- Days since my release from 26 years in prison: 127
- Miles run today: 0
- Miles run this week: 4.5
- Miles run during the calendar month: 85.2
- Marathon distances completed: 12
- Weight: 167
Journal of activities:
The San Jose Mayor’s Gang Task Force issued a verbal purchase order for our Straight-A Guide Life Skills Program today. I’m extremely enthusiastic about building this relationship with the city of San Jose. Mario Maciel is an innovative leader who coordinates with community based organizations. I met him while I was in San Diego to give a keynote presentation for The California Wellness Foundation’s Violence Prevention Conference. Since then I’ve met with him on several occasions to talk about ways that our Straight-A Guide Life Skills Program could contribute to the building of safer communities. We provide facilitators with the tools they need to show people from at-risk backgrounds how to transform their lives.
The receptivity our Straight-A Guide receives in the marketplace validates the strategy that has guided me since my earliest days in the county jail, more than 25 years ago. I began transforming my life while inside of that county jail because of a three-pronged commitment I made to work toward:
- educating myself,
- contributing to society, and
- building a support network that would have a vested interest in my success upon release.
I still live by the Straight-A Guide. It keeps me focused and the disciplined, deliberate strategy brings meaning to the time that I served. Through this program I make a positive contribution to society. The harder I work, the broader my support network becomes. Others can learn from this strategy, and I’m hopeful to change lives because of The Straight-A Guide.