By Betsy Finklea
Travis Orange knows all too well the results of hanging out with the wrong crowd. Fourteen years ago, he was convicted of armed robbery and first degree murder for what he says was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Released two years ago, Orange now wants to help young people avoid his same fate through his mentoring program. Orange was just 17 years old when he went to prison. He was 31 years old when he was released.
Orange launched his program in Loris and now is bringing his services to the Dillon County Boys and Girls Youth Center, hoping to impact teens in our area. Orange has been very active with his program in the Loris/Conway/Myrtle Beach area. He has done some intervention programs with the high schools in that area and last year had a community cookout. He is trying to put an event together for Dillon.
Orange hopes youth will hear his message before they are behind bars and their only avenue is to listen or they will be made to listen. He said prison conditions are very bad, and he has even seen people killed there. He has seen people killed who were within days of going home.
Orange said he loves helping youth and interacting with them. Soon, he hopes to be making an impact on Dillon County’s youth.