DeLaSalle Neighbors

You can count on three important services along Troost Avenue: The US Mail Service (as personified by our former faithful mailman, Bob, at left), Henry's Garage (Henry Grandison, proprietor, at right) and DeLaSalle (out of camera range), whose back entrance faces Troost Avenue and is adjacent to Henry's Garage!

Detention Facility Partnership

DeLaSalle Education Center operates a school in the Jackson County Juvenile Court Detention facility. Randy Kreuger (left in the photo) is the superintendent of that facility, while Marilynn Chance (right in the photo) is our Detention Coordinator (for educational services) . It is a great partnership that also includes the Kansas City School District.

News article about my transition

This morning's Kansas City STAR carried this picture of me along with a story about my transition to being a fundraiser again for DeLaSalle. Here is a link to that story: http://www.delasallecenter.org/delasalle.aspx?pgID=978

Forgiveness

Sister Maria Teresita Coloma (left) is in a prayer group with me that meets on Saturday mornings. She is from the Philippines, and and has had some amazing experiences.
Like the time she and some other sisters provided refuge for a young girl fleeing from an under-age marriage and who was being pursued by angry, torch-bearing men. The way Sister told that story, I felt like I was right there with her! That's another story that I hope to share here sometime.
But in the course of our sharing this morning, Sister mentioned a movie she had seen this week about Dorothy Day. (The late Dorothy Day was the co-founder, along with Peter Maurin, of the international Catholic Worker movement in the 1930s.)
In the movie, the original Catholic Worker house in New York had run out of food and donations, and they were unable to offer hospitality to anyone. Bickering broke out among the staff and those being served. Dorothy did not know what to do; so she went across the street to the church and began to pray.
She experienced a deep peace and returned to the house where she apologized to the staff and to those they were attempting to serve. She said she had recognized that she had failed them all by not trusting enough in God to take care of this work of charity. She had been unwilling as well to accept the suffering that was associated with serving the poorest of the poor. Soon afterwards, the food kitchen was back in full operation, and the work later grew and expanded due to the humility and faith of those working in this enterprise.
I was deeply touched by this example of faith-filled humility. I realize how often I may have hurt others by my pride.
If I have hurt you in any way, I hope you will forgive me, and even let me apologize to you in person. Our work at DeLaSalle is too important to let the failures of any one person stand in the way of our service.
It is good to reflect and think about why we suffer and endure hardship. Sometimes, we are being blessed with a deeper faith and humility, like Dorothy Day and Sister Teresita!

He's much more "in focus" in person

Former DeLaSalle Board President, David F. Oliver is a very focused person. Too bad my picture-taking skills could not do justice to this facet of his being!

He's also very metaphysical, intellectual and inspiring.

We visited over coffee and croissants this morning at Aixois Restaurant, and caught up on the deeper elements in our lives. David has a deep spirituality and sense of being. He is one of those people whose attention in a conversation brings great comfort to others. He listens deeply and has the ability to "read" the meaning of a conversation beyond just the words that are spoken. He is compassionate and a leader.
He is a lawyer and serves on many boards and assocations, including the Kansas City Civic Council. I have been graced with his friendship for many years, and hope that we remain friends for many more years.

Hilltop School

In 1995, DeLaSalle Education Center took over the management and staffing of Hilltop School under a contract with the Lee's Summit School District.
Hilltop School is part of the residential treatment campus operated by the Jackson County Family Court. In the photo above are (left to right) Dr. Jerry Keimig, Director of Special Services for the Lee's Summit School District, Ruthie Stephens, DeLaSalle Hilltop principal, and Mike Barnett, Hilltop Facility Manager for the Jackson County Family Court.
This great partnership with the Court and Lee's Summit School District benefits day students from the Lee's Summit School District as well as young people residing at Hilltop under Court custody.

History

I've been talking recently with Earl Baker (left in the photo) who was one of the first African-American graduates of the old De La SALLE.

For those of you who don't know, the old De La SALLE was a Catholic boys high school that was founded in 1910 by the Christian Brothers.

Interestingly, that school had several different names over the years.

From 1910 to 1941, the school was officially called the "De La SALLE Academy".

