Akil Dorsey greets every child who walks through the doors of Lil’ Arrows Childcare Community with the same energy — open arms, a soft voice, and eyes that have seen enough of life to know what really matters. To most, he’s simply “Mr. Akil,” the calm presence who leads the center with love, structure, and sincerity. But behind the smile is a journey marked by pain, patience, and purpose.

“I’m originally from Alexandria, Virginia,” Dorsey says. “But we bounced around from Warsaw, Roseboro, and finally settled in Clinton. So yeah, I’ve been here long enough to call it home.”

It wasn’t a smooth-sailing story. Dorsey served seven years in prison, a fact he neither hides nor lets define him. What he chooses to focus on is what came next: a calling he couldn’t ignore, a gift he didn’t initial

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