Diane Latiker
Amid rampant gang violence in a Chicago South Side neighborhood, a
grandmother has an open door policy. Roseland resident Diane Latiker, 54,
started a nonprofit community with 10 kids in her living room in 2003. The
program, Kids Off The Block, has grown to become a successful mentoring
site and haven for Chicago’s youth, serving 300 kids last year and well over
1500 since its inception. Latiker, who has eight kids and 13 grandkids of
her own, was recognized as a Top Ten 2011 CNN Hero.