Memorial Day: Honoring Character, Courage, Sacrifice

It has been my privilege to deliver presentations on character, violence prevention and leadership to audiences throughout the United States. At the conclusion of each presentation is an American Military Tribute that honors all Americans who serve our nation in the armed forces.

As the nation celebrates Memorial Day, the character, courage and sacrifice of military personnel deserves our devotion and prayerful reflection.

Remembering the sacrifices they have made—some by giving their lives—to preserve our liberty is a sacred obligation. Each American should participate in an observance in their community or a visit to sacred ground where those who have served are laid to rest.

At 3:00pm on Memorial Day, the National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks all Americans to pause for one minute in a national act of unity. This expression allows our nation to be unified and to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred holiday it was meant to be.

Saving Private Ryan (3:50) Tomb of the Unknowns (3:13) D-Day (3:08) Remember Me (5:23)

<A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO61uM8gnTs">Play the clip on YouTube</A>

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Commission on Remembrance	Click here to visit site
Patriotism Blogs	Click here to visit site

Spotlight On: Kids at Hope

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Kids at Hope's vision is that every child is afforded the belief, guidance and encouragement that creates a sense of hope and optimism, supported by a course of action needed to experience success at life's four major destinations: Home & Family; Education & Career; Community & Service; and Hobbies & Recreation.
— Kids At Hope Vision

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Kids at Hope is an organization dedicated to assisting schools and youth-serving organizations build environments committed to every child's success. It fosters the belief that all children are "at hope" – able to achieve beyond expectation.

The Story of Kids at Hope
Reprinted from the Kids at Hope website

Kids at Hope traces its history to 1993 when a group of youth development practitioners expressed concern and distress about the use and abuse of the term youth at risk. It appeared to these professionals that our society might have unwittingly stereotyped an entire generation with an expression or label that unfortunately, devalues them. The coining of the term Kids at Hope generated great interest not only in the community based youth development field but also in education, recreation and law enforcement as well. It appeared that our community was ready to discard a label which may have at one time or another had merit, but which over the past two decades may have been so maligned that it was too easy a way to try to sum up the many threats our children were experiencing or could experience.

A group of education, youth development, law enforcement and recreation leaders were invited to a meeting to further explore the Kids at Hope concept and determine if it was possible to reverse the current youth at risk paradigm to that of at hope. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metropolitan Phoenix was the organizing body but it realized that Kids at Hope was not about another well meaning youth program; it was about an entire belief system and strategy which needed to be part of the overall culture and not housed in the four walls of any one institution.

Through significant research and evaluation Kids at Hope has created a youth development strategy that begins with a belief system that states and demonstrates, all children are capable of success, No Exceptions; supported by a culture of individuals and organizations willing to suspend self interest to accomplish a common good on behalf of all children; and finally enhanced by programs which permit and demonstrate how all children can succeed on their terms as well as our terms.

I encourage you to visit the Kids at Hope website. The work of founder Rick Miller and all those involved with Kids at Hope is life affirming for all who experience it.

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Kids At Hope

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Livingston Police Department Police and Public Safety Expo

On Saturday, May 9, 2009 a Police and Public Safety Expo was held at the Livingston Mall in New Jersey as coordinated by the Livingston Police Department.

The venue was a collaboration of federal, state, regional, county and local law enforcement agencies. It represented an outstanding community policing initiative allowing residents to interact with law enforcement and public safety officials.

After a welcome by Livingston Police Chief Craig Handschuch, Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow addressed the attendees reminding all of the privilege of serving and protecting the public. Prosecutor Dow also led a moment of silence to honor military in harms way, especially those who have been wounded or served with the ultimate sacrifice.

As an invited speaker, I shared remarks on the importance of a renewed dedication to courage, community and compassion in roles of public service.

Agencies involved with the expo included:

• Belleville Police Department
• Bloomfield Police Department
• Caldwell Police Department
• Cedar Grove Police Department
• East Orange Police Department
• Essex County Police Academy
• Essex County Prosecutor
• Essex County Sheriff’s Office
• Essex Fells Police Department
• Fairfield Police Department
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• Glen Ridge Police Department
• Irvington Police Department
• Livingston Police Department
• Livingston Fire Department
• Maplewood Police Department
• Millburn Police Department
• Montclair Police Department
• Newark Police Department
• New Jersey State Police
• New Jersey Transit Police
• Orange Police Department
• Roseland Police Department
• South Orange Police Department
• Union County Prosecutor's Office
• U.S. Customs Service
• U.S. Marshalls Service
• Valor Security Services
• Verona Police Department
• West Caldwell Police Department
• West Orange Police Department

I would like to commend the Livingston Police Department for their leadership, participating agencies and sponsors for their generosity, and attendees for coming out to enjoy the event.

