Wilson woman becomes superhero for low-income families

Yolanda Davis is a mom, a military veteran and now a pioneer of a non-profit agency that attempts to educate dozens of Wilson’s littlest residents.

1. Yolanda is a military veteran. She served in the army for 17. 5 years

2. Dee's house was named in loving memory of her son Derrick S. Davis, II, who died Christmas morning 2007 at the age of 26. Derrick loved children and left a legacy of his love for children. He always had time to listen and encourage them.

3. The first program under this umbrella was named Dee's Boyz. This program works with young boys and young men from ages 8 to 24. Young boys are placed in a mentor and tutorial program. They assess them individually and assist them in their needs.

4. The programs offered at Dee's House are completely free to all recipients.​

5. Davis gets assistance financing the non-profit from her mother and donations.

In 1994, Davis noticed and extreme need in the Wilson community, where the census estimates that nearly a quarter of the residents live below the poverty line.

“We’ve had challenged with our schools and our communities; testing scores, our children being raised by children,” Davis said.

Davis began a nonprofit known today as Dee’s House, named after her son who died in 2007. Davis opened the doors of her home to offer everything from mentorship for parents to a preschool program to prepare students for kindergarten.

Just like a true superhero, Davis has recruited a team of sidekicks who all volunteer their time to provide the services to low-income families for free.

“That’s something that’s challenging, but that’s not something that’s going to stop us,” Davis said. “What we do, my mother and I up until this point, we split the bills. We pay ourselves.”

Parents who have enrolled said Dee’s House is changing lives.

“Giving people information, giving them hope, teaching our children. These are our future, so being able to do that and invest that into our community and give back that way is excellent,” parent Brian Atkinson said.