This week we are honoring the memory of Willie Peacock, a passionate and energetic youth advocate who led our RVA Marching band and served as the ultimate mentor to many of the kids we served for 20 years.
Willie began his work with Rite of Passage in the early 2000's when we opened Ridge View Academy, where he took on the role of a Coach Counselor. As the program grew, Willie owned the vocational build out for the band, choir, and anything musical and did so successfully, often times with 50-60 kids in his programs at once. During his time at RVA, Willie had a specialty for getting through to some of the kids who struggled the most and gave them a place to feel at home, whether that was in the marching band, in his classroom, or through his special ability to connect kids to something bigger.
Willie was described as a man with a heart of gold, whose smile, laugh, and encouragement never went unnoticed to those around him. He was described by his coworkers as someone who was consistent, full of integrity, the ultimate care giver. He had a truly special inclination for guiding the youth he worked with, helping them to believe in themselves. Willie's passion was music and he managed to bring it front and center in our programs from every game night on the football field, to the assemblies and pep rally's where the band played an integral part in creating the infectious culture we all knew so well at RVA. This all came from Willies passion for music and for the kids we served.
After his time at RVA, Willie moved to one of our other programs where he taught kids with developmental disabilities how to play instruments until the time of his passing. Willie was steadfast in his care and passion for the arts and spirituality, and he brought the same energy to giving kids a place in this world to believe in themselves. Willie's memory lives on through the impact he left on the lives of the kids he served, as well as through his coworkers who still to this day reflect on the natural ability he had to reach the kids we worked with.