When World War II started in 1941, the name was changed to the "De La SALLE Military Academy".

Then, in 1960, the name changed again, this time to the "De La SALLE High School".

That school closed in 1971, and the name was "borrowed" by the founders of the new DeLaSalle, one of whom was a Christian Brother, Brother Theodore Berni. (Brother Theodore left the new program after a few years, but the other two founders remained far longer. Godfrey S Kobets remained until he retired at the age of 70 in 1985, and Norman O. Sanders remained as Chairman of the Board until his death in 2008!)

As you know, the new DeLaSalle is neither a boys' school (it was, and still is, co-ed) or Catholic (it was, and still is, non-sectarian). Moreover, the name was "stylized" in 1985 to eliminate the spaces beween the French spelling of the "De La SALLE" name, and to lower the case of the last four letters in "SALLE".

Earl Baker entered the old De La SALLE in 1953, when it was De La SALLE Military Academy. He was one of five African-Americans in his class. (The previous year in 1952, the first two African-Americans entered De La SALLE. One of those individuals was Jasper Harris, who later eanred two doctorates and who served as interim superintendent for the Knsas City School District in 1986.)

Earl Baker graduated in 1957. He's promised to tell me more of his experiences in the integration of that institution and I will make sure to update this blog when we talk more.

On Friday, November 20, 2009, we honored another African-American graduate of the old De La SALLE, the Honorable Phil Curls. Phil was one of the founders of Freedom Inc, and was a Missouri State Senator for many years. Phil died in 2008. An international company, GTECH Corp, funded a brand new computer lab at DeLaSalle in Phil's memory. Phil's wife, Councilwoman Melba Curls (a current DeLaSalle Board member), attended Friday's dedication, along with her daughter, Monica, and Phil's neice, Missouri State Representative Kikki Curls. We were blessed to have this computer lab established at DeLaSalle in Phil's memory, and to have had Phil's family with us that day.

Thanks!

While I can't really give you this beautiful turkey with all the trimmings during this Thanksgiving season, I would like to offer you a few reflections as thanks for your support for my nearly thirty years with the DeLaSalle Education Center!

When I was hired by Godfrey Kobets in 1980, we were facing lean times due to federal budget cuts.
Our Board of Directors helped to develop annual fundraising benefits, and we began an aggressive development department. We survived those tough times, and grew stronger.

As the 1990s approached, we achieved recognition from the US Department of Education, starting over 70 alternative schools locally and around the country.
We operated a residential drug treatment program for five years, took over the management of two schools located in juvenile court facilities, and even began and operated an alternative middle school for six years.
In 2004, we began buying several adjacent properties for an eventual school expansion. In 2010, we hope to break ground on the first addition ever to DeLaSalle’s existing campus. (Hence the reason for my "hard hat" in the photo above!) We're already halfway towards our $6.2 million goal for this capital project!

This addition and the overall renovation of DeLaSalle will secure the repair and upkeep of the existing 60 year-old facility. It will create a new and protected entrance-way for DeLaSalle students from Troost Avenue and offer a concrete foundation for DeLaSalle’s future.
After my own personal tragedy in 2002, I began to look more deeply at ways that I could contribute to DeLaSalle’s future and to offer healing and support to others who suffer. This summer, I decided to formalize my plans, and our Board of Directors offered me the opportunity to become the first Director of Sustainability for DeLaSalle Education Center starting in 2010.
In this new position, I will focus on completing the fundraising for the capital campaign and then raise money to help secure the future of the organization.

Based on recent economic events, it is clear that non-profit organizations need to plan for uncertainty. For DeLaSalle, that means building an operating reserve fund capable of sustaining its mission during the most difficult financial times. I feel very fortunate to transition to this new position after a new executive director is hired and trained. A nation-wide search for my successor is currently underway, led by MSA Search Consultants. We expect a new director to be named by early Spring 2010. You can view this position by going to http://www.npconnect.org/page/search_jobs/?cl_v=ra&cl_cid=12151&cl_aid=63795&cl_six=20

While change is not always easy, it is a natural part of growth. I feel wonderful about this positive, managed approach to an important organizational change. I am excited as well to leave an enduing legacy with DeLaSalle by now addressing the transition to new leadership for DeLaSalle.
Thank you for all of your support and for your personal interest in me and my future. I am blessed and very thankful for your contributions to DeLaSalle over these thirty years of my service to this great organization!

