Interview with Victor and Dawn Barnett

02/20/25 • 30 min

An Interview with Victor and Dawn Barnett, Leaders of Running Rebels

It’s a magical sight when a once lifeless plant begins to blossom because of the right conditions. According to one of our guests on this episode of Voices of Freedom, working with young people from challenging circumstances is analogous to tending a garden. When someone is struggling or hopeless, it can be hard to see the possibilities ahead for them. Yet with nurturing, understanding and patience, change can take root that allows them to bloom.

For four decades, Running Rebels has intervened in the lives of thousands of young people, helping them become thriving, engaged, contributing citizens. Victor and Dawn Barnett lead Running Rebels together. They share what youth need to thrive and why they’re optimistic about the next generation.

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

What led Victor and Dawn to dedicate their lives to working with young people
How Running Rebels filled a void in the Milwaukee area
The challenges kids face today versus in the 1980s and 90s
The qualities that make someone a good mentor and how to find mentors
Organizations across the country that mentor young people
How to connect with kids who are tough to reach and how to deal with kids who fall back into destructive behaviors
Running Rebels’ program to help kids succeed while in college
The biggest misconception about the kids Running Rebels helps
What gives Dawn and Victor hope for the future

About Victor and Dawn Barnett:

At the age of 19, Victor Barnett saw many of the young people of Milwaukee being pulled into the street life of gangs, crime, and violence. He used basketball as the tool to engage, mentor, and guide youth towards an alternative path that would ensure their future success. From this vision and action, Running Rebels Community Organization was born.

Dawn Barnett’s career began over 20 years ago when she saw a boy playing with a basketball in front of her house. Impressed by his skills, she learned that he was a member of the Running Rebels basketball team. She soon met Victor and was inspired to become involved. Since that time, she has helped turn Running Rebels into an organization that now serves 2,500 youth annually in Milwaukee.

An Interview with Victor and Dawn Barnett, Leaders of Running Rebels

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

What led Victor and Dawn to dedicate their lives to working with young people
How Running Rebels filled a void in the Milwaukee area
The challenges kids face today versus in the 1980s and 90s
The qualities that make someone a good mentor and how to find mentors
Organizations across the country that mentor young people
How to connect with kids who are tough to reach and how to deal with kids who fall back into destructive behaviors
Running Rebels’ program to help kids succeed while in college
The biggest misconception about the kids Running Rebels helps
What gives Dawn and Victor hope for the future

About Victor and Dawn Barnett:

Previous Episode

Interview with Laura Sumner-Coon

An Interview with Laura Sumner-Coon, Executive Director of Racine Literacy Council (RLC)

It might seem counterintuitive for leaders of nonprofit organizations to try to work themselves out of their jobs. Yet our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom believes that should in fact be their goal.

Laura Sumner-Coon, Executive Director of Racine Literacy Council (RLC), has spent her career starting and leading organizations that are driven to help individuals build better lives.

As she shares on this episode, non-profits should not be afraid to work themselves out of existence. It’s an approach Sumner-Coon carries with her at RLC, an organization that supports the literacy needs of residents who seek to reach their full potential and become engaged citizens.

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

Laura’s experience working with non-profits and in education reform
Why she started, and decided to shut down Racine SOAR, an organization that helped parents and schools navigate the area’s first parental choice program
RLC’s importance to an industrial community like Racine
The circumstances of those who use RLC’s services, how it helps them achieve their goals, and how they become more engaged citizens
The extent of RLC’s reach beyond its brick-and-mortar building
RLC’s 60th anniversary and its future plans

Laura Sumner-Coon started out her career as a reporter and editor for various newspapers, including the former Milwaukee Journal and the Journal Times. She then held communication and development roles with the Racine Dominican Sisters and from there, began a career in education reform, including founding and leading a grassroots effort to establish the first parental choice program in Racine, Wisconsin. She has also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in the teacher preparation program.

Next Episode

Interview with Mark Klug

An Interview with Mark Klug, Chief Executive Officer, Christian Family Solutions

Public awareness about mental health has never been greater, but barriers to treatment remain.

According to our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom, integrating faith with proven therapeutic treatment can have a transformational impact on those who are dealing with anxiety, depression or who are healing from trauma.

Mark Klug, CEO of Christian Family Solutions (CFS), says that a faith-based approach to addressing mental health can build a level of hope and sense of inherent worth in every individual. He shares these insights and more.

Topics Discussed on this Episode:

· Mark’s background in the behavioral health field and what drives him to serve people

· The impact of Christian-based counseling on those who use it

· The underlying issues contributing to the rise in mental health issues among youth.

· Redefinitions of mental health and how Social and Emotional Learning can undermine a child’s resilience

· CFS’s onsite counseling services and how it works in schools

· CFS’s new day treatment program, one of the first of its kind in the nation

· Community Counseling Care Partnership, which works with congregations to identify and serve people in the community who are experiencing challenging personal issues

· The key ingredients to leading a fulfilling life

About Mark Klug:

Mark Klug is the CEO of CFS, a position he’s held for ten years. Founded in 1965, CFS offers a range of counseling services from a Christian perspective to people of all ages. Specifically, CFS has developed a robust school-based counseling program to reach children who would otherwise have difficulty accessing mental health services.