Now, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to call him a father figure to dozens of young, African-American young adults in Cherry Creek Schools.

"I was here one day doing an exercise with kids, and [Laredo Assistant Principal] Mike Giles had invited me in," Oliver said. "You sit here and roam the hallways, talking to kids, and they just started gravitating to me. Then they want to find out if you're going to be there the next week, and I can see in their eyes that if I was to say 'No' ... the disappointment."

Oliver said "yes" to a commitment of visiting a Cherry Creek Schools program called The Brotherhood several times a week to talk about life's toughest issues with African-American students. Oliver is the November winner of the 9Who Care award for outstanding volunteerism.

"I'm a pretty tough love guy," said Oliver, who works in real estate for a good part of his day. "It's how I was raised. The more tough you are, the more they open up, the more they show up, and the more they demand you're here!"

Children demand Oliver's attendance because of his tough love, yet respectful demeanor to the African-American middle and high school students in The Brotherhood. Many of those students have never had a positive adult role model in their life. Under Oliver's mentorship, the students openly discuss difficult issues like anger, fighting and peer pressure.

In two years, Oliver has seen incredible growth in his "brothers."

"I see them proud, speaking correctly, caring about everything around them," Oliver said. "If you have those ingredients, you'll get that respect. But if you're the guy with the head down, bumping shoulders with people, that guy is a lonely guy."

Oliver's goals for the students aren't set with benchmarks like college attendance or making new friends by a certain date. Instead, Oliver asks his students if they made a good decision that week, or what bad decisions they could have handled differently.

In time, Oliver says, the college admissions and positive friendships start to materialize.

"We're showing them love, showing them tough love, whatever it is they need," Oliver said. "By just listening to them and letting them speak out about everything they have to say, and then asking them, 'How does that feel? Do you want to continue this? Do you want to be married and have a family? Or be on the street? Begging for food?' You know? Their eyes shift, and their whole mental process shifts."

Please join us in congratulating Daryl Oliver, the November 2009 recipient of the 9Who Care award.

To nominate an outstanding volunteer for the 9Who Care award, visit http://www.9news.com/life/community/whocare/default.aspx.