Character · Legacy · Vision
Our story
A father's legacy. A movement for young men.
The mission
Cultivating boys to men since 2016.
DDG is cultivating boys into gentlemen. We are changing the lives of young men that society has marked as inferior and speaking to the king within each of them.
Dapper & Distinguished Gentlemen provides education to 4th–12th grade young men — and college students — with the necessary tools to become gentlemen of character and vision in society. Through a 12-topic curriculum, mentoring, camps, scholarships, and open community dialogue, DDG meets young men where they are and shows them who they can become.
The work spans Columbia and Johnsonville, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina — reaching more than 500 young men across three states over ten years.
Deon Generette
Founder & CEO
The founder
From Johnsonville to a generation.
Deon Generette grew up in the small town of Johnsonville, South Carolina. A University of South Carolina theatre graduate with an MBA, he served eight years in the U.S. Army, including in Iraq. When his father — Pastor Samuel L. Generette — passed away in 2009 at just 49, Deon carried one lesson above all, delivered years earlier on the way to a forgotten basketball practice:
“Don't ever tell someone you're going to do something and NOT do it!”
After returning home, counseling helped Deon turn grief into purpose: honor his father's legacy through service. In 2016 he founded Dapper & Distinguished Gentlemen — for his community, and for his four sons. Today he is also the force behind 7Sunday, the live music platform reaching 200,000+ viewers across five markets, whose annual events help fund DDG's work.
What we stand on
Character. Legacy. Vision.
Character
Integrity when nobody's watching. Accountability when everybody is.
Legacy
We honor the men who raised us by raising the men who come next.
Vision
Seeing past circumstance — and speaking to the king within each young man.
The journey
Ten years strong.
2009
Pastor Samuel L. Generette — Deon's father — passes at 49. His legacy plants the seed.
2016
Dapper & Distinguished Gentlemen is founded in South Carolina to honor that legacy.
2019
7Sunday launches, becoming a funding engine for DDG's programs and camps.
2021+
Camps and banquets expand across Columbia, Johnsonville, and Charlotte, NC.
Today
500+ young men served, $10K+ in scholarships, and a movement 10 years strong.