The DELTA (Developing Educated Leaders Through Athletics) Foundation has planted a footprint at 2508 Portland Avenue, expanding its sports and study programs with more than a dozen other mostly non-profit organizations within its massive property. The organization recently won $50,000 in funding through the WEOP (West End Opportunity Partnership) TIF (Tax Increment Financing) District.
DELTA founder Wes Hinton said there are 16 units in the sprawling compound, with 14 rented. If you’re passing through Portland Avenue, it’s behind the giant blue horse next to the Outsider Art Museum. He said he did not envision himself as a property owner, but he’s proud to help serve the community in multiple ways. Organizations include a well-attended trade school camp featuring more than 30 teens learning wood working and carpentry in a shop class-like setting, as well as a food and clothing bank, elder care outreach, culinary studies and an African church. He said his dream is to add drama and music, so that parents could have so many options for youth activities under one roof.
As a teacher and coach from the Newburg neighborhood, in 2019, Wes developed a vision to better connect athletics and academics, as he often saw good athletes fall behind in school and then eventually lose all interest, dropping out and becoming victims to a hard life on the streets.
“I came to realize that catching them at 14 or 15 was too late,” he said. All incoming students have to take a test, and he said they are often three to four grade levels below reading level.
He added that typically kids will start to age out of the programs around this age, and that many continue on in the trades program, or the culinary school, both of which often lead to real-world employment, which was a factor in securing the WEOP funds. He credits Portland representative Mike Neagle with getting behind his project.
Wes estimates that they serve 200 kids per year, and a summer camp in mid-June was bringing in 65 kids. He noted that they’ve recently invested heavily in the HVAC system and upgrading the basketball court. The facility also has a working kitchen.
“You gotta keep showing up,” he said, noting that he didn’t plan on Portland, and how he’s putting in the work to build the trust of the neighborhood. “This place is not really a hidden gem, but it is a little bit of a secret. We call it an opportunity campus for kids in Portland.”
