About Us
Since 2019
Our mission
The mission of the Detroit City Lions Youth Club (DCL) is to provide at-risk boys and girls (ages 5 – 24) access to much needed sports programs and academic services. To that end, our organization focuses on providing both traditional and non-traditional sports such as football, soccer, basketball, baseball, chess, lacrosse, swimming, gymnastics, dance, and cheer; as well as theater, culinary arts, tutoring and mentoring services, STEAM programming, robotics, conflict resolution, leadership development, financial literacy and youth employment. Our efforts will help to cohesively develop healthy bodies and healthy minds of area youth, readying them to become physically and academically competitive in today’s world. This makes Detroit City Lions one of the most diverse youth sports programs in the Metro Detroit area.
Devon Buskins
As the product of a caring community of coaches, mentors, and teammates, Devon Buskin is a true believer in the developmental power of youth sports. For him, youth programs he was a part of, offered an opportunity to explore his strengths and build the skills he needed to be successful later in life. This crucial experience is something Devon works to pass along to future generations as the Co-Founder and CEO of The Detroit City Lions Youth Club (DCL) Founded in 2018, DCL provides over 1200 young people ages 5 to 24 with equitable access to sports, STEAM, educational, and workforce development programming & skill-building activities. Under Devon’s leadership, the organization has expanded from its original football & cheer program to include over 12 unique athletic opportunities including basketball, baseball, soccer, cheer, and dance, swimming, robotics, theatre & arts, art & culture, e-sports, volleyball, culinary arts, and more. Many of DCL’s youth participate in multiple programs in the organization, keeping them engaged and active year-round. DCL also offers wraparound family services and academic support to help create well-rounded student-athletes and ensure that participants can take full advantage of future scholarship opportunities. With the goal of exposing & connecting youth to successful sport career pathways. Which will ultimately diversify the sports industry. work. With his ultimate goal to development a registration free program for all youth in metro Detroit, where each child is afforded free play & education of their choice, which fully develops the child and impacts their families, along with their communities and putting a SMILE on each kids face!
Man on a mission
In addition to his role with DCL, Devon also currently serves as The Vice President of Partnerships & Initiatives at Strategic Community Partners (SCP). SCP is a multifaceted national EQUITY firm, headquartered in Detroit, with 5 locations across the country. Prior to SCP, Devon served as the Director of Workforce Development at The Greening of Detroit in 2012 for nine years, where he led a nationally recognized training and employment program, placing over a thousand Detroit residents into jobs that helped to revitalize their neighborhoods and city. Under Devon’s leadership, the Greening’s Workforce Development Department scaled into the Detroit Conservation Corps. This expansion model has now been leveraged across the country to help support adults and youth with barriers to employment in urban cities. The program has given low-income, underrepresented, unemployed, and underemployed citizens a chance for success and a renewed opportunity for a sustainable future. Devon also directed the Green Corps Youth Employment Program which employed over 1800, providing education in the fields of green jobs, urban planning, civil and environmental engineering, landscape architecture, and other disciplines, along with ACT/SAT training, resume and interviewing training, financial literacy, college visits, college fairs, and hands-on environmental education.
During his tenure with the State of Michigan (Cities of Promise initiative) under Governor Granholm’s Administration, Devon successfully scaled Detroit-area programming into state-wide and federal programs. He is a proven leader, experienced administrator, department director, and program developer whose imprint can be found on multiple local, state, and federal agencies. Devon was coached into leadership by his grandfather, who served as the Deputy Mayor for Detroit under Mayor Coleman A. Young’s administration.
Devon is appreciative and blessed to have a strong support system of family, friends, and community members to support him in his work. He is a proud father & husband, he enjoys mentoring and coaching youth, playing sports, and being involved in his community. He is a proud graduate of the Samuel C. Mumford High School (Detroit Public Schools), where he continued his education at Western Michigan University. Devon has received various awards and recognition in his field, including an Aspen Institute Fellowship sponsored by JP Morgan Chase & Co. and The Corporation for a Skilled Workforce, a National Leadership Award from the US. Department of Labor, two leadership awards from Parsons Brinkerhoff, an Excellence Under 40 leadership award, and is a recipient of the Ford Motor Company Foundation Men of Courage award. His most recent accomplishments include being inducted into the Samuel C. Mumford High School Hall of Fame in 2019, a SCP Community Incubator Program award in 2020, receiving the 2021 SCP Community Keeper Award, the 2021 Torch of Wisdom Foundation Community Enrichment Hero Award, and the 2023 President of the United States Lifetime Achievement Award (Biden Administration).
Professional Recognition
Professional Recognition
2023 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient (Biden Administration)
2021 – Community Enrichment Hero Award winner presented by the Torch of Wisdom Foundation
2019 – Inducted into the Samuel C. Mumford High School Hall of Fame
2018 – Aspen Institute Fellow
2015 – National Leadership Award Presented by the U.S. Department of Labor
2018 – Ford Motor Company Foundation Men of Courage Award
2017 – Excellence under 40 Leadership Award
2009, 2010 – Parsons Brinckerhoff Leadership Award
Board of Directors
Michelle Parizon
President
Board Members
Dr. Missy Johnson
Bituin Arcinas
Akil Alvin
John Vickers
Jasmine Stallworth
Vice-President
Board Members
Dave Finley
George Williams
Steele Hughes
DCL Leadership Team
Basketball Program Manager
George Williams
george@detroitcitylions.org
Robotics & Coding Program Manager
Kimberli Smith
stem@detroitcitylions.org
Cheer Program Manager
Ayesha Harris
cheer@detroitcitylions.org
Theater, Arts, & Literacy Program Manager
Kalyse Edmondson
theater@detroitcitylions.org
Football Program Manager
Kay Miller
football@detroitcitylions.org
Volleyball Program Manager
Jazzmine Jones
volleyball@detroitcitylions.org
Culinary Arts Program Manager
Musheya Glenn
culinary@detroitcitylions.org
Soccer Program Manager
Leighton Kelly
soccer@detroitcitylions.org
We're within reach
Get IN touch
DCL Hotline: (313) 673-6910
info@detroitcitylions.org
Our Locations
Historic Marygrove Campus
8425 W. McNichols
Detroit, MI 48221
Northwest Activity Center
18100 Meyers Road
Detroit, MI 48235
Cornerstone Schools Lincoln King
13436 Grove Avenue
Detroit, MI 48235
Visit Us
We are proud of the work we do and encourage visitors to make an appointment to stop by our offices to tour our facilities.
We have programming throughout the city, so call the DCL Hotline for information about programs by location.