Joy In Our Town

In February, Gift of Life Chief Operations Officer Melody Jones and Growing Our Own Youth Director Jessica Whatley went on the Trinity Broadcasting Network program Joy In Our Town to share what Growing Our Own Youth is doing to help prevent teen pregnancy in our community.

You can catch a recording of the segment below!

Survive and Thrive 2013

This year we took the past concept of Survive and Thrive and changed it up! Instead of having all 8th grade students travel over to ASU we brought Survive and Thrive to them. Over three days, Willie Spears from The Willie Spears Experience spoke to over 1500 eighth grade students at nine middle schools in our Montgomery Public Schools system.

Willie using an interactive activity with students at Carr

Willie with our two REAL Facilitators, Amelia Purifoy and Brittney Brooks

Willie speaking to students at Baldwin Middle School

Willie at Floyd Middle Magnet

 

Willie at Goodwyn Middle School

Willie at Brewbaker Middle

Willie truly has a gift and captures the students attention and keeps them engaged to share an important message with them. His message focused on teen pregnancy prevention and STD prevention while instilling in the students the importance of making healthy decisions even at their young age.

Check out some of the comments received over the week.

Very powerful, I have never heard it put like that.
W. Levi Gailliard
Montgomery, AL, School District Consultant

 You were able to get on their level and then intellectually take them to another level.
Coach Jeff Corley
Capitol Heights Middle School, Montgomery, AL

 Willie brought it home. This is exactly what our students needed. Real. Relevant. Right on time.
Rod James
Assistant Principal, Goodwyn Middle School
Montgomery, AL

 

Willie Spears gave us exactly what we needed. I really enjoyed your presentation, you just kept it real. Keeping it real, great job.

Mr. Everett, PrincipalGeorgia Washington Middle School,
Montgomery, AL

 Amazing! Excellent. You were able to talk to my son in ways that I could not.
Ms. Peoples
Parent of Carr Middle School studentMontgomery, AL

 

Each student received a pencil with the Growing Our Own Youth information on it that day and will received a bracelet with the message "WAIT" on it in the following weeks when we go to deliver a follow up survey.

Willie with Southlawn Principal Mr. Vaughn

Growing Our Own Youth and Gift of Life are thankful to our sponsors and the team that helped put this together. A special thank you to AKD, Montgomery Public Schools, and our planning team! Finally, a huge thank you to Willie Spears himself!