But again, your mama opened up her house man for a year free, rent free, and it's late ahead of job. But it's not about her. It's about the kids right and My mom grew up rough too. So she understood it there on Everybody needs somebody sometimes and I feel like that alone just as a testimony because I because I said a person said a lot of stuff about what I did but if it went from my mom in the village like we couldn't do it none of

the not one person can do it not two people can can do it. It truly takes a village and Growing up, I never understood it, but now I truly understand it Even two-parent households need a village You know, no matter how we look at it, like we got to have a village to make it happen and We were just apart of somebody's village and hopefully they appreciate it and even if they didn't like still did, because this will be felt like we needed to do. You know, Chae, there's something that I had wrong when I first started my work at Manassas that I learned over that period of time. And that now I've grown actually really comfortable with

is no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, some fall through the cracks. And if you look at any activity getting balled in, and you say, well, on this side of the ledger is all the wins, and on this side of the ledger's are the losses, and if the wins don't outnumber the losses, well then you consider your activity a failure. But the truth is, you can't look at it that way

because anytime you go into places that are really challenging, any of the wins that are on the wins side of the ledger wouldn't have happened, had you not done the work that you did. So any win makes the effort productive and positive. And you have to accept there going to be some losses because it's, you know, where there are areas of need are the most difficult places to work in. And so the point is, you're not going, when you pull yourself up and you side, I am going to be a

person who's going to take on the tough things and I am going to try to make a difference in my community. You have to go in understanding there's going to be losses and there's going to be plenty of them and you can't you can't exact positive effect on every single person you come into contact with, but whatever effect positive effect you do have would not have happened without the effort. So it is a win. And so I guess what I you said earlier that you can't save everybody. But not saving everybody does not make the effort unworthy. It's the saves that you do get that make it 100% worthwhile.

When did you figure out that no matter how hard you try or no matter how hard you work, that they're gonna be people that still fell into the cracks, but that that was okay because of the ones that didn't. Right, and I learned that, listen, like the second year is when I put, one thing my mom taught me in those seven years was never put all your eggs in one basket.

Meaning like, if you got a good kid on your team, you can never make that kid believe that they're bigger than the team. And when I first started, I always did it. Like, if this was the best kid, I made this kid feel like he was just bigger than the King Kong. Yeah. And those same kids, I remember like two hours before a game. All the kids that I pray so much and love so much, they left my team and went to another team like two hours before a game. All the kids that I pray so much and love so much, they left my team and went to another team

like two hours before kickoff. That break your heart. It broke my heart so much. It broke my heart when kids left my team, but as I got further in to it, it was just like, maybe it's just me, maybe, maybe people are doing was best for their situation. And the kid that I put the most blusher in tears, all the ones that still go, go to juvenile

I got these. And most of those kids, not even bad kids, it's just the environment. And there's no excuse because we still make our own decisions. But and one thing I've learned is just like I've ran into so many kids like I was. And the hardest thing I think I've had to do is try to coach the me out of a key. The hardest thing you've had to do is try to coach the you out of the kids. Yes, sir.

Because you recognized it from your past. Right. And I have had kids to walk off the field throughout the helmet, call me bees and hs. And like literally I've had to experience the same thing that I was taking people through. Even with my son, like, you know, sometimes like when he get in trouble at school, like it's just. Even with my son, like, you know, sometimes like when he get in trouble at school, like it's just You want those kids to be so good, did you? willing to

Do whatever and sometimes whatever is I ain't even good enough so but that's And those losses making me like what am I doing wrong? What's wrong? I remember feeling it too, but then you always have to go back to, but these can things happen. How'd I not been here? Like yeah, well, Kendall, he started off like real crybaby, angry, fighting. And now he and the six, he went to the seven grade and like one of the most respectful kids. And it's because you know what would happen with that. Right. And you catch it before it gets bad

and you feel so good to see that this kid is shining right now. So would you put up with 10 kids leaving your team and getting angry and calling your bees and everything else for that one candle? Yes. Would you do it all over again for that one Kimple? Yes, sir. Man, this one, this one, this my guy.

