“Greg and I wanted to reach out to thank you for the outstanding job you did with the north country students. Your words were passionate with a honest, no-nonsense approach, a combination that hit home for them. They loved spending time with you after the presentation and we so appreciate you staying to hang out. For us here at the Consortium, the event was particularly special as we watched with amazement as the son of one of our staff members responded to the presentation by asking for help. He has since checked into a residential program and is getting the help he needs. When he left the event that day he told his mom that for the first time in his life he felt normal, and Tony, you made that happen. He told us he was so inspired by you and your journey, inspired enough to admit he wasn’t safe and needed help.
We are sure there were others in that room that were also transformed and at the very least are thinking seriously about their lives and future choices. In addition the adults that came with the students were so impressed and moved.
Truly your trip to NH significantly and positively impacted many, including all of us. We work so hard to move the dial on helping students and your presentation cranked it up!”
I’ve almost been to all 50 states, if you didn’t know that by following me on social media outlets. One of the last few states that have been on my list are; Rhode Island, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alaska and New Hampshire. Well I got a message several months back about a youth conference in New Hampshire which meant I was going to knock another state off the list while getting to make an impact with my life story to a youth audience. Sponsored by the North County Health Consortium, I was set to spend time in New Hampshire in Sept.
The state is full of trees, water and beautiful! I was told that Montreal Canada was roughly an hour and half from the location I was staying at which was a historical hotel called the Mountain View Grand Hotel, what a beautiful location. I was really grateful that my speech wasn’t bright and early in the morning because the days leading up to that event were pretty demanding concerning travel. Lots of flying, lots of driving, so being able to sleep in a little bit was a good thing for my overall energy and moral.
As I got to the venue, I noticed the kids immediately and could tell that this was going to be a intimate conversation more than a “Speech” and I totally love that vibe. Sometimes you can tell when you are sitting with a good group of kids who don’t need a certain delivery of my story to get the message across. My speech went great and the kids held onto every word! It was awesome to hang out with them afterwards to take pics in the photo booth they had setup and try to get to know some of them. I always say this, people first. For it being a smaller event for myself with about 150 kids, so many reached out to me afterwards via social media! I’ve got my work cut out for me over the next few weeks cause I gotta keep up with these messages haha.
Thank you so much to Annette and the entire North County Health Consortium for bringing me to such a wonderful event. It really was a pleasure to be with you guys and the youth for the day.
