Obi Henderson: A Case Study
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than 150 people attended a vigil Friday to honor a Charleston youth mentor.
Obi Henderson, 31, of Charleston, died Monday in a car accident on Corridor G in South Charleston. According to witnesses, his vehicle came off Parkway Avenue and plunged over a steep embankment.
Henderson founded DREAMS Community Development Corp. in 2013, a non-profit group that works with youth to improve leadership and public speaking skills.
A group of Henderson's former mentees organized the vigil at Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School.
Jon'Nease Copening, who met Henderson in 2015, moved to Florida before the start of this school year.
"He wanted you to do good," Copening said. "We talked about how it was important to love each other and …show more content…
The vigil opened with a prayer by Rev. Dr. Felicia Wooten Williams, a pastor at Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church and St. Stephens United Methodist Church. Williams said Henderson's impact will be felt throughout Charleston's West Side for years to come.
"Obi was a star among us," she said. "We may seemingly did not recognize that, or he may not have known just how brightly he shined toward us."
Numerous people spoke at the vigil about Henderson's mentoring work and passion for community.
Tuesday Taylor was working at Kanawha County Youth Reporting Center in 2011 when she met Henderson. She said when she moved to Ohio in 2015, she always thought of Henderson's work in Charleston.
"When I asked Obi, "What is DREAMS?" he said, "That's my dream I want to give to everybody, because if everybody grabs a hold of this dream, it's nothing going to be a dream because it's going to be a reality," she said.
Taylor moved back to Charleston in February 2017, and considered quitting youth program work until talking to
Obi Henderson, 31, of Charleston, died Monday in a car accident on Corridor G in South Charleston. According to witnesses, his vehicle came off Parkway Avenue and plunged over a steep embankment.
Henderson founded DREAMS Community Development Corp. in 2013, a non-profit group that works with youth to improve leadership and public speaking skills.
A group of Henderson's former mentees organized the vigil at Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School.
Jon'Nease Copening, who met Henderson in 2015, moved to Florida before the start of this school year.
"He wanted you to do good," Copening said. "We talked about how it was important to love each other and …show more content…
The vigil opened with a prayer by Rev. Dr. Felicia Wooten Williams, a pastor at Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church and St. Stephens United Methodist Church. Williams said Henderson's impact will be felt throughout Charleston's West Side for years to come.
"Obi was a star among us," she said. "We may seemingly did not recognize that, or he may not have known just how brightly he shined toward us."
Numerous people spoke at the vigil about Henderson's mentoring work and passion for community.
Tuesday Taylor was working at Kanawha County Youth Reporting Center in 2011 when she met Henderson. She said when she moved to Ohio in 2015, she always thought of Henderson's work in Charleston.
"When I asked Obi, "What is DREAMS?" he said, "That's my dream I want to give to everybody, because if everybody grabs a hold of this dream, it's nothing going to be a dream because it's going to be a reality," she said.
Taylor moved back to Charleston in February 2017, and considered quitting youth program work until talking to