And so just know that kids, know that you care about them. Kids still reach out to me. I got kids that's going to vision one college football right now. We got seniors that's going a Ricky. Ricky is in place for Central High School. The number three receiving in the state right now. And he got like six offers on the table like for Marshall. And button Cookman and stuff like that.

And just things like that are what make it worthwhile. Like, yeah, so in reality, like we know we can't save everyone but it's different when we don't try. And like I said, I'm just trying. And if the best player that I just had, he been on house arrest, he been on house arrest. I'm here at an aggravated robbery. Last year, I literally talk to his probation officer, got him off the house arrest monitor just to get him to my nances and after the season, he go back to the same thing. Like one of the best talents for sure in my

nances right now and he's a night grader and it kills you and it kills me because his best friend just got killed and the way that he living like you know is you never know you know and a lot of these stuff start at home everything starts at home if you ask me, you know, and sometimes parents got to hold themselves accountable for some of the stuff that their kids are doing because a lot of these still start at home and we just the village and imagine trying to culture kid that you don't want him to smoke but he can smoke at home with him on so it make it like when you say smoke you don't want him to smoke, but he can smoke it on with him on. So he make it like...

When you say smoke, you don't want your team getting into alcohol and smoking weed and stuff. And so that's your rule, but then he can go home and smoke with him. So yeah, so it's just like... How do you fight that? You can't. Right, but the point is, you can have 100 of those losses, but the one win. It make you feel good.

It make you feel honest. It make you feel accomplished, for sure. We'll be right back. And like out of these seven years, I feel accomplished. Every year I went to a Super Bowl. I got like six championship rings. I got two national rings. And ain't even about that, you know,

because ain't even about that. Well, it's not about the ring, it's about the accomplishment. Accomplishment and the experience more than anything, right? Being able to take kids that never been out of nowhere meant for Tobiche's and to ride on charter buses like you did for us. A lot of people won't ever get that experience with.

Shout out to Jess Wings as well, like they gave us an opportunity. They gave us a $10,000 sponsorship two years ago. They put us on a culture bus we went to. So many cities like, and it's just, it's kids that never been to a beach. Well, they get to see a world outside North Memphis and think about the possibilities. Right and going to Florida and just showing kids just different and having fun and just you know what I'm saying they don't understand it that somebody really cares about you. I'm just a blitz coach and I'm just thankful that I had

people like you I had people like thankful that I had people like you. I had people like my mom. I had people like one of my little e-cultures. I was just thankful that I had people like y'all did. It had a patience to work with me and although it might seem that I wouldn't listen to it. I was always listening. And I was always taking heed to things even though like I really didn't act like I

accepted it with. I just didn't apply myself, and I'm just thankful for people like Yowdy. Help me get to this point of my life. Chavis is gonna be hundreds of kids of North Memphis who're gonna say the same thing about you one day. I'm proud of you, buddy.

Appreciate it, Coach. I'd be I'm proud of what you've done. I'd be I'm proud of all my former players that have volunteered their time to be assistant coaches and everything with you. And since you started this and and every time we're together which is pretty often or we talk or text or whatever, something I hear you say a lot is that it's important to me that people see that everything going on in North Memphis is not bad. And I must be real candid. What I what I've garnered from that is it pains you that if you're a black male from North Memphis and people outside North Memphis see a black male from North Memphis, they automatically assume the worst. Speak to that a little bit.

Speak to what your concern is there because I know you and I know that's not a chip on your shoulder. That's a real live concern that you have. And before we start, you can substitute North Memphis for East St. Louis Detroit, Baltimore, parts of any large city in this country has these areas that are populated by lots of Lots of young, many times lower income, black folks, and people automatically assume that what they see sensationalized on the news, or on TV shows or movies is the reality.

