“After high school I worked for General Motors for 14 years,” Payne said. “I ended up taking a union position there and represented our employees. I went into social work because someone there told me I was great with people.”
Payne was offered a buyout and left GM after 14 years. He weighed the pros and cons of going back to school and decided he had to go for it.
“It just felt right from the beginning,” Payne said. “I started out working in foster care with kids and families.”
Payne said that seeing kids learn to grow and thrive in unusual circumstances inspired him and he wanted to take his education further and help make sure these kids were in stable homes.
Today, Payne works as a men’s health supervisor at the Charles Drew Health Center in Dayton. He leads “Every Parent Matters” program and his focus is mostly on fathers.
“I grew up in a two-parent home with five kids,” Payne said. “My dad was a big-time father figure, and he always had the best interest of all kids in mind all the time.”
Payne watched his father, Tony Payne, make a significant impact on his own friends and decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. Nominated as a Dayton Daily News Community Gem by his coworker Tif Huber, Payne is now making a big impact of his own.
“John’s leadership inspires others within our community to engage with young men and children in a meaningful way,” Huber said. “He also serves as amazing role model.”
For Payne, part of serving as a role model for fathers and young men in his own community is helping to clean up his neighborhood in north Dayton.
“I want people to see that our community is vibrant,” Payne said. “Regardless of income level, we can learn to build a sense of pride.”
Payne hosts a cleanup day on a Sunday morning every four to six weeks year-round. He initially used his own money to purchase trash bags, gloves and other items needed for the volunteers to use.
“I post about the clean up days on social media and it’s gotten to the point where people are starting to ask me if I need donations,” Payne said. “I love doing what I do but so many people have contributed.”
Payne has invited a food truck to come to the events and feed the participants after they finish the job. In addition, he also invites young people he sees in the community who are looking for ways to make money to pay for things like their high school sports participation. Payne tells them if they help clean up, he will pay them in the form of donations to the schools and sports teams. He is a firm believer that young people want to work, and that meaningful work helps keep them off the streets and off drugs.
“John doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk,” said Huber. “His words and actions help the community fully understand the transformative power of involved fatherhood.”
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