Diane Latiker

Diane Latiker

Living in a large urban population for the majority of here life, Diane Latiker was no stranger to the problems faced by urban youth. She had dropped out of high school herself and had seven children all before the age of 25. It wasn't until she was 36 that she decided to turn her life around. Getting her GED and remarrying as well as having another daughter.

 It was when her youngest daughter became a teen that she began to worry about how her daughter would grow up with so many gangs in Roseland, a dangerous Chicago neighborhood.. She encouraged her daughter in other activities to hopefully help her avoid that lifestyle, and then Diane's mother encouraged her to try helping others. 

When Diane began she was somewhat nervous, then she realized that most of the kids in her neighborhood did not dream of being part of a gang, they had other dreams and aspirations to do something better with their life. 

That's when Diane Latiker decided to keep her house open to those kids 24/7 in order to provide a safe place where they could come and just be themselves. She names her nonprofit program Kids Off the Block.

Many credit Latiker for changing their lives around. Giving them a place to do their homework and someone who would talk to them and take them seriously. 

Maurece Gilchrist is one of those kids who had his life changed by Diane Latiker. Maurece had been part of a gang and only came to Latiker's house because his friend was going there after school one day. Now he is out of gang life and planning on playing football at college. 

Her program has expanded ever since. In 2008, donors helped her buy the house next door since her house could no longer fit anymore people. She has also made a stone garden in memory of all the youth in her area who have lost their lives to violence just in the time since 2007. There were over 220 stones in the memorial. 

Diane Latiker is having a positive influence on her community. Giving her neighborhood hope for something beyond gang life. She also has given hope to other neighborhoods like Roseland in different cities across the nation where her nonprofit has gone and spoke.