And that bothers you. But not with a chip on you, show that bothers your heart. Yeah, it bothers me because like, now that I've grown up and I surround myself with certain things, I don't get that everybody's vatting or everybody's always angry. Because that's not true. I wake up every day and go to a school

where there's some great kids. That just, they been gatted wrong. And what hurts me the most is like, I can walk in the wrong and I got an arm full of tattoos. And people are looking at me like, I wear, he just, you know, this way, but I can. What do you mean, this way?

They can just say, right, they can just see, I got tattoos and think I'm just a thug or they just think I'm a big black dude. Yeah, tattoos. Any arranging year. Right. And pretty ugly. Right. And pretty ugly. Right.

And they just, and they think, and they just think we just vibe and audit. But, and a lot of times, it's been, I mean, it's like we give people reasons to feel it that way. Because so much, so much crazy stuff is happening these days. Like we give people a reason to say, well, yeah, black people always this way. Because look what we don't. To each other, yeah, black people always this way because look what we doing to each other especially and

Everyday I wake up. I try to surround myself with people this already in the direction or trying to go to the duration that I'm trying to go so Fence I wake up around young men that Want to help the youth and every day up literally, I'm around positivity. And most of the times, we are what we surround ourselves with. And most times, we surround ourselves with the wrong people and we making these poor decisions and nobody wanna hold each other accountable.

And this what kind of anger's me is that we always complain about why people say things about black people is because, yes, let's be realistic. We do so much to ourselves. And like I just hate it. We don't hold ourself accountable enough. And so you're trying to change that with your skills. And I want to show people that man, I ain't just any for money or I ain't anything to capitalize. I mean it's truly like my heart is truly in the middle of North Memphis. People always ask me why I was in a move and I don't

have security around me in North Memphis but I don't live there. I don't live there type of life song. I don't go around feeling like somebody trying to hurt me or I don't live there. I don't live there type of life. So I don't go around feeling like somebody trying to hurt me or I don't you go around trying to feel like I'm trying to hurt somebody because it's not what I'm doing. Like people see me literally every day. I'm speaking positivity into people. And I just keep it like people my age. I tried my best to help go in the right direction. Like it's not what you do is how you do it. And I just want to be a vessel in the community. And just be a part of the collective and show people

that all people not money are. All people not at the get over on you. You know, and these people that's gene-willing care about the community, and I'm one of those people that literally, like my heart, everything I do, I do it my heart. And sometimes I feel like it go unappreciated, but most times, like, you know, it even melt up because I know for a fake the reason I do it,

my intention's appearing. Like, I know the reason I'm doing it. Like, I'm really out here trying my biscuit. And it's a lot of people I hear that I'm trying to do nothing. We can, we can complain so much about what's going on, but what are you doing to change it? What are we doing to change it? Like we, we, we got to hold out self-accountable in it.

So such ourselves and exas, like what's the real problem? When can we look at a mirror and say, I'm complaining about this but I ain't, I'm not doing anything about it so what am I complaining for? So you you're helping kids you're helping male and female kids you're bringing in your teammates to coach you're trying not just to change the kids but change minds about people the minds of people who look into North Memphis to see what's going on there. And then you decided, well, I'm gonna do this football thing, I'm gonna help these kids. Now you're back at the

NASA's working with those kids at the NASA's. You're trying to keep your old teammates that are your age now engaged in positive stuff, but you still, it still hurts your heart, the people look into your neighborhood and assume they know who they're looking at when sure there's some bad going on in tough neighborhoods but there's a lot of good too. So then you decide you're going to start a thing called we not me. We not Me TV. Okay, what is We Not Me TV?

We Not Me is a platform that I kind of know with. And it's basically about the news promote some was negativity. You being the people on Fox and CNN and the ties that talk all the big words, the ones that aren't normal folks. Right. Because there's a lot of positive stuff going on.

