MONTPELIER, Vt. –– A Purple Heart recipient and nationally renown
motivational speaker will make a special presentation at the Vermont Guardian
ad Litem Program statewide conference on Friday, Oct. 28 — at the tail of
Bullying Prevention Month.
Rick Yarosh, a retired U.S. Army sergeant, will speak from 1-3 p.m. at the
conference, scheduled to last from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Capitol Plaza
Hotel in Montpelier. The media is invited. The theme of the conference is
“Communicating and Connecting.” Organizers invited all 250-275 active
Guardians ad Litem (GALs) from throughout Vermont, as well as other special
guests.
GALs are volunteers that advocate for children in court cases. A judge
appoints a GAL in every child abuse or child neglect case and sometimes in
delinquency and other cases. GALs make recommendations to the court for the
child’s best interests — both in and out of court — until the case
ends. (For more:
https://www.vermontjudiciary.org/programs-and-services/guardian-ad-litem-program)
Yarosh is a husband, father of two and retired U.S. Army sergeant. He’s
also an expert in HOPE (Hold On, Possibilities Exist!). He has toured the
country as a motivational speaker — both solo and with Sweethearts &
Heroes, a student empowerment and empathy activation team directed and
co-founded by Tom Murphy, of St. Albans, Vt. For more than 15 years,
Sweethearts & Heroes, which helps prevent bullying and suicide, has made
presentations to more than 2 million students from New England to Hawaii.
(www.sweetheartsandheroes.com)
Yarosh was deployed to Iraq in December 2005. On Sept. 1, 2006, he was
severely injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Abu Ghraib. For
half a year, he recovered at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio,
Texas, fighting through 2nd and 3rd degree burns on more than 60 percent of
his body. His right leg was amputated below the knee. He also lost: both
ears, his nose, multiple fingers, and most of the function in his hands. He
says the only reason he would change that fateful moment is if he could bring
back his brothers in arms that he lost in combat: Sgt. Luis Montes and SFC
Anthony Venetz.
Yarosh has spoken to and inspired millions of people from all walks of life
including sports teams, schools, churches, military groups, and non-profits.
For his heroic service, he received the Purple Heart. For more on Yarosh,
please watch these short, impactful videos:
•https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lqjBwsRO2w
•https://vimeo.com/165322201
“HOPE is something that, unfortunately, every kid loses at some point,”
Yarosh says. “Some of those kids get that HOPE back quickly, but then there
are those who never see it possible to ever have HOPE again. When I present
to people, I tell them about all of the times that I lost HOPE. It wasn't
once, it wasn't twice, it was many times. I explain what HOPE means to me —
Hold On Possibilities Exist — and that, without HOPE, I would not be here
today to have found out the possibilities of my future. If I hadn’t held
onto HOPE, there is no way I would be doing what I love today, because I
would have given up long ago.”
Rob Post, program director for the Vermont GAL Program, said: “Janice
Santiago, our regional coordinator serving Chittenden, Franklin and Grand
Isle counties, knew of Sweethearts & Heroes and their presentations about
offering HOPE to children and brought this organization to the attention of
the GAL Program. After meeting with Rick and learning about his story and the
message he could bring to the Guardians ad Litem at our conference, it
didn’t take long to understand his value. Rick, through his personal story
and experience speaking with children across the country, has a unique and
powerful message of HOPE — a key component of what the children we serve
need and what the GALs need. Having Rick speak to our volunteers is a great
way to thank them, energize them, and give them HOPE. Hopefully, they leave
the conference with a renewed belief in the opportunity they have to advocate
for Vermont’s most vulnerable children.”
Post added: “Our almost 300 volunteer GALs across Vermont are dedicated
advocates who come from diverse backgrounds, and all have a unique story, but
what they all have in common is their heart, concern and compassion for
children involved in our courts. Being a volunteer GAL isn’t a traditional
or easy volunteer opportunity. GALs deal daily with many very difficult
situations involving children and families within our system. The COVID 19
pandemic brought and continues to bring lots of changes to the court system
as well as our daily lives. We are excited to return a little bit of a sense
of normalcy by bringing Vermont GALs together at our envisioned annual
statewide conference after a period of years for an educational and inspiring
day.”
For more information on Sweethearts & Heroes, visit:
sweetheartsandheroes.com.
Or watch these short, impactful trailers:
•https://youtu.be/SWY6Lr3LWaY
•https://youtu.be/RnNW42RPhpQ
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetheartsandheroes/
On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChmbRNNgpGWkMRIUxSS-bGg
United States