Lakeside’s typical way of entering the new school year is to bring our staff together for a day of inspiration as we approach our work with over 8,000 students. This year was a very special celebration in that we are beginning our 65th year of providing services to many students and clients who have had some significant needs. In light of so many organizations like us going out of business through the years, we feel extremely blessed to have had the privilege of serving our community in so many ways for these 65 years.
As our 400 staff gathered to launch the year, we invited William Kellibrew to speak. He is a global advocate for victims of violent crime and a sought-after speaker as an expert on the impact of trauma and violence on children, families, communities, and systems of care. He has been a senior management executive functioning in the areas of mental health, victim assistance, and violence prevention as well as restaurant management.
Mr. Kellibrew shared his childhood story of witnessing his mom and brother being killed, and its impact on his life. His story was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and he has written his traumatic story in a book entitled Resilient Rose, which is a heart-wrenching read! His reflections on all that he went through as a child because of his trauma, and his incredible journey of recovery, were inspiring.
It really reminded our staff and me how important our work is to trauma-impacted kids. He vividly recounted his internal reactions to situations around him which labelled him, judged him, incarcerated him, and drove him to a great deal of despair and, eventually, a future in the restaurant business. His success led him to be an advocate for those who have suffered. Mr. Kellibrew dynamically shared his growth into resilience and how he now uses his life journey to help so many who have had like experiences.
It was insightful to learn from his experience and training. He showed us just how important the smallest pieces of a relationship are in dealing with youth who have had varied types of adversity. We all should be paying close attention to even the slightest revelations about their lives as we attempt to help them cope and eventually heal.
It was also so encouraging to realize that someone who had severe trauma in their life experience could become resilient with the right help. William Kellibrew is a testimony to how healing and hope can be a part of one’s life outcome even if they have had severe childhood trauma. He is a living example of a healthy recovery process.
As a part of this event, he also served as an interviewer of a panel consisting of three former Lakeside students and two systems of care leaders, who shared how Lakeside’s impact to their lives and their systems were vital to significant outcomes that were individual, family, and communitywide. All in all, this was an amazing day of inspirational stories told by Will Kellibrew, by former students and by those that have been impacted in larger communities. We are all encouraged, inspired, and looking forward to our next days, weeks and months of bringing hope and healing to thousands of individuals who have been impacted by trauma and adversity. It has been the mission of Lakeside for 65 years.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
