Cleveland Winn

Recently, I spent the day with Cleveland Winn for a series the sports department is working on about the top 25 athletes to come out of Collier County. In the late 1960's, Cleveland was setting records as a running back and defensive end for Naples High School. Being from Fort Myers and since their schools hadn't integrated yet, Cleveland attended school in Naples. After high school, Cleveland played ball at Central Missouri State. Since then, he's moved back home and helped to coach high school football and to this day people still call him coach.

Fast forward to today and Cleveland is now 62 and volunteering at Salvation Army at the security post and also helps with nightly dinners and devotion. I didn't have to spend the entire day with Cleveland, but just being around the guy made me feel good. People come to him with their troubles and he councils them or helps in anyway he can. They also come with him just to say hi and it quickly turns into a conversation. I swear that every person he introduced me to was either a Ms. or Mr. no matter if they were a resident at the Salvation Army or the director. Even I was dubbed, "Mr. Scott." Every conversation ended with either "The lord is good," or "God bless."

My day with Cleveland is one of those days that makes my job great. I got to spend time with a great man who in return made me examine my own outlook. I generally like to think that I'm a positive person but spending time with Cleveland made me think further about being grateful and looking forward to a positive future.

One last bit of praise I have for Cleveland Winn is from his devotion before nightly dinner service. While his sermon to the men and women stressed improving themselves and changing the ways that were bringing them to the life they were leading (drug problems, causing trouble, etc.), he also gave thanks for the people that have been good to him. In the line of people he thanked he said, "I'd like to thank you lord for Mr. Scott and what he does, he truly humbled me today and I pray for him and the work he does."

That hit me right in the heart.

As always, thanks for looking.