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Bridges Mentoring offering motivational speaker
By Warren Haacke, Press-News Reporter
If you're ready to hear a powerful message of survival and resilience and then enjoy an ice cream treat, the place to be is Our Savior's Lutheran Church on Sunday, September 21 at 5:30 p.m.
Bridges Mentoring of Mitchell County is offering a special program featuring motivational speaker Gabriel Meints.
Meints grew up in the foster care system, making 40 moves in 12 years before being adopted.
Meints will speak about the "disconnect" that so many young people are experiencing and how it affects how they act at school, at home and with social interaction with adults and friends.
Meints has a powerful message on how we can help these types of children become productive adults. His presentation incorporates his own skills and experiences and allows plenty of time for questions and discussion.
The 23 year-old Meints himself is a shining example of a "survivor". He was a "crack baby" who was born to an alcoholic mother. After his birth he was immediately put into the foster care system. At the age of 13, he had already experienced 40 different foster care placements. Meints became very angry and hard to control.
"What I wanted more than anything else was to be with a family who wouldn't give up on me," said Meints.
Finally two families came into Meints' life that did not give up on him.
At age 10, he began living with the family of Will and Sue Newman in Davenport. Then, at the age of 13, he was adopted by Marlin Meints and his wife, Pat, of Clear Lake.
"I got amazing opportunities with two families who knew how to love - and that's what I needed," he said.
Both families gave Meints the self-confidence and sense of worth that he was looking for and needed.
After being adopted by the Meints', Meints now felt he had two families, people who would love him and not give up on him.
Meints later began doing local volunteer work through his local church.
He then was employed in a youth shelter and day treatment program. Meints eventually took a job with Lutheran Services in Iowa (Beloit) where he worked directly with children in crisis situations. He also coordinated and directed all campus trainings.
Meints now owns a consulting service through which he travels throughout the country giving motivational presentations. His message of success and resilience will be an inspiration to everyone that hears it.
"What children need to know more than anything else is that someone is there for them," he said.
His message for foster children is that they can overcome the obstacles that confront them in life.
"With everything I've been through, I would repeat all of it if it brought me to where I am today," Meints stated.
Rae Anne Havig, director of the Bridges Mentoring program, encourages all present mentors, foster parents, teachers, students and the community at large to come and listen to Gabriel Meints' story.
"This will be a moving and worthwhile experience for those that attend," said Havig.
For further information about the presentation, call Havig at 641-732-3566 or e mail her at bridgesmentoring.com.
Story created Sep 16, 2008 - 10:54:53 CDT.
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