Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Oct. 10, 2013, edition 1 / Page 2
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1 J> -J? 1 Photo by Layia Oanrn The twins share their poetry with RJR students. Iwins from page At the children we interact with on a daily basis," Mills said. "The other two percent is about what we as adults can do to help them." Chukwuocha, who was Born Elbert Mills but changed his name to the Nigerian Igbo moniker, which he says means "my father is within me," has taken his community serv ice one step further; he was elected to Wilmington's City Council in 2012. Adding the public service to an already more than full time job is no easy task, Chukwuocha admit ted, but it allows him the opportunity to do more good than ever. "Now you're at the table and problems that you see in your communi ty, you're part of the solu tion," he said. "...It's tough, but I think that on the other end, it's a sacri fice that you have to make for the good of society and for our world." Mills said he and his brother feel "blessed" to be able to do what they love every day. He encouraged the students to find their own passions in life and pursue them unabashedly. mat s my motivation - that's what drives me," he declared. "I have to make this place better for these children, and that's what motivates me to always want to get up and do more." The twins say one of the pivotal moments in their journeys as poets came when they authored a poem in memory of their younger brother, who was tragically killed when he was struck by a stolen car. Today, they use the art form to help the young men and women they encounter open up and express their feelings, chal lenges and hopes for the future. "Honesty is one of the ways in which we use to break down that barrier," Chukwuocha said. "We try to let them know that truth is their best weapon." Reynolds High Photos Student poets Caitlin Thomas (top) and Lilith Bachelder perform. Gardner from page A1 encouraged to read Gardner's book and partake in a series of programs inspired by the autobiogra phy, which was a bestseller before Will Smith played Gardner in the 2006 hit film. "Anytime I see any piece of that film, 1 always have the same exact thought: those people spent $70 million to recreate what I did with nothing," he said. The movie and book tell the story of how Gardner, after earning a spot in the competitive training pro gram at the prestigious Dean Witter Reynolds bro kerage firm in San Francisco, became home less and spent nearly a year living on the street while in the program. Even more challenging, he was a single father at the time. In the movie Jayden Smith, Will Smith's real life son, portrays Chris Jr. as a five-year-old. In reality, Chris Jr. was only 14 months-old during Gardner's ordeal, in which he and his son slept in train stations, airports and bus terminals and washed-up public restrooms. Gardner would sometimes go with out food so his son could eat. When they both got to eat, he said, it Was some times because he'd made money by giving blood. No matter how hard things got, Gardner said he never contemplated aban doning his son. Gardner himself never knew his bio logical father, and his step father was an abusive man he swore he'd never be like. "I made a decision as a five-year-old boy: when I grow up, become a map and 1 have children, my children are going to know who their father is; that would become the most important decision 1 ever made in my life, he said. His struggles paid off big time. Gardner earned a position at Dean Witter Reynolds in 1982 and would have an extremely successful broker age career. He established his own firm, Gardner Rich & Co., in Chicago in 1987. Despite rising to the top of his field, his family is the source of his pride. He fondly recalled speaking at Hampton University for the graduation of his daughter, Jacintha. She was "the first person in the history of my family since we got off the slave ships over 200 years ago to graduate from col lege," he said. It's been a little more than a year since Gardner > lost his companion of 20 years, Holly Ann Norwkk, to brain cancer. He said watching someone he loved die changed his perspective on life. He left the broker A age business aner a 30 year career. He describes his current job as "CEO of Happyness." He now devotes his time to motiva tional speaking, sharing what he calls "spiritual genetics," the fun damental part of people that determines tneir course in life. He encour ages everyone to find what they're passionate about and pursue it. Attendees gave Gardner a standing ovation both at the beginning and end of his speech. Attendee James R. Jarrell, a retired librari an, said Gardner's book is stocked in the small library at the Arbor Acre retirement community, where he lives and mans the library. Arbor Acres also held its own panel discussion on the book and screened the movie. "It's interesting." Jarrell, a Winston-Salem State University alumnus, said of Gardner's story. "I do feel a person can be any thing they want to be if they have the drive and the moti vation." Assistant Library Director Elizabeth Skinner said Gardner's book was selected for On the Same Page to spotlight the issue of homelessness. It's an issue familiar to the Central Library, as many local homeless men and women spend their days there before returning to shelters at night. The library received a federal grant ear lier this year to hire a home less liaison to help connect homeless library visitors with services and hold sen sitivity training for library staff to help them better serve these men and women. I 1 Jarrell The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc., 617 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C. Annua] subscription price is $30.72. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle, P.O. Box 1636 Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636 0 Wake forest university school 0/divinity AND LOCAL FAITH-BASED PARTNBRS INVITB YOU TO raw WW mmar An mtofaith Workshop un But Faith & Justice Thursday, November 7 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM S.G. Atkins Enterprise Banquet & Conference Center ? I Right choice, , right price, \ i 1 I Medicare Advantage plans are only available to Medicare beneficiaries Get trusted coverage at the right price from BCBSNC. ? 2013 BCBSNC HMO Standard plan rated overall ? ? ? ? ? Quality health care coverage for more than 80 years. ? SilverSneakers*1, a fitness membership at no additional cost.3 ? Strong network of contracted doctors and hospitals. Including Forsyth Medical Center, Lexington Memorial Hospital, Inc., High Point Regional Health System, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. 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