Speaking Engagements

I have a week of speaking engagements coming up. The week of Nov. 14 I am speaking all five days at 3 different schools.

On Monday I am speaking at the Climax Springs High School in Missouri. This is the school district where our lake house is located.

After I am done in Climax Springs I am driving back to KC to speak at Basehor Linwood and Shawnee Mission East in Kansas.

When I started speaking at schools I never dreamed that eight years later I would still be speaking and drug addiction would be as bad or worse than it was when I started. The one thing I have found beneficial is when parents attend the talks. I get reports from teachers that parents and kids continue the discussion when they get home. That gives me hope.

Today on Facebook one of the posts I made four years ago about one of my school talks flashed up to share as a memory. I'd like to share what I wrote on Facebook four years ago.

Second middle school done today. Afterwards parents and students, so many questions and experiences shared. Probably the biggest impact was the smallest gesture. I'm standing alone and a little girl walks slowly to me. She asked me, "Can I get your phone number" in barely a whisper. I give her a card and ask if she needs anything else and if she was OK. She just looks down shakes her head in a sad way, tucks the card in her pocket and quickly walks away.