National Day of Prayer: A Call to Transformation

On this National Day of Prayer, we are called to pray, reflecting on America's noble heritage of spirituality that honors the diversity of faiths. It is a heritage found in the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and protected through the years in the teachings of Presidents, Statesmen, Constitutions, and Court Decisions. It is a heritage lived in the extraordinary example of ordinary Americans throughout the entire course of our nation’s history.

The great churches, magnificent synagogues, resplendent mosques and all places of prayer throughout this nation are in need of a transformation animated by Americans gathered in prayer. These places of sanctuary, petition, praise, forgiveness, intercession and blessing are entirely too empty; they should be once again filled with standing room only assemblies. The words of Abraham Lincoln on March 30, 1863 ring ever true:

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.

"But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious Hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

"Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

"It behooves us then to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness."

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National Day of Prayer

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D.A.R.E. NJ 2009 Conference: Trends, Changes and Challenges

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D.A.R.E. New Jersey, in collaboration with law enforcement, schools, parents, community and governmental agencies, will provide premier leadership, guidance, direction and program materials to D.A.R.E. Officers, parents and educators in order to deliver a comprehensive drug and violence prevention curriculum and supportive programs to the State's youth and communities.
— D.A.R.E. NJ Mission Statement

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The 2009 D.A.R.E. NJ annual state training conference titled Trends, Changes & Challenges was held in Atlantic City, New Jersey from April 28-30, 2009 and was attended by over 300 D.A.R.E. officers, educators, military personnel, community leaders and students. Nicholas R. DeMauro, Chairman & CEO and Dr. Barbara Allen-Walker, Director of Training and Education are to be commended for their leadership with coordinating this event.

The conference featured educational training by speakers addressing contemporary issues that affect youth including:

• Students with Behavioral Challenges
• Character Education
• School Violence Prevention
• Crisis Management
• Alcohol Abuse, Illicit Drugs/Steroids, Prescription Drug Alert
• Educational Principles of Working with Youth
• Exploitation of Children
• On line Social Networking and Technology
• Military Families
• Suicide Prevention
• Gangs and Guns
• Domestic Violence

One of the highlights of the conference was the presentation of Craig Scott, a student at Columbine during the April 20, 1999 tragedy, who was in the school library where ten classmates were killed and over twenty wounded. He would later discover that his sister, Rachel Joy Scott, was the first student killed. Craig travels the country speaking about the compassion and kindness of his sister and offering hope through Rachel's Challenge:

1. ELIMINATE PREJUDICE
   by looking for the Best in Others
2. DARE TO DREAM
   Set Goals—Keep a Journal
3. CHOOSE YOUR INFLUENCES
   Input Determines Output
4. KIND WORDS
   Small Acts of Kindness = Huge Impact
5. START A CHAIN REACTION
   With Family & Friends

As the keynote speaker for the conference, my presentation was titled Reawakening the Heart of America through Leadership, Vigilance and Collaboration and included reflections on the effect of drugs and alcohol on our "under the influence" society, especially our youth.

PRESENTATION AGENDA

• WHY ARE WE HERE?
• CONTEMPORARY CONCERNS
  • Head On Collision
  • Crisis of Leadership
  • Culture of Violence
  • Shattered Communities
  • Filling the Void
• REAWAKENING THE HEART OF AMERICA
  • Progress and Priorities
  • The Altruism Factor^TM
  • Ingredients for Transformation
  • Character: The Heart of the Matter
• CALL TO ACTION
• TRIBUTE TO AMERICAN MILITARY
• CONCLUSION

It was a privilege to meet so many law enforcement, school, military and community leaders who are dedicated to touching the hearts of their students and transforming New Jersey families and communities. I was honored that each received a copy of Listen To Their Cries thanks to the generosity of D.A.R.E. N.J.

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D.A.R.E. NJ	Click here to visit site
Rachel's Challenge	Click here to visit site
Craig Scott at 2006 White House School Safety Conference	Click here to visit site
Character Education Partnership	Click here to visit site
Alcohol Blogs	Click here to visit site
Drugs Blogs	Click here to visit site