When Chattanooga Police Officer Walker Daughtery signed up to volunteer with Partnership for Families, Children and Adults’ HOPE Initiative, it wasn’t because he had extra time. He is a Chattanooga police officer, a father of young children, and a community member deeply invested in his neighborhood. What drew him in was something more demanding: the belief that meaningful community change requires a consistent presence.
Walker’s path to HOPE Initiative, Partnership’s trauma-informed program for kids 7–17 who have been impacted by trauma due to violence, began long before he ever wore a badge. He first worked at the Joe Johnson Crisis Stability Unit as a discharge coordinator where he learned how personal relationships deeply shape outcomes.
“I realized that whenever I knew people well and saw them repeatedly, the work got better for them and me,” Walker says.
That philosophy followed him in his career as a police officer, investing time in neighborhood association meetings, and believing that when officers personalize the people they serve, accountability and respect are forged on both sides.
“When we find ourselves a bigger part of that community,” he explains, “we begin to project the same standard we hold in our personal lives.”
When Walker’s coworker, Dresdyn (DJ) Johnson, invited him to volunteer with HOPE Initiative, he said “yes.” DJ was already a mentor in the program, and her example mattered.
“Once I realized there were multiple officers putting themselves out there like that, I knew I’d benefit,” Walker says. “It would help me grow in my relationships with folks in Chattanooga.”
Walker’s introduction to HOPE Initiative wasn’t gradual. His first event was Camp HOPE — a weeklong, overnight camp held just before the school year begins. For five days, officers, counselors, and youth live side by side, sharing meals, activities, and hard conversations.
“You’re spending 18 hours straight together,” Walker says. “Seeing the transition in those kids over five days — that’s why we show up as parents and mentors. They completely transform.”
“In fact, research shows this week of camp is equal to six months of one-to-one counseling,” says Michelle Howard, HOPE Initiative Program Manager.
Since Camp HOPE, Walker has been volunteering as a mentor for monthly HOPE Initiative events called “Pathways.”
“Walker has led with patience and become a consistent face at HOPE Initiative events. His dedication to the program is changing the narrative from a strictly a police officer, to a mentor they can trust,” adds Howard.
“These kids are going to immediately look up to you once they trust you, and that underlines how important your words and tone are,” shares Walker. “If they have something exciting happen in their life, they want to tell me, and my goal is to affirm their excitement. I want them to believe in themselves.”
