THE HEARTACHE OF HOLIDAYS

For many the Holiday Season is a joyous time . However there are also those that dread these times. These times can be very hard on certain people. There are those that become really depressed when the Holidays come around these times and there are reports of suicide during this period.

Working in a youth facility with Probation and DCFS wards, I see first hand the sadness that grips the kids around these times. Many kids today have had traumatic episodes at home and have gotten caught up into the Juvenile Justice System. 

What's my point? It's at these times that regardless of what someone has done, that we should be more attentive to our youth . Whether incarcerated or living in the home. Our youth today are being challenged on all sides. Peer pressure mixed with emotional instability can be a fuse that ignites someone into a deep depression. These are Heartaches of the Holidays. 

Parents and service providers, we need to pay more attention to these kids. Some are hurting so bad that their ready to explode. We can't afford to give up on them regardless of how hopeless things may seem.   

Let this Christmas Season be a time of bonding with someone that is disadvantaged or incarcerated, young or old. Lets give back and demonstrate true gratitude by going out of our way to put a smile on some kids face. Always remembering that even if it looks like there is no hope, everyone needs to be loved. Lets try to heal those Heartaches of the Holidays.   

Community Concerned

Wow today was an amazing day. Nothing I find more rewarding than to be able to give back in the area that I was once apart of. My past isn't one to brag about. Heck, I got involved in gangs at the age of 10 and started using hardcore drugs around 12 yrs old. You see, coming from poverty and growing up in the housing projects in Boyle Heights, I never had a childhood. Faced with adult decisions I failed and made wrong choices for many years. However I'll talk more about myself in a later blog post.

But today I want to just say that after all that I have been through and experienced, with all the death and kaos brought about by the senseless lifestyle of gang violence and drug addiction I can said that even that had a purpose in making me into the man I am today.

I love the work that I do today as an advocate for today's youth. Having the privilege to reach out and help someone other than myself is like bringing heaven here on earth, The joy of helping someone that everyone else gave up on and seeing them become who they were intended to, is so satisfying. I would say almost better than sex.

BKR Gang and Drug Intervention Program is a community concerned program because the Executive Director knows what its like being pressured into making quick choices which are almost always, are wrong choices.

It's not about collecting numbers for grants to keep the money rolling in. Wayne Turner has been running this program for close to 6 yrs without any funding. His job as a Youth Counselor at night is how BKR is financed. Yes there are Irons in the Fire so to speak as far as funding is concerned, but Wayne is determined to continue the work reaching out to those At Risk Youth and especially to those that haven't got there yet, regardless if the funding comes in or not. He's committed to educating and assisting our young generation by being a positive role model and sharing his story of how he was able to overcome the difficult challenges in his own life.

Wayne will soon share with you and everyone else what motives him and what drives him to do what he does in the lives of the youth and the community of Northeast Los Angeles. And that is, Matthew Turner.

Please take a minute and visit the BKR Gang and Drug Intervention Program's website to learn just what it is that we are doing in the community. Maybe you would like to help Wayne out with a generous donation to help keep things going. Who knows your dollars could help save a kids life.

www.bkrgdip.org

We Need BKR Gang and Drug Intervention Program in Northeast Los Angeles

 Although there are city contracted gang agencies in NELA, the advantage of having a program such as BKR is that we are flexible in how we conduct and service the community. By not being under the pressures of mandated contract guidelines, programs such as BKR can provide a more comprehensive and holistic approach to violence prevention.   

BKR Gang and Drug Intervention Program has been servicing the Northeast Los Angeles area past five and a half years. BKR has been providing parenting classes, substance abuse counseling, substance abuse education, Youth diversion classes and recently we have implemented a transportation program and food program. 

We also host an annual gang and drug community outreach, 5 years consecutively and have also taken over 700 youth and families to Dodger games in the last four years that mostly have never been able to attend a Dodgers game.

 ALL SERVICES PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE LOW INCOME 

BKR has funded this program solely on the paycheck of the Executive Director,Wayne Turner, employed as a Youth Counselor for the Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services. 

The purpose of this petition is to gather signatures to show how much BKR has impacted the lives of individuals and families within the Northeast L.A. area. But most importantly to voice the importance of having a program like BKR Gang and Drug Intervention Program to receive necessary funding and support from the local area city government and elected officials. 

Wayne Turner is a community concerned individual that seeks and advocates the equality and justice for the youth of Northeast L.A. Wayne comes from that background and understands that if nobody speaks up for our youth and relays the need for alternatives and a way out, then nobody will. 

We need your signature to show that you care for the well-being of our youth and that taxpayer's dollars are needed to keep this agency open here in the Northeast Los Angeles area. 

Please sign our petition

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/218/208/275/we-need-bkr-gang-and-drug-intervention-program-in-northeast-los-angeles/?taf_id=19199684&cid=fb_na#sign