Honor A Champion: A Turning Point That Lasted a Lifetime, Von Washington’s Story
We all know someone who has touched our lives, someone who goes above and beyond to lift others up and make our community stronger. Each year, we recognize some of these extraordinary individuals at our annual Champs Celebration. Inspired by that celebration, Honor A Champion was created to extend that spirit of recognition even further. This special opportunity allows you to turn your CIS support into a meaningful moment for someone who has made a difference. Every donation made in honor of a champion directly supports students while celebrating the champions among us. It’s a simple, heartfelt way to do good together.
Not every defining moment in life feels significant when it happens. Sometimes, it’s only by looking back Behind every success story, there is often someone who believed first. For Von Washington, that person was his 11th grade teacher, Margaret Smith, a woman who saw him at a crossroads and chose to step in at just the right time.
At that point in his life, Mr. Washington was trying to find where he fit in. Like many young people, he was navigating identity, friendships, and the pressure to belong. But in that process, he began to drift away from his academic success, making choices that didn’t reflect his full potential.
Margaret Smith noticed.
As a teacher and a parent, she recognized the subtle changes in his behavior. Where others may have overlooked it, she paid attention. She saw not just who he was in that moment, but who he had the potential to become.
Instead of calling it out directly, she chose a different approach. She created a moment.
During a class reading of A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Mrs. Smith selected Von to read the lead role. At the time, it may have seemed like a simple classroom decision. But years later, Von came to understand that it was intentional.
That moment did more than place him at the center of a lesson, it awakened something within him. Standing in that role, Von discovered a confidence he hadn’t yet tapped into. He found his voice, not just in the classroom, but in how he carried himself. What once felt like uncertainty began to shift into self-assurance.
It also changed how others saw him. The same peers he had been trying to fit in with now saw him differently, not as someone trying to blend in, but as someone capable of leading, speaking, and standing out.
That single moment became a turning point. It helped shape how Von showed up moving forward, more confident in his presence, more willing to take up space, and more open to opportunities that required him to be seen and heard.
“That was a very pivotal moment for me in my high school education and my trajectory,” Von shared.
What Mrs. Smith gave him wasn’t just encouragement; it was permission. Permission to take up space. Permission to be seen. Permission to not shrink himself to fit into spaces that were never meant to define him. Her influence didn’t come through grand gestures or long conversations. It came through awareness, intention, and a belief in him that showed up exactly when he needed it most.
Years later, Von had the opportunity to reconnect with her and share just how much that moment meant. What surprised him most was that she didn’t realize the depth of her impact. While others may have assumed he had support elsewhere, she had no idea that she was the one who helped shift the direction of his life during that time. Although Mrs. Smith has since passed, her influence continues to live on in Von’s story. It lives in the confidence she helped restore. It lives in the choices he made moving forward.
And it lives in the reminder that sometimes, the smallest moments can create the biggest change.
Von’s story is a powerful example of what it means to be a champion. Not someone who simply supports from the sidelines, but someone who sees, steps in, and changes the course of someone’s life without even realizing it. Because of her, one moment became a turning point. And that turning point became something that lasted a lifetime.
The CIS Honor A Champion initiative was created to extend that spirit of recognition by inviting everyone to celebrate a champion in their life. This special opportunity allows your CIS support to become a meaningful tribute to someone who has made a lasting difference. Take a moment to honor a person who helped shape your story, or learn more today by visiting: https://ciskalamazoo.org/honor-a-champion/
Tags: CIS, Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo, Honor a Champion, The Kalamazoo Promise, Von Washington Jr
