Meeting Shawn Peoples feels like reconnecting with a lifelong friend. He greets you with a warm smile and a welcoming attitude. He loves what he does, and it shows. To many of the children he’s inspired, he’s a coach, but his official title is Community Programs Manager for Precinct 4.

“I tell my staff and the kids that my job is to make them better,” said Shawn. “Hopefully, my job is successful enough that they take over my position and carry the baton forward. That’s my largest goal in terms of impact on the kids, youth, and anyone who comes to me.”

Shawn joined the Precinct 4 team in 2023 as a community center manager, bringing with him a wealth of experience from his previous jobs at the Boys & Girls Club and the Parks & Recreation Departments in both the Cities of Omaha, Nebraska and Chandler, Arizona.

His commitment to youth development quickly became evident to residents through the meaningful relationships he began building at Freed Community Center. When Precinct 4 took over the center, a shy five-year-old boy and his grandmother visited. Shawn invited him to engage in basketball drills and the child quickly became a regular at the center.

One day, during an event at another park, Shawn was working the information table when his colleague tapped him on the shoulder.

“I heard someone yelling across the field,” Shawn said. “To [the kid], my name was ‘Mr. Coach.’ I looked over and saw him waving, his face lit up. That’s when I knew I had made a difference with this one.”

A personal challenge

Shawn grew up in a large family. Both his parents worked full-time, so he, his seven brothers, and six sisters often visited community centers after school to reinforce their learning and make new friends.

The mentorship he received there, the principles he learned from his parents’ teachings — “quitting is never an option” was his mother’s motto — and the influence of his older brother Charles, who was his role model, all marked Shawn’s life and shaped who he is today.

“My mom has a huge heart and was a civil worker as well,” said Shawn. “She instilled the message that even though it's a struggle for us, there's always a way we can help others. Seeing that as a young kid, experiencing it, and growing up with it as the norm, I took it upon myself as a personal challenge.”

Before joining Precinct 4, Shawn and his brother worked together to mentor at-risk teens and those aging out of the foster care system. The brothers guided the young adults toward a positive, productive life by connecting them with jobs at Shawn and his brother’s businesses and teaching them entrepreneurial skills.

An idea that keeps on giving

Since joining Precinct 4, Shawn has helped revitalize the Freed Community Center and create a brand-new program: STEAM 4 Kids.

The idea for STEAM 4 Kids came to Shawn while he was driving home from Freed Community Center. Reflecting on what he wished the community centers had when he was a child, he envisioned a program that combined fun with learning.

He proposed activities, such as rocketry, drone education, 3D printing, LEGO robotics, and nature identification. His idea was quickly approved. Over the past two summers, STEAM 4 Kids has grown from approximately 180 kids at Freed to nearly 300 kids (including the kid that calls Shawn “Mr. Coach”) at five different community centers across the Precinct.

Shawn’s vision for the future is to expand these opportunities to all centers, ensuring that every child has the chance to reach their full potential.

“My goal is to give [the kids] more than I had when I started,” said Shawn. “I know the impact it has on them. I was one of those kids. They will remember it for a lifetime. If I can change one life, that would be successful, but my goal is to change as many as I come in contact with, which I know is a lofty goal but someone has to do it.”