Milt Lee knows they are laughing at him. He doesn’t care. That’s because he thinks someday he’ll have the last laugh.
As the South Bend Community Schools’ director of community programs and K-12 athletics, Milt thinks that our the local public schools can be good — make that outstanding, not just good — in sports again.
“Yeah, people may be laughing, but at least they aren’t ignoring me,” says Milt, who started his new job last spring.
How can you ignore Milt? His smile and his enthusiasm are infectious. He may be a dreamer, but he now has what he considers his dream job.
“I’ve had a hard time not gushing about what I’m getting to do and about the great coaches and athletic directors I’m working with,” he says.
He has loved his other jobs — serving as director of the Michiana YMCA’s Urban Youth Services, franchising director for the South Bend Chocolate Company, CEO of the Food Bank of Northern Indiana and executive director of Downtown South Bend — but his new position is a position that he thinks suits him to a T, as in terrific.
“Every stop I’ve made in my career, I’ve been able to put something in my tool box and grow in leadership terms,” he says.
He’s grateful for those opportunities.
Now he wants to give back to the school system, along with the community, that helped shape him. Back in the early 1980s, he was a fullback and defensive end for some pretty good Washington High football teams.
South Bend was still competitive in most sports then — maybe not like the ’50s or ’60s or even ’70s — but still respectable.
But years later when Milt’s sons were at Adams High School and Milt would would work as part of the chain gang on the sidelines at football games, he would hear other coaches motivate their players by telling them how embarrassing it would be to lose to a South Bend school.
“That stuck with me,” he says. “We can change that.”
He’ll take it a step further. “I think we can bring students back into the South Bend school system through athletics by offering them an attractive and impactful experience,” he adds.
Whew!
He knows too many students have left South Bend schools. He would like to get them back. No recruiting. Just good programs and coaches to lure them.
Other than the weight rooms that could use updating, Milt thinks the facilities are already a plus.
Milt plans to share some of his thoughts and what’s going on in his programs on this website from time to time. We look forward to that.
“I’m just really excited,” he says. “I love the thought of what we can do.”
He knows it won’t be a quick fix.
Does he want to make any predictions for the next few years? “I just want to say that we plan to create some lifelong experiences for our students and athletes.”
Then he smiles. “I’m not ready to put a target on us yet.”
Let them laugh, he says. For now.