Jason Davis has returned to Broyhill Home in Clyde, and he is giving back. The 41-year-old alum lives nearby with his wife Shadow and daughter Cloe.
“Growing up here as a child, you can take it for granted,” he says. “But looking back, you are able see how good it was. I was safe and my needs, and even my wants, were met. I had every opportunity.”
Davis recruited the owner for Auto Advantage in Hendersonville and his co-workers to help him produce a fishing tournament for the Broyhill children and staff. He has been with Auto Advantage since 2013 and serves as a sales manager.
The company stocked the small lake at Broyhill with 500 catfish and bream, provided new reels and rods, awarded trophies for “most fish,” “biggest fish,” “smallest fish,” and provided a lunch cookout.
“One girl caught, like, 32 fish,” Davis muses. “It was an outstanding day –– just a great time for everybody involved.”
Davis came to Broyhill Home as a ten-year-old. His father died when he was five and his mother turned to drugs as a way to escape her grief. Her drug use became an addiction, and she began to neglect her son. Davis remembers being hungry and alone. Verbal and physical abuse were a part of his everyday life.
He began a journey of being placed in one foster home after another, eventually living with his paternal grandmother Edna Davis. One night at his grandmother’s home, his mom broke into the house and began to beat his grandmother, demanding to take her son. After that incident, Davis came to live at Broyhill Home.
Davis thrived, did well in school, and in high school dreamt of attending the Air Force Academy. North Carolina Baptists who were at the 1995 Baptist State Convention would remember Davis sharing his dream as part of that year’s Baptist Children’s Homes’ (BCH) presentation. But instead of attending the Academy, Davis went to The Citadel in South Carolina.
In 2005, in his full dress uniform, he surprised messengers at that year’s Convention when he appeared once again on stage. “There were so many people there,” he recalls. “I thanked all the folks for all they had done for me and helping me get through The Citadel. It was a moment I’ll not forget.”
Davis says he stays in touch with others who lived at Broyhill Home at the same time he did and is quick to encourage them to make the best of opportunities.
“Coming back reminds you of all the things that were done to help you,” he says. “You see it again in how the children are cared for today. You see how dedicated and loving the staff are in caring for the children. I’ve learned to appreciate all that was done for me, but it is important that each of us makes something of that and then later be willing to give back.”
Davis shared his testimony at the Western Area Conference on September 5 at Broyhill Home. Prior to the beginning of the event, he joined BCH president/CEO Michael C. Blackwell to record two episodes of “It’s a family matter.” New podcast episodes are released twice per month.
Jason's life was changed because of friends like you! Change the life of a child today by giving at www.bchfamily.org/givenow.
Article written by Jim Edminson, Editor