“Our community, like so many others, is struggling with a serious opioid epidemic. We’ve seen first-hand the devastating effect it has on our families. With this in mind, we wanted a speaker who could connect not only with the youth of our town but with their parents, too, and all of those affected by the destructive effects of drug addiction. We found Tony to be the man we were looking for. He is incredibly gifted — as an athlete, as a coach, as a public speaker — and especially in how he was able to challenge the way so many of us think about addiction and those who are struggling with it. Tony’s personal witness was powerful. He shows both vulnerability and great strength. His talk was humble, raw, compassionate, incredibly honest and, ultimately, so hopeful. God has given Tony great gifts. We’re deeply grateful that he is so willing to share them.”
This year has really been so exciting for me when it comes to the faith based market. It was typically hard for me to get into churches and i've discussed that previously. I honestly can't put a pin on exactly why but I still believe that when it comes to motivational speakers, churches are very careful about who they let hold a microphone. 2017 has been a year of several faith based invites and I could not be happier about that. When I finished up my speaking with Project Worthy in Westchester, New York, I went straight to the train station and found myself in Boston Massachusetts three and a half hours later. My biggest fear of the east coast is hands down, how freaking cold it gets. Let me tell you... I just missed the cold because it was getting cold when I was there. I typically tell people, I know it's cold before everyone else does.
The Catholic Parishes were able to set up an event on short notice and it was a unique one that I wish happened more often. That is, it was for all the students of Stoughton High school but it was also an open community event. Since this event was at the evening, there was a lot of parents in attendance and that is what I wished happened more often. I think the biggest reason I would love to see that more is because often times I will get a message from a parent when a student gets home from school or they pick them up, telling me how much their son or daughter wanted to tell me about my story they heard during an assembly. If parents were onsite to hear me speak at the same time as the students, this would give the parents a better chance to have a more insightful dialog with their children about what they heard and the importance of my message. So I really am grateful for the Catholic Parishes creating an event that made this environment a possibility.
I thought the event was fantastic. They had an awesome turnout and several questions were asked at the conclusion of my story. The event coordinators were genuine and very invested in their small little community. I think that is what makes a big difference, when just a few people have a big heart for their community. They come together, create ideas, put action planes together and make change possible. That is the Catholic Parishes of Stoughton, they came together, discussed an issue, put in the work and made an event were change could be made possible. Thank you such much for letting me be apart of Stoughton, i was an honor!