I got a friend that has a full being is this, they play for finances. They have a full being is this upcoming. I got a guy telling me that I play football. We have a community center, like a real community center, like stuff that people need to know about. Like you can box in it. Like when we grew up, we had stuff to do. Like we could go to a community center like stuff that people need to know about. Like you get boxing. Like when we grew up we had stuff to do. Like we could go to a community center,

we could go play football with our friends. We had a lot of stuff to do. And there's so many people that I'm around every day that's doing so much positive things and people don't talk about this. So we not meet TV is just a platform where we can shine the light on the positive things going on. So what I do is go around with kids with the kids is a fun we do come here.

You say we kids with your players with my players and we give back to the homeless. We teach kids is bigger than just sports and it's not all about sports. And we not me TV is a platform where you can come here and we can grow together. We not me man and everybody see me doing it but it's bigger than just me. It's about we, it's about the collective and I feel like I want to start a platform where you come to my platform and it helps you grow or we can do a sit down podcast and you can let them sit and know what what what kind of positive things you're doing or say for instance we record football guys for high school players and don't even have to be in my

nails they don't have to be nobody done familiar with I go to a Germantown game and the player the game I got a field axis and I player, the guy, my got to feel excess and I go on the sideline and do an interview like to make a kid understand that this could be all the time for you. If you good enough and you go to school, you're gonna have to learn how to talk in front of cameras. And stuff like this. So it's just like small things that make up the bigger picture.

We'll be right back. make up the bigger picture. We'll be right back. So we got me. You spend time away from Benasse's way the extra time you have and you go around highlighting all the positive things going on in North America. Like so, if you got a 40-B, and it could be a business, it could be a kid doing something. Well, it could be somebody helping the elderly,

it could be anything. I was just trying to go around positive, we not be to change the perception of the people in North America. Exactly. How's it going so far? Man, we hit the people of North Memphis. Exactly. How's it going, so far? Man, we hit the million views three times. And it's just like, it's not about race, it's not about gender,

it's not about political beliefs, it's not about any of all this things, it's about the real, uncut, everyday positive things going on. And when I say everyone that I'm in contact with every day, positive things going on. And when I say, every one that I'm in contact with every day feels like this is the platform I want to be on. Are you having people now reach out to you say, hey, I want to be on Weenah to do this? Yes, I have.

If I don't know if you guys know, but Mario Bradley, his name is Grove Hero. He is out of wrapper? Yeah, he got the hand, he got the little messed up hand. And he's the little messed up hand. He got the hand He just did a Christmas giveaway for over 10,000 people just gave away free gifts to kids had all over North Memphis all over the city Not just North Memphis like every so I went out and profile him

I just went Memphis. I love it. So I went out and profiled him. I just went out and did a short video with Money Bag, Yo, and Quinn Bonhanna to Memphis Cowboys. What is that? It's Money Bag, Yo, it's like that other rapper. He's one of the biggest rappers in... I, and who's the Cowboy thing? Quinn Bonhanna. He's a...

The Starn Detackle for the Dallas Cowboys. I got it. They did it giveaway. These guys from Memphis? Yeah, they're from Memphis. And so, because people like me don't know nothing about all that. Right, right. So that you win it on We Not TV.

We Not Me TV. And you know how many people love them. And we can get 10,000, 20,000 views just off. Them reaching out to me to follow them. And so, not only are you coaching little kids, North Memphis Steelers, you're working them in the assets, you're including all the players around you. Now you've started this We Not Me platform

to highlight the good things going around. And we got, and I gotta ask you one more time. Who told you to do this? This is some of my kind of movie. I posted one of my first video from We Not Me TV hit 1.5 million views and I'm So Chavis the point is What keeps anybody from anywhere in this country from doing the same thing in their communities?

No excuses. I just tried this album doing his trying and trying is trying obviously trying to work while I'm doing this trial and, trying to, obviously trying to work. So, y'all just trying and when I say, most of these videos I record from my phone, but I got my iPhone 13 and the videos are just crazy. And I'm like I said, I'm just learning, new stuff I'm learning how to do graphic design, I'm learning how to make logos.

