He went from a very low place in his life — even near death — to empowering others.

Today Rodney Hughley is a proud student at Rollins College. And what a journey it's been over the last 40 plus years to get here.

"I've never met my biological father. For many years it caused me a significant amount of pain," Hughley, founder of Kauses4Kids, said.

That heartache led him on a downward spiral — for a decade he was addicted to drugs and being in and out of rehab, including periods of living on the streets.

"I was assaulted, injured severely, basically left for dead in a field and it rendered me pretty much helpless. It was about two years before I could walk again so I decided to take the initiative to at least do something productive," Hughley said.

That decision to turn pain into purpose led him down a path to create "Kauses4Kids" to support children who need it most.

"I know what it's like not to have confidence. I know what it's like to feel hopeless and unworthy," he said.

To give children that confidence to succeed, the organization is holding a collection drive. While toys are not being collected, the group is gathering necessities to meet crisis-level needs for youth in Central Florida.

"You'd be surprised how many children actually come to school and they have haven't bathed. There would be holes in their shoes or taped shoes or what have you. (They) don't even have clean underwear or whatever and that was kinda heart breaking for me," he said.

The thank you letters and success stories empower Hughley. He wants to expand Kauses4Kids by offer new scholarships and to find more ways to give kids hope.

"I can't think of anything better to do with my life, to do with my history, then be able to say, 'Hey you know what? If I can do this with the challenges I face and overcome, then certainly you can too,'" he said.

And Hughley will keep sharing his story to inspire kids to believe in themselves.