Observations from my Backpack

For immediate release:   The A Backpack Journalist program for afterschool and summer camps is closing at the end of June.   A book has been commissioned that covers the years of service for military families and their children, and then also the local outreach that began with the City of Charleston and moved to other schools as an afterschool program.    In Spring of 2023, a group of African American youth graduated from high school that were in the first A Backpack Journalist class at Sanders Clyde,  A celebration was held.    Today there is a large group of young adults that attended the A Backpack Journalist Military Youth Symposiums that are in professional writing careers that include the Washington Post, writers for professional musicians, as missionaries on the border and in Australia and serving in Germany for Military Familly.org and Young Life and Club Beyond.     Within the pages of this book the stories are ab...

February 13, 2024  Earlier today I spent time with Mayor Teck, and shared with him,  first the number of times that he visited over his years as Mayor - with the Backpack Journalist, and how as a Leader -"He showed up!".   When asked the new graduates about what they enjoyed the most during our eight to ten year together, they all agreed:  "well we got to meet the Mayor, and he came.  Even the time he. made you cry." The snipet of photo here is from a letter he provided to all the Backpack Journalist graduates this Spring, and as they each said: "we'll treasure for ever." In the book underway, Mayor Tecklenburg and his staff often supported our requests as we traveled the city.  We went from a Homeless event at the Gaillard, to the Film Summer Camp, to visiting City Hall multiple times and even we learned how to do the Charleston.  There were parades, and a visit to the Four  Corners of Law.  We even filmed the Mayor sharing with us the backg...

PTSD WON'T STOP ME!  This video project was commissioned in 2011.  After a final approval, DVD's were provided to the Department of Defense -  Resources for PTSD Support/Mental Health services.   Why now?   Recently while on my journey to meet again many of the young people who were in the A Backpack Journalist program, learned that this video is now being shared though the Survivorship Corp for the US Army by the contract office and the Chaplaincy Corp. (housed at Fort Jackson). This department is involved when a servicemember passes away, and assists the family with all the death benefits offered by the Department of Defense. Now as a measure to help family members learn more about the effects of PTSD, they are sharing this link.   Also now with the Yellow Ribbon Events for military families, this PTSD presentation is presented BEFORE the service member deploys, and may be shared once home. As you view the ending, the message that all the Nashville peop...