Whatever Happened to this Hero?

The unthinkable happened last winter at a basketball game on Kansas City's West side.

An apparent grudge led some intruders to interrupt the game between DeLaSalle students and young people from Southeast Community Center.

The intruders sprayed gunshots randomly around the basketball court, wounding two individuals. Players and guests, including nine DeLaSalle staff and family members, hit the floor as the bullets whizzed overhead. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured.

Moreover, several people heroically covered children with their own bodies. One of those heroes was Jullaion Jones, a nineteen year old DeLaSalle student, who courageously shielded DeLaSalle Vice-Principal Sean Merritt's son with his sprawling body.

Jullaion's actions that day earned him exposure in one of the nation's most widely read magazines, People (see above).

But even well-earned fame can exact a hard price. Friends and strangers recognized him wherever he went; some began calling him "Hero", with just a hint of irony in the tone of their voice. Three months later, Jullaion stopped coming to school. Sean Merritt repaid the favor to Jullaion by paying occasional visits to Jullaion's home, asking and even pleading with him to return to school.

Several weeks ago, Sean's son, Desean, was getting a haircut at a local barbershop. Desean's mother recognized Jullaion outside the barber shop. Jullaion seemed discouraged, and she kindly offered to help him out, but he declined.

Yesterday, a producer for the Oprah Winfrey Show called me to ask if they could run Jullaion's picture from People for their "Heroes Across America" show on Tuesday, November 24. I said sure, and then wrote her what had happened to Jullaion after his remarkable story was told across the country.

Jullaion is still a hero to us, and of course to Desean. I hope Oprah runs his picture on November 24, and that Jullaion tunes in, and maybe even returns to DeLaSalle.

"...a rose e're blooming...."

For more than a month, three small buds remained on the sprawling old rose bush in my back yard.

I wondered whether these buds would ever bloom. I had been surprised to find them alone and clustered together on a sprig extending from one of the major branches of the bush after a spell of cold weather ended in early October.

In the spring, this same bush had exploded with hundreds of blooms. After all of the blooms had fallen in June, I pruned the bush like I do every summer, hoping for another blossoming perhaps before the fall. But none occurred.

All through October I watched those three buds and waited. The buds remained tight with just a hint of red color hiding under their green leafing.

Last Wednesday, on November 11, my wife told me that one of the buds had bloomed (see picture). Karol was excited, because, you see, that day, and this old rose bush, have an extremely special meaning for us.

Seven years ago, our son, Aaron Francis Dougherty, was shot to death in our house. He had been profoundly depressed and had called the police to our house in an act that I can only conceive of as madness. When the police ordered him to drop his knives that he held in his hands, he ignored them. Seconds later, two police officers shot him eight times, thinking that he was advancing on them. I witnessed this horrific event. I saw that he never moved. He was just 26 years old, barely a man.

That night, as we washed the blood from our dining room floor, we did not know what to do with the bloodied water in our washpan. Then Karol said we should empty the pan in the rose garden. Which is what we did on that night of the day he had been shot: November 11, 2002.

Before that day, for the fifteen years we had lived in this house at that time, this bush bloomed only once each season. Beginning in 2003, the bush bloomed in the spring and in the fall.

This year I waited and watched and, finally, witnessed the second blooming again. This time there was only a single lonely bud, but on the single most meaningful day I could hope for this bush to bloom. I was reminded of my son, a rose before blooming.

It was a beautiful day, and a gorgeous memory.

TIRES!

See the tires under the sign?

They were painted by Francie Grandanette's art class about a year ago. They signify a future vision of DeLaSalle that will be emerging in the next twelve months.

Beginning this December, our Capital Campaign for the Future will be taking shape on Troost Avenue.

We have been working on this campaign for four years. We have already acquired three plots of land along Troost and in back of our current building. We have architectural plans for a new addition, and half the funds pledged to begin construction.

