I'm not sure what your loved one gifted you for Valentine's Day, but I witnessed the most beautiful gift I've seen in a long time.
The gift of hope.
The Disney Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey schooled 100 count-them-out kids and showered them with encouragement. Sounds hokey, doesn't it? Yeah, it sounds real hokey until you hear the stories of the kids...
Most touching is the kid from Detroit who just days away from his 18th birthday stood on the cusp of manhood for all the wrong reasons. He has a rap sheet. He has lost both parents--and can't find his older brother...This kid from Detroit wants to become a veterinarian because, he says, he likes snakes and critters.
His name is Dalont-e Hall. "I'll be 18, in six hours," he says, thoughtfully. Even with the happiest place in the world behind him, Dalont-e calculates his future just as easily.
"I see myself having a bachelors or master's in veterinary science, I'll be married at a young age..."
On the surface, this count-him-out kid would go unnoticed (or worse) had it not been for a teacher who encouraged him to write 100 words and send it to the Disney Academy Dreamers/Steve Harvey Foundation. Those 100 words led to an opportunity of a lifetime--an invitation to Disney's Dreamers Academy, and, a personal invitation from Harvey to visit his family's ranch.
Harvey vowed to help him find his older brother and to invest in them.
"I'm going to Steve Harvey's ranch for Father's Day Weekend!" He confirms to me, "And if I can find my brother..."
Just as instantly the young man's voice trails, but there isn't sadness, it's critical thinking. Delont-e has a plan--a two-fold plan to live his dream and save his family.
It is in this conversation that I witnessed Dalont-e's transformation-- that there's an opportunity to fulfill a dream and to take control of his life, despite the cards he's been dealt.
Dalont-e's eyes was ablaze with the realization that the desire to become a veterinarian one day, was a solid possibility. That kid realized that he wasn't alone. Somebody, a room filled with somebodies, cared enough about him to invest in him.
Dalont-e knows what a difference a few words of encouragement can make--and has some words of encouragement for his fellow comrades in Chicago.
"To y'all in Chicago, stay strong, just keep your mind right," he says. "I've been through a lot in my life, I've overcome my obstacles... and you can too."
If the stars continue to align and bless this kid, I am confident that, Detroit will have one fine veterinarian one day.
Follow Zondra Hughes on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ZondraHughes
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