Shot in the back and paralyzed at age 5, Jermell Pennie came to the Hughen Center two years later. There he gained the self-confidence and inner strength to take charge of his life. Upon his graduation he received one of the first college scholarshhips provided to Bob Hope High School graduates by the Eagles. 

The Jermell Years

At age 5, Jermell was shot in the back and paralyzed from the waist down. Due to the lack of any family members to care for him, he became a foster child and a resident at Hughen Center. Although now truly safe for the first time in his life, it took every hour of every day he was at Hughen to help put his past behind him and realize his potential.

Many now-retired members of the Hughen staff attribute most of their gray hair to the challenges they faced during what is lovingly referred to as “The Jermell Years.” Though unable to walk, Jermell had full use of his upper body, allowing him to be one of the more mobile and self-sufficient students on campus. One of the most difficult tasks for staff members was having to coax Jermell away from shooting hoops for his daily physical therapy session. “Basketball is my therapy!” he would insist. Little did we know how correct he was. Jermell was able to join a local wheelchair basketball team. His love of the sport was obvious, but now he had to do the one thing he hated most – play by the rules!

Graduation Time. As Jermell made new friends and excelled in the game he so loved, a new confidence emerged. With the encouragement of his Hughen family, the boy who could have so easily been one of the “forgotten” found his inner strength. Jermell began to trust in others and in himself. On the day of his graduation, his Hughen family members and his basketball teammates and sponsors were in the front row. Jermell was one of the first recipients of an Eagles’ Bob and Dolores Hope Scholarship.

Having lived for so long in a dormitory setting, Jermell was anxious to experience living independently before enrolling in college. He spent several years working and traveling, participating always in wheelchair basketball. He settled in Dallas and began his college career. His love of the game brought him in touch with the Dallas Mavericks NBA team. Soon, all the puzzle pieces of Jermell’s life fell into place. It started on the day he met the coach of a special branch of the team known as “The Wheelchair Mavericks.”

A Star On The Hardwood. For the past nine years, Jermell Pennie has been a National Wheelchair Basketball Association Class One guard for the Mavericks. Twice he has won individual and team All-American awards, and in 2002 the team won second place at the International Wheelchair Basketball Championships in Brazil. Over the past two years, the team has done a great deal of international travel, including participating in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece. For the next 10 months, Jermell’s home base is Paris, France, as the Mavericks compete throughout Europe.

This son of Hughen Center has triumphed over incredible odds. Now in his 30s, Jermell is a wonderful ambassador for Hughen Center.