WHY DID YOU CREATE THE POSITIVE IMPACT FOUNDATION? You may not know this, but I was a bad kid. I was kicked out of West Essex High School eight times. I didn’t fit and got into fights. Thank God my parents were there for me. But there are a lot of kids today whose parents are in jail, abusing drugs or alcohol, and can’t care for them. PIF is a grassroots not-for-profit foundation that creates positive media messages for at-risk kids.
We believe that positive images help build self-esteem and, ultimately, make long-term personal success more likely. Way too often, at-risk youth are seen and heard only in a negative light. The kids featured in our television segment, Stories from Camden, are smart, articulate, motivated young people who do good things and want to keep doing good things. I want to show them succeeding, on their own and through agencies like Unity Community Center and the Boys & Girls Clubs.
SO WHAT DOES THE FOUNDATION DO? I started it to draw more attention to at-risk children in New Jersey. I was inspired by my friend and mentor, Ray Chambers. He’s a Wall Street icon who gave up his entire business to dedicate himself to non-profit work. He showed me underprivileged children who mean to do well, who may have a great opportunity to do well, but just don’t have the resources to help them succeed.
HOW DOES THAT SELF-ESTEEM MANIFEST ITSELF? We go into neighborhoods in Newark, Camden, and Paterson that look like war-torn cities. But we highlight positive things these young adults are doing with their lives and reinforce those accomplishments.
Through our efforts, kids see that positive perception can become a reality. They prove to themselves that if they set goals and reach for them, they can succeed, even if their circumstances aren’t ideal. It builds character.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE? It’s hard to get the media to focus on the good stuff. The shootings, poverty, robberies, whatever… they make headlines. We hope through things like Positive Impact Television, our website, other media coverage, and our annual event, which will be held November 13, we can turn that around. This year, the event is called “A Home Run for New Jersey Kids,” and our guest of honor is Joe Torre. (Get details at positiveimpactfoundation.org) We will continue to expand our outreach and show people that there are magical experiences happening in our inner cities for these at-risk youth, and that we need to support them and the organizations that keep them focused on the positive aspects of their lives.
WHAT DO YOUR PEERS THINK OF YOUR FOUNDATION? I don’t know. People like Queen Latifah and Shaquille O’Neal are doing things for kids. But on the showbiz side, too often we are not doing enough. When I was younger and starting out, I didn’t see it, but then you hit a plateau in your career. I feel a sense of responsibility now. To me, life is all about community and family, and through the foundation I hope I can share that passion with others.
Biggest election fireworks should come in Monmouth County’s twelfth district, between Senator Ellen Karcher and GOP Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck. Beck gave up her Assembly seat to run and Karcher’s got big party support from Governor Jon Corzine. I still think Beck wins.
I’d like to give a shout out to Dr. Warren Finkelstein, who called me for weeks before a “significant” birthday. (Apparently when you turn 30, you need to get a colonoscopy.)
Yanks in, Mets out. There is a God. Phillies in? Go figure.