Last month, BFA welcomed Darryl Rodgers to spend time with our high school students and offer words of advice and encouragement. Darryl shared the story of his son, Chase, who went from college athlete to drug rehab to being killed in a drug-related car crash in the span of only one and a half years.
Darryl shared a video, Deadly Influences that told the story of his son and included reflections from others who knew and were impacted by his life and death.
“Your future will be shaped by the people you associate with and the choices you make. Choose wisely.” – Darryl Rodgers
After the video, he shared further insights including the “four superpowers” that all students have:
- The Power of Choice – the ability to make the best decisions for themselves
- The Power of Association – the power to choose their friends and the sometimes difficult choice to move on from bad influences in their lives
- The Power of Love – the desire to care about others who may be in need of support
- The Power to Intervene – the need to get involved when a peer is making an unsafe choice like driving or being a passenger in a vehicle when the driver is impaired
When Darryl was finished students asked questions about his journey, including how he got involved with helping others and the impact on the rest of his family. He stayed at the school through the lunch hour and met informally with students who wanted to connect with him and his message.
“Darryl shared a powerful message that he was personally connected to. It was very personal, which helped the message to sink in and was better than just watching a video about something.” – Grade 11 Student
Before he left, Darryl left a copy of his signed book, “A Life Half Lived” for the library. Mr. Rodger’s visit was coordinated by Franklin County Caring Communities and Watershed Mentoring. He has been traveling to schools throughout Vermont over the last several weeks. BFA is grateful for the opportunity to bring Darryl’s message to our high school students.
The FWSU Story 