A student sculpture will appear first. And guess what the "building blocks" for that new sculpture will be? See the next picture!!

MORE TIRES!

That's right! More tires!

They're barely visible in this picture I took this morning, but if you look closely, you'll see some darkened shapes along the interface of the ground and the brick building. (Okay, it's a lousy picture, but trust me, they're tires!)

Craig Booker and his environmental science class were out on Friday afternoon moving these dirty old tires from Henry's Garage to the back of our building. I know Henry was glad to get rid of these filthy discards, and I can't say I'm too happy to have them on our property.

But something wonderful will develop out of this environmental problem: a "Green Sculpture" developed by Theo Bunch and his art pals from the KC Art Institute in conjunction with our students! It will be original and UNIQUE! Look for it to start "sprouting" in December. And just imagine what might come next!

Warriors of Mercy

Quillona Forte (left in picture) and Rochelle DePriest (right) have changed lives at DeLaSalle.

Q (as she is known to the students and staff) has been a counselor at DeLaSalle for twenty years; Rochelle has been a counselor at our Hilltop and Kobets' (high school) site for nine years, and she is a founding counselor of our recent mental health team, the Team of Care.

Q and Rochelle are both deeply passionate about improving the lives of our students.

And, I might add, they took a big gamble on one of those lives today. I believe that their belief and hope for that former student will pay off in a possibly mysterious way.

Let me explain. I think you will understand.

A young man with an explosive anger began attending DeLaSalle two years ago. He was born and grew up in Haiti, and then moved with his family to New York City. His family decided to relocate in Kansas City five years ago, and sent him ahead to live with his grandmother. He was kicked out of several schools for his outbursts, and ended up at DeLaSalle.

He did terribly at first. He fell in with a rough crowd. Apparently, he was involved in a violent act with an accomplice. As far as we can tell, the accomplice did most of the violence, if not all of it. But our former student was involved in the terrible incident, and maybe did more than that. We do not know for certain.

But Rochelle and Q reported to me today that it was only after this incident more than a year ago that he began to change his behavior at school. Gradually, he became responsible and more mature. His outbursts decreased.

Then he was arrested for armed criminal assault. He spent 9 months in jail. His court hearing was today, and Rochelle and Q were there. They said he had "thrown himself on the mercy of the judge". He did not ask for, or work out, "a plea". He told the judge that he deserved whatever sentence he received. He hoped for mercy, but had no assurance he would get it.

He faced at least 15 years in prison, maybe more. But before the judge sentenced him, she asked Rochelle and Q why they were there at this sentencing.

Q said she had worked with this young man at DeLaSalle and that he had changed. She had corresponded with him weekly over the nine months he had been incarcerated. She said that she believed he was a different person now, and that she believed he would not ever do anything again like he had already done. She said that he was in the process of being truly rehabilitated.

Rochelle said that she would be willing to work with the former student after he was released from prison. Neither of these staff suggested that additional time in prison was still not necessary for justice to be served. A person had been hurt and property had been taken in a violent fashion. Neither they, nor DeLaSalle, would ever disregard the need for justice to be served.

The judge deliberated, and then told the court that she was willing to take a chance on the young man. Instead of fifteen years in prison, he would have three, she said. What he had done, she said, was wrong and required justice. But mercy was also a factor, she observed, and she was willing to exercise it, she emphasized, because of DeLaSalle.

She said that she knew the work of DeLaSalle, and was impressed that two veteran counselors had taken the time to continue working with this individual while he was in jail. She said the promised involvement of DeLaSalle was "better for the community" than having this young man spend fifteen years in prison, and come out a possibly hardened criminal.

Rochelle and Q are true "Warriors of Mercy". Mercy is often unexpected and undeserved. As Portia in The Merchant of Venice noted:

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown..."

Theo Bunch

I want to introduce you to Theo Bunch, an artist studying at the Kansas City Art Institute. (Theo is the tall guy in the picture.)
Theo is a founding member of ArtPlay, a group of about 40 artists whose mission is to remake the urban environment through promoting the interplay of art into everyday life. One of their initiatives is the development of urban gardens. Theo and his colleagues are helping DeLaSalle students to incorporate such "living" art into their coursework and futures. We all know that "green" jobs are expected to be a strong economic force in the future. Theo hopes to insure that DeLaSalle students are at the forefront of this important cultural and economic change engine. We're grateful for the great help of Theo and ArtPlay and other environmental visionaries who have been so helpful to our mission of remaking the lives of urban youth through education!

