Travis Landry is one of nine siblings, and at just 7 years old, his mother died.
“We all just had to stick together. He just refused for us to be separated,” Travis says. “We just all had to stick together.”
Travis’ father Wesley is humble – if raising nine kids alone was hard, he wouldn’t say. He says it was "just mostly a matter of keeping kids on the right track.”
“Once you get the kids with discipline and respect and pride, they take care of themselves,” Wesley says.
Juneteenth Day and Father’s Day share a calendar square this year – and leaders with Northcott Neighborhood House are taking advantage of that opportunity. The theme for this years celebration is A Tribute to Dads. Wesley was named Father of the Year at the 2022 Freedom Ball.
Wesley says he had a lot of help raising his kids over the years.
“My neighborhood is a village. Everyone in my neighborhood helped my kids to develop and be the things and do the things that they are,” he says.
“I have several men that are father figures in my life that helped raise me,” Travis adds. “If it wasn’t for them, I would probably be in worse condition than I am right now.”
Just like the community supported his family, Wesley taught his kids to give that same support in return.
“When you have abundance, give some away,” he says. “Let somebody else have some.”
That’s a lesson Travis has put to work at WestCare in Milwaukee. He’s the Regional Vice President and helps the community deal with all sorts of problems – from food insecurity to drug abuse.
It’s something Wesley is extremely proud of.
“Because he’s doing better for him, but also for the neighborhood.”
Now that Travis and his siblings are grown, he says Wesley is still just as active.
“He’s always a father figure. I run a basketball camp and he’ll bring kids up to the camp,” Travis says. “He helps out in our food pantry every Wednesday, he takes food to his elderly friends who need food boxes.”
Travis says an award honoring his dad – just for being a dad – is well deserved.
“It’s just great to know that many people respect him.”
