Rap music, basketball, and drawing are just hobbies to a lot of teens. But Willisa Covington believes they kept her away from gangs, drugs and alcohol. Now, she's using what she's learned to make an extraordinary difference in the lives of younger kids.

The Enloe High School senior conceived the idea and is now planning a fundraising concert that she will headline. Covington will donate a portion of the proceeds to one of her greatest loves, The Raleigh Boys & Girls Club. She has been an active member for 11 years.

"The Boys & Girls Club teaches you good morals and values, so you can have the strength and integrity to say no to drugs, to alcohol and violence," Covington said.
Covington said without the club, life probably would have been different. Now, she volunteers there. "I mentor and tutor the kids. I help them with schoolwork, learn how to surf the web," she said. "To hear Willisa come in and see kids acting up and say this is not the place for that, to go into class and talk about smart girls or staying away from sex until you're ready means a whole lot when you hear it from Willisa," said Bill Thomas, of the Boys & Girls Club.

Covington also does volunteer work through her school including campus cleanups, tree-planting in the city of Raleigh and working with the Special Olympics. She plans to attend Fayetteville State University in the fall.