I'm just all over the place trying my best to just not be idle't not be doing anything. I'm tired of hearing about us killing each other because there's a lot of us out here helping each other. If I got an opportunity and my friend, struggling, I try my best to like, you know, even if it's just a word of mouth, even if it's just doing this on the platform and saying that I see you and I see the positive because most of these people I'm talking about had rough upbringing is just like we all did and they ain't making no excuses.

They go on and I'm making the happen and provide for their kids and I want to advertise like it's black fathers that really take care of their kids. I know so many black fathers that's active every day. I got five children and I'm active in all five of their lives. So I want people to know this because like the picture a lot of people painted was this not really us. So let me get this right. North Memphis just got an army and normal folks. Just trying to do good things.

Right. I want me of normal folks just trying to make a difference. And sometimes a lot of people, their fire and sight, them is extinguished because they feel like no one cares. The fire that burned inside of us to do the right thing is put out because people already got this narrative of who we are. And it's not like that.

So what I'm trying to do with We Not Me TV is why I'm bigger than just chaves from undefeated. It's my bigger than chaves from the North Meafestillans. It's about not even just Memphis, like anywhere who can see a post that I post of me being a daddy to my kids. Or me posting my little daughter, Ava saying inspirational words to other kids. Like I want people to see those type of things because it's so much good going on out there. A lot of people are just overlooking or don't even just, or simply just don't know about it.

And I want to shine a light and I want to be a vessel to like shine my light on the good things and not just our negative. One of the things on an army of normal folks that we do as we're finishing up here is everybody, all of my guests give their contact information, I give my contact information, we all give contact information,

because the idea behind our normal normal folks is that we want to create a movement of an army of people across this country just seeing places of need just like you have and saying, hey, I have a certain talent in this area and I can help. So all of our guests have given out their information. So here it is. If anybody hears this and has inspired about what you've done with the football and the work of an asses and the Wee Not Me TV any or all of it they want to reach out because they want to start but they they want to hear some guidance from you or if anybody listening wants to help out the North Memphis Steelers or the Wee Not Me platform and reach out to work with Chavis, donate to Chavis or help him in these pursuits.

How do they get in touch with Chavis Daniels? I do a social media. I do Facebook, all of it is my nine Chavis Daniels. We not meet TV, it is on individual platforms, so we not meet TV. On Facebook, we not meet TV on Instagram. And so when people can reach out to you through those channels and you will respond? Yes, yes, yes.

I will respond. And like I said, we've been kind of, we've been having a lot of positive things, guys. And it's so much that could happen. I'm just, I'm here for it. And I'm just locked in and focused on what's next, because I'm so tired of people talking about undefeated. So we got to think about the next day this. Chavis Daniels.

As I've said three times, I'm proud of you. And you know I love you. He's our little YouTube fan. And Chavis, you're making a difference and to think of the skinny little and petuous ninth grader that showed up at Manassas and look at the man now who's making such an imprint in a neighborhood who so desperately needs all the positive I am inspired I'm honored I'm proud of you and I love you. And you are without a doubt, a member of the army and normal folks. And the beauty of it is all the work you're doing will just help grow that army. And it doesn't matter if you're in a wealthy neighborhood and a suburb or in

North Memphis with the demographics that you all heard. All you got to do is have a heart, some humility, and a little effort, and you can make a difference. And you are. Yes, sir. Thanks for being with me, Chavis. I appreciate the opportunity, coach. And thank you for joining us this week.

If Chavis or another Gus has inspired you to take action in your community, please let us know. I would love to hear about it. You can write me anytime at billatnormalfokes.us and I will respond to you. And if you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the podcast, rate it, review it, share it with friends, and on social. Do all the things you can to help us grow and army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney.

I'll see you next week.