|
| From left, Dr. S. Charles Jeter with his daughter Sharlee, wife Dorothy and son Derek. |
By Dr. S. Charles Jeter
One great benefit of my son Derek's success as a Major League baseball player is that it allows our family to support many worthy programs that help teens and adolescents. The Turn 2 Foundation, which my family founded shortly after Derek reached the major leagues, provides financial assistance to organizations that promote healthy lifestyles, academic achievement, and leadership development.
A consistent message in our programs to young people is that the use of alcohol and drugs impacts negatively on their development and achievement.
The healthy lifestyle focus of the Foundation mission was developed by Derek because he believed that dealing with drug and alcohol issues is universal for young people.
As a Social worker for nearly 20 years, I have worked with kids who were either trying to steer clear of drugs and alcohol or trying to get off them.
During that time, I learned two important lessons:
First, the struggle against drugs and alcohol is one that challenges all kids from all walks of life. All kids are vulnerable, regardless of how much money their parents make or the quality of the schools they attend.
Second, it is the kids who lack strong role models and whose families have a history of substance abuse that are in greatest danger of succumbing to drugs -- but they are also willing and often eager to be steered in the right direction.
I treasured the opportunity to help teenagers deal with such difficult matters because I knew there was always the chance that I could turn a life around. And nothing is more satisfying than fundamentally changing the course of a young person's life for the better.
So it was with great enthusiasm that, shortly after Turn 2 began in 1996, I went to Phoenix House to learn what it was doing to help kids overcome their substance abuse problems. Although I'd certainly heard of Phoenix House and its groundbreaking work with both adolescent and adult substance abusers, I'd never had the opportunity to visit any of its programs.
It is a trip I will never forget. The kids I met at the Phoenix Academy in Westchester County, NY (one of the 11 residential high schools Phoenix House runs in nine states) moved me. They were honest about the past -- and optimistic about the future. They displayed genuine concern for the well-being of their fellow students, and, despite having turned their backs on education while using drugs, they yearned for academic achievement.
The educators and counselors at Phoenix House confirmed what I already knew - for these kids there had been no miraculous, quick-fix solution. Many of them had struggled at the Academy for months before discarding the attitudes that led them to drugs. I knew that what I had seen at the Phoenix Academy was an ambitious and worthwhile effort to redeem kids who had taken a fall.
This is why Turn 2 has supported Phoenix House for nearly a decade. Our second annual Derek Jeter Celebrity Golf Classic in January raised money for several local programs, including the brand new Phoenix House Youth and Family Counseling Center in Tampa, Florida.
As Derek's mother and I watched Derek excel academically and athletically throughout his formative years, we knew that drugs and alcohol would prevent many other talented youngsters from realizing their full potential. Unfortunately, the line between success and failure is a narrow one for many young people. But we are proud of the efforts Turn 2 has made to keep kids on the right side of the line - and we are proud to support Phoenix House, which has brought so many kids back to the right side.
Dr. S. Charles Jeter is Vice President of the Turn 2 Foundation (www.turn2foundation.org).
|
