My name is Dennis Ford Jr., and I’m a complaints and inquiry clerk at the Los Angeles Customer Care Center. I’ve been with the Postal Service for 13 years.
Sports have been instrumental in my life. I played football as a kid and continued through high school. I played basketball and golf at Central State University in Ohio.
I have a passion for football, but I’m even more passionate about the kids who play the sport. That’s what led me to the Jaguars youth football program in Compton, CA, where I serve as founder, president and head coach of the 12-and-under team.
What matters most to me is developing the players’ character and positively impacting them for life beyond football. Expectations and discipline are hallmarks of our program, and we don’t tolerate cursing, profanity, immorality or gambling.
Many of these kids are from impoverished families and communities, and there is a lot that comes with that. Coaches will often cover players’ registration fees and buy them meals. It’s not a chore for me to contribute — it’s part of the journey.
Coaches also sit in the kids’ classrooms and talk to their teachers. We’ll pick up kids and drive them to practice. It’s all about the accountability we provide. And our players know we will hold them accountable as well.
Seeing the physical and mental development of these kids is rewarding. It is a big motivator for me when I see the light in their eyes turned on, and when they become curious, more engaged, and eager to learn and do more.
When I see them getting positive feedback from their parents and proudly wearing their Compton Jaguars uniform, and when I subsequently see them graduate from high school and join college, it makes me so proud.
This is the third year of our program. Our trajectory is upward — and that’s where I want these kids to go, too.
“Off the Clock,” a column on Postal Service employees and their after-hours pursuits, appears regularly in Link.
