Daniel “Dipper’ Smith with Jackie Torres and mother Linda Smith. To hear Hill Alder Angel Hubbard tell it, Daniel “Dipper” Smith, organizer of the first annual Hill Unity Block Party, represents the power of second chances. Kristen Threatt, co-founder of Gorilla Lemonade, said he shows t hat a person’s past does not define his future. For Youth And Rec’s Ronald Huggins, it’s simple. “Dipper is the light,” he said.  “Oftentimes when people are incarcerated, you hear them say I’m going to come home and do this and that,” said Huggins on a breezy, sun-swept Saturday at the John C. Daniels School football field on Baldwin Street. “Dipper is staying true to his goals, he’s finding a way, and you can see right here he’s really helping connect the dots.”  Co-sponsored by Hubbard, the block party drew an estimated 500 and featured a host of giveaways for kids; two dozen local vendors introducing their products; and informational tables offering programs and support. It marked the first event hosted by Dipper’s Keys to Success Consulting, an LLC that focuses on engaging youth, providing job opportunities, and affording resources to uplift families and community.   “One of the main things we’re trying to do is to reach young people, let them know we see them,” said Dipper, 37, as he circulated among the tables, greeting neighbors and offering encouragement. “And with the giveaways,” which included school supplies, backpacks, sneakers, clothes, and gift cards, “we know that families are struggling, and we all can take some load off them, and at the same time we can also help them get the resources they need.”  Smith, who grew up in The Hill, was a standout athlete who turned down a football scholarship offer from Hopkins School because he didn’t want to leave the neighborhood he knew and then, at 16, committed a crime that came with an 18-year sentence. One day in his cell at Cheshire Correctional Institution, it came to him, he recalled. “This is not me, I wasn’t born for this.” He enrolled in the T.R.U.E. and H.O.N.O.R. programs that honed his skills in decision-making, conflict resolution, and problem-solving, then started leading them himself.   On early release in 2023, he kept going, working with youth and adults at other organizations and nonprofits, rebuilding his own future as a commercial truck driver, and forming Keys to Success Consulting which, among other initiatives, was raffling off free Flagger Training at the block party.  “I see in Dipper a man that wants to make an impact in the same community he grew up in,” said Gorilla Lemonade’s Threatt, as kids raced around the field, turning cartwheels and tossing footballs amid the aroma of grilling hotdogs in the sparkling late-summer light. “He’s mentoring youth and adults, showing them there’s a better way, and he’s giving people a chance to shine.”    Jayden Mack, 8, a student at Barnard Magnet School, admiring his new backpack. Credit: Lisa Reisman photo Standing behind a table nearby, Monya Saunders, co-founder of Women Healing Hearts, which helps women navigate life after incarceration, agreed. “This is about paying it forward and letting people know we’re there for them, and that’s all Dipper,” she said, as she handed out backpacks loaded with school supplies. “I work with mothers, so I know how they’re struggling.” At the next table was Quinn Wilkins with a display of his Cool Genius apparel. “This brand is about encouraging kids, teens, and adults, but especially kids, to stay true to themselves and inspire others through their presence, their purpose, and their energy,” he said, adding that he used clean lines and pared-down simplicity in his design to drive home his mission. “That is cool genius.”  A few tables down was Valerie Myles, who founded Fezzle Flo Hair after her son, Levi Gallishaw, passed. The business, which markets hand-made wigs and wig hats, is supporting her as she raises her granddaughter. “Ultimately I’d like to donate to the Yale Cancer Center,” she said.  Lexxy Kitchen Cuisine’s Alexis Dingle, with Demetrius Little, Makayla Burruss, Cassidy Dingle, Queen Woods, and sister Sentra Lamar. Credit: Lisa Reisman photo Then there was Lexxy Kitchen Cuisine. Operated by Alexis Dingle, the pop-up kitchen offers ethno-soul food and offers catering as well as take-out and delivery. “This is a passion of mine,” said Dingle, who works at Believe in Me Corporation, as her nieces bustled around her, taking orders, serving heaping portions of baked mac cheese, yams, and barbecue chicken, and making change. “I want to teach them a better way than the streets, teach them how to earn money the right way,” she said, amid a squeal of delight from a bouncy house across the field. “They are our future.”  Hill Legends, a collage made by Toya Morris. The post “Dipper” Connects The Dots appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less