David Devine started Devine Custom Painting by himself, with a truck and a paint sprayer. What grew from it was something beyond his expectations, and he loves the outcome. Now David and his son, Dakota, run a small business and regularly make time to give back to the community. They love sharing about their time as EVSC student athletes and efforts to give back to the community.

David Devine graduated from Reitz High School with a sporting career in baseball and football. When asked about a favorite memory, he quickly says it was being able to play football as a Reitz Panther. As a Panther, Mr. Fellnock was his favorite teacher because of all the interesting cars he owned. He also loved John Ritter, his baseball coach, as his favorite coach.

When we asked David about what giving back to his school means to him, he goes back to his own experience as a student and what community support meant to him:

“I always played sports and coached. As a kid, I loved having a company’s name on my jersey. It showed someone supported us and that meant a lot. I have and will always support our youth in this community. I love doing it and know how much it is truly needed.

We have given back to the community in so many ways. We painted all Bosse High School’s baseball buildings, batting cages and dugouts for free. We grinded all of Lodge’s playground equipment and made it look brand new for free. We painted for Stringtown’s baseball program and at Harwood. We sponsor four baseball teams a year and sponsored a cheer program. It has felt so good to see little kids happy, playing on their new school equipment or enjoying their athletic teams. We have also enjoyed supporting the community in other ways, outside schools.”

Dakota, David’s son, has also been very involved in the business and community support.  He is a Bosse High School graduate, and played football, baseball, and wrestling while at school. His favorite memory was traveling to Indianapolis to watch the Bosse basketball team play in the state championship. He also recalls Ms. Drake as his favorite teacher and why she made a lasting impact in his life: “Ms. Drake took me in as her own. She was also a listening ear who told me when I was wrong, and taught me things about life. She actually cared about my life and my choices. I considered her a second momma.” When asked about coaches, he mentions coach Schoobrige as a favorite coach and someone else he looked up to. Dakota also shares eloquently about what he has learned from his father, David, about giving back to the community:

“It has taught me how big of a heart he has. He has love for everyone and always puts himself last. I have seen him struggle himself, but still give back to the community. He has always taught me ‘what goes around comes around, if you do good in the world, good things will come for you.’”

You can learn more about David and Dakota’s family business, Devine Custom Painting, at devinepainting-in.com/. You can also learn more about ways to give back to your school and community by visiting evscfoundation.org/ or contacting us at info@evscfoundation.org and 812-435-0913.