For Donte Frierson, childhood was marked by uncertainty. With a father who was in and out of his life, Donte made a promise to himself early on: “Once I became a man, I would never put my children through what I went through.”
That resolve was tested sooner than he expected. Donte became a father while still in high school. Fear and doubt weighed heavily on him. “In the beginning, I was very skeptical… with me still being in my mess, I didn’t know if I was ready to take that step,” he admits.
As life spiraled and the pressure mounted, Donte found himself at his lowest point. “I was at my worst and I needed a reset,” he recalls. That reset came when he was incarcerated at CCA, where he first heard about Men of Valor. What he thought might be just another program turned out to be the best decision of his life.
Through Men of Valor, Donte encountered a community of genuine men who welcomed him as he was. “I was able to embrace my flaws, free myself, and give myself to God,” he says. With mentorship, counseling, and the hope of the gospel, Donte began transitioning from a life of chaos into the man—and father—he always wanted to be.
Today, Donte is a steady presence in his children’s lives. He provides not just structure and stability, but also cherished memories. “For me, it’s all about building memories, providing a roof over their head, and doing right by them.”
That commitment hasn’t gone unnoticed. Friends and even strangers are often surprised by how respectful and well-mannered his children are. Donte smiles and says simply: “Yeah… those are my kids. It’s just a beautiful thing.”
