2008 Woodie Awards
Loss motivates SADD founder to speak out
Patrick Barb
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Through the words of motivational speaker Bob Anastas, I was touched by the honesty and fervor he shared for college students' success. Monday, Oct. 9, I spent my usual time researching and writing lyrics, but I also agreed to attend this guy's speech, little was I aware that his message would become a blessed melting pot of grandfatherly-like advice.
Robert Anastas is the founder of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), now known as Students Against Destructive Decisions, took an almost religious approach to the toxic habits college students may develop. What popped my eyes wide open, was the accumulation of skills Anastas had, a New England Patriots offence linebacker veteran, a special guest on CBS, and my personal favorites, being a recipient of the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Award and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Award.
Anastas travels between America, Europe and Asia presenting his stance of drug usage in athletics and academics to more than two million eager ears. Now I don't know what the athletes that were required to attend, thought of Anastas, but with me not having any affiliation with sports or the like, loved his message. I found myself this very morning reiterating his motives in my head.
"Leave your scrapbooks at home," Anastas took a very interesting direction with why students must move on from the high school days and essentially leave their scrapbooks at home. Anastas exemplified how students moving on into college life must leave behind their past interests and activities in order to adopt new, successful habits in their new life. Anastas was the proud coach of two outstanding athletes, one at age 17, the other age 19; nearly perfect GPAs and they were perfect on the field and out. However, I could feel the sadness swell up inside of Anastas as he spilled his guts to "Blame no one," Anastas told the audience that the actions someone may make are wholly by their own accord, and there is no blame to be placed on others. Anastas said that these two guys had everything going for them, they were in the top 25 percent of the nation in successful college students, "they were the kind of guys who'd say, yes sir, no sir, no ma'am, yes ma'am. The 17-year-old kid came from a family of 13 children, posts to hold up the roof of a house with no walls, two refrigerators and stoves, and a picnic table for the royal banquet.
Anastas said this kid came to him one day falling under the pressure of wanting to support his family financially, with mom making $5.50 as a grocer and dad a non-reliable vegetable, he wanted to do something, and found himself chasing his tail. This kid drank his troubles away and wound up dying from a severe car accident from the troubles he no longer had. The other kid drank from peer pressure and was on the lifeline until someone else's opinion on his strength pulled the plug for him.
Robert wasn't their to present an 'emo' speech, make some people cry, or receive a few hugs afterward, no Robert was a real coach. "Just tell the story of the kids," he said in his ending idea, as he left the audience with a cliffhanger, "will you do what I asked you?" Hell, I sure will, with a passion like that to go unfruitful, and not passed on, I cringe at the very notion. Thank you Robert, you opened my eyes.
Robert Anastas is the founder of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), now known as Students Against Destructive Decisions, took an almost religious approach to the toxic habits college students may develop. What popped my eyes wide open, was the accumulation of skills Anastas had, a New England Patriots offence linebacker veteran, a special guest on CBS, and my personal favorites, being a recipient of the Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Award and the United States Department of Health and Human Services Award.
Anastas travels between America, Europe and Asia presenting his stance of drug usage in athletics and academics to more than two million eager ears. Now I don't know what the athletes that were required to attend, thought of Anastas, but with me not having any affiliation with sports or the like, loved his message. I found myself this very morning reiterating his motives in my head.
"Leave your scrapbooks at home," Anastas took a very interesting direction with why students must move on from the high school days and essentially leave their scrapbooks at home. Anastas exemplified how students moving on into college life must leave behind their past interests and activities in order to adopt new, successful habits in their new life. Anastas was the proud coach of two outstanding athletes, one at age 17, the other age 19; nearly perfect GPAs and they were perfect on the field and out. However, I could feel the sadness swell up inside of Anastas as he spilled his guts to "Blame no one," Anastas told the audience that the actions someone may make are wholly by their own accord, and there is no blame to be placed on others. Anastas said that these two guys had everything going for them, they were in the top 25 percent of the nation in successful college students, "they were the kind of guys who'd say, yes sir, no sir, no ma'am, yes ma'am. The 17-year-old kid came from a family of 13 children, posts to hold up the roof of a house with no walls, two refrigerators and stoves, and a picnic table for the royal banquet.
Anastas said this kid came to him one day falling under the pressure of wanting to support his family financially, with mom making $5.50 as a grocer and dad a non-reliable vegetable, he wanted to do something, and found himself chasing his tail. This kid drank his troubles away and wound up dying from a severe car accident from the troubles he no longer had. The other kid drank from peer pressure and was on the lifeline until someone else's opinion on his strength pulled the plug for him.
Robert wasn't their to present an 'emo' speech, make some people cry, or receive a few hugs afterward, no Robert was a real coach. "Just tell the story of the kids," he said in his ending idea, as he left the audience with a cliffhanger, "will you do what I asked you?" Hell, I sure will, with a passion like that to go unfruitful, and not passed on, I cringe at the very notion. Thank you Robert, you opened my eyes.
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