Little House on the Prairie is the reason that Saori Miura is here in the United States, teaching graphic arts at DeLaSalle.

She grew up watching this show on television in Akita, Japan, and vowed that one day she would visit Missouri where Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote her Little House books.

In 1994, her dream came true when she took a ten-day tour of the Midwest. During the trip, she befriended her tour guide, a Japanese woman who lived in Missouri.

When she went back to Japan, she returned to her government job that included postal work, insurance and banking services. (Sounds like an interesting combination of job duties!)

In 1996, she contacted her former tour guide to arrange an extended stay in the United States. She quit her well-paying government job, after which her father would not speak to her for several days. She stayed with the tour guide's family in Branson, Missouri while she convinced the dean of admissions at the local College of the Ozarks to allow her to attend college. (She had always wanted to go to college but had deferred that dream while in Japan as she had already passed the more rigorous government exam.)

She worked her way through college participating in the unique work study program at the College of the Ozarks. She completed a double major in graphic arts and child development after four and one-half years. She then enrolled at Central Missouri State University where she earned a graduate degree in technology and occupational education, and then an educational specialist degree.

This is her fourth year of teaching at DeLaSalle. She is one of the most successful teachers at DeLaSalle, and is deeply passionate about helping our students complete their diploma and to prepare for the world of work.

And guess what? Her birthday is the same day as Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Melanie Parker - Class of 1991

When I went to vote this morning in our local election, the first person I met was 1991 DeLaSalle graduate, Melanie Parker (Photo at left). Melanie reminded me of her love for DeLaSalle, and how it has helped her in her life. She is a CMT (Certified Medical Technician) and is now working on her LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) certification. Congratulations, Melanie, and bravo to all of the young people served at DeLaSalle over these 39 years!

This fall, DeLaSalle Education Center took over the management of the group home school on the Jackson County Family Court's mid-town campus.

Nekandra Coulter (to the right in the picture) now runs that program for DeLaSalle. She has administered special programs for DeLaSalle for the last three years. She works with veteran DeLaSalle teacher, Michele Tolson, in the basement of the Jackson House group home, serving as many as 14 young men at a time.

Nekandra and Michele are outstanding examples of the creative and inspired staff helping to change the lives of young people every day. In her spare time, Nekandra is working on her doctorate at Rockhurst University. We're proud of the many wonderful staff at DeLaSalle, and for their contributions to the betterment of our community!

Father Jim Flanagan

I came to Kansas City in 1972 to work for the summer in a jail.
No, I was not incarcerated, or in a work release program!
I volunteered my time that summer for a unique religious organization, doing something that I thought I was being called to do: to help in the education of men who were imprisioned.
This summer program was sponsored by the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT). SOLT was founded in 1958 by Father James H. Flanagan, the man to the right in this picture with me. (This picture was taken this morning after church.)
Interestingly, the 1972 SOLT summer program was composed of two other projects besides tutoring inmates in the jail. One of those other projects was working in the summer school at the newly founded DeLaSalle Education Center.
Although it was 8 years before I went to work in 1980 for Godfrey S Kobets at DeLaSalle, I remember being very impressed in my first meeting with Kobe, as we called him. He was a man's man, tough and uncompromising when it came to educating youth from the inner city. Kobe had a deep passion and love for the young people at DeLaSalle.
I also vividly remember meeting Father Flanagan for the first time that same summer. He was another man's man, a tough but loving priest who had played football for Notre Dame and served as a Navy frogman in the Normandy invasion and other postings in World War II. He was ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston in 1952, and founded SOLT in New Mexico 6 years later.
Was it coincidence that I met these two men in 1972, and decided one year later to move permanently from Wilmington, Delaware to Kansas City?
There are no coincidences, only blessings, and these blessings in 1972 changed my life irrevocably!