Page 45 - BusinessWest February 21, 2022

Stefan Davis is seen here with a group of Sci-Tech students at a recent visit to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.
All Odds. The show allowed young people and families to share encounters they had during
a time in their lives when they overcame and conquered serious issues. The goal was to inspire others, and Davis and his guests accomplished that with shows on topics ranging from teen fathers to incarceration to bullying.
Desiring to reach, inspire, and help a larger audience, Davis launched I Found Light in
2016. The agency has succeeded in gaining the support — both financially and from a volunteer perspective — from a number of area businesses, including Monson Savings Bank.
MSB President Dan Moriarty said the agency’s mission, to help young people with social,
‘I’m Them’
Before telling the story of I Found Light Against All Odds, one must first tell Davis’s story — and for many reasons,
He is the founder of the nonprofit and its heart and soul. But beyond that, his story echoes that of so many others he has helped over the years, from the perspective of how one can move from the darkness and into the
light.
“I’m them,” Davis said,
adding that he was the
victim of physical and
emotional abuse in his
youth, and was in the foster-
care system for two months
before being sent to live with
his grandparents in Beacon,
N.Y. He developed a passion
for football — “I hid the
trauma through sports,” he
said — and eventually won a full scholarship to play at American International College.
The problem was ... he didn’t know exactly where the school was located.
“I was leaning toward Syracuse, and my coach called and said, ‘come on up to Springfield,’” he recalled. “I said, ‘Springfield, Illinois?’ and he said, ‘no, Springfield, Massachusetts.’”
Davis eventually found his way to the campus on State Street, but found his way into trouble as well.
“I lost that structure — for whatever reason, my past caught up to me,” he told BusinessWest, adding that, while he eventually lost his scholarship, he stayed all four years, with his
emotional, and economic issues in their lives, resonates with the institution, and fits into its broader strategy for giving back to the community.
“That mission really hits home for us,” he told BusinessWest. “Helping out young people, in general, is important, but also, giving the youths who have a difficult situation an opportunity to overcome that and achieve a capacity to do the best they can — that’s very important to us, and this the difficult and important work that I Found Light Against All Odds is doing.”
Such sentiments certainly help explain why this inspiring, life-changing nonprofit has become a true Difference Maker — for young people, families, and this region.
“Coach gives you that little sense of hope.”
Congratulations, Stefan Davis!
A true leader of our local communities.
As the Founder of I Found a Light Against All Odds, Stefan is dedicated to mentoring at-risk youth, guiding them to seek out the light during challenging times. We are thankful for his committment to the youth of our local communities.
(Right) Stefan Davis, Founder of I Found Light Against All Odds & (Left) Dan Moriarty, Monson Savings Bank President & CEO.
Congrats to all of the 2022 Difference Makers!
www.monsonsavings.bank
MEMBER FDIC I MEMBER DIF
BusinessWest
FEBRUARY 21, 2022 45