Grant Community Center worker builds lasting relationships with children
By ALI DRAVES
DCN Reporter
Roger Hill handles chaos on a daily basis.
A little boy gets into an argument over an unfinished soccer game, someone tugs on his shirt as they ask him millions of obnoxious and rushed questions and the phone is ringing wildly in the background of the cluttered playroom.
It’s a pretty typical scenario at the Grant Community Center and the highlight of Hill’s day.
Growing up in the Central Hillside, he played at the center as a child.
And now, as a part-time employee and one of the leading support systems for the Grant Community Center, Hill said he is lucky to feel so appreciated.
Covered head to toe in colorful tattoos and unique ear, face and body piercings, 36-year-old Hill earns almost immediate acceptance and admiration from the children.
“There is so much diversity here already,� Hill said. “It just doesn’t matter to them.�
Recreation Specialist, Chuck Campbell, agrees.
“They are all different, yet they play together,� Campbell said. “Year after year, they keep changing and still continue to play together.�
Campbell also has dedicated most of his life to youth education. And although he plays a huge part in making the center work, he gives much of the credit to Hill.
“He took a huge cut to be here,� Campbell said. “Because of budget cuts and pay roll deficits, Hill offered to either work at the center for just the summer months for more money or year-round for less, and he chose year-round.�
And for Hill, there wasn’t any hesitation.
“I took a pay drop and less hours, but who cares,� he said. “I love my job. Who can honestly say they love their job as much as I do?�
Hill’s job, in many aspects, would be considered minimal and unsatisfying to some, especially since children require such patience and care.
Campbell said Hill is perfect for this job.
“He builds lasting relationships with these children,� Campbell said. “He knows people everywhere he goes. If you needed him to draw a family tree for a specific child, he could do it.�
Eight-year-old Kristie Larson is a perfect example.
Larson lives across the street for the center and accepts Hill just like another friend.
In fact, she said Hill is one of her favorite people at the center.
“He is always smiling,� she said. “Sometimes he yells at the boys for being rowdy, but I don’t care because they mostly usually deserve it.�
For Hill, being apart of these children’s lives trumps everything else, even the stresses, messes and confusion of the center.
“I don’t realize how much of a difference I make most days,� he said. “I’m just lucky to be a part of their stories.