Have you ever heard of Kevin Brooks? If not, check out this link:
http://www.kevinbrooks.ca/kevins-story/
Kevin visited our school this past March and made the biggest impact on the students that he spoke too. I have taught now for 26 years and I was amazed at the conversations I was hearing from our high school kids. I have a senior. She told me that this was the best assembly she had ever gone too and was very thankful to have heard it before we sent her off to college in the fall.
Kevin Brooks is a leading youth speaker on suicide prevention,
overcoming obstacles and impaired driving. He is living proof that one
poor choice can change one’s life forever, or even end it. From his
wheelchair, Kevin tells the story of the night that changed his life
forever… Kevin left a party, driving at excessive speeds after a night
of drinking. He was not alone. Beside him sat his passenger and
childhood friend Brendan. The result — a horrific crash. Brendan didn’t
walk away from the crash. Neither did Kevin.
Today, Kevin shares his life-changing story with audiences of all
ages and sizes across North America and has reached over half a million
people in thousands of high schools and community-sponsored events.
His honest and straightforward presentation reaches students like
none other. Kevin’s unique style of motivation inspires people to
appreciate life in profound new ways, and audiences leave his
presentation with real-life strategies for making better, smarter
moment-to-moment decisions.
Kaitlyn Dressel was very kind and shared her Smugmug link with me from his talk at Maclay:
You can just tell by the photos and art project that the students and faculty were highly engaged and wanted to help make a statement as a follow up to the assembly. Kaitlyn Dressel did an awesome job of gathering the art students to help even more of spreading the word about just wiggle your toes.
Yes, faculty and staff joined in on the fun of painting feet for our banner.
From Maclay School's Facebook: Maclay Guidance Week of Awareness. Guests from SADD, MADD, and Teen Traffic Safety Fair are on campus making presentations to our students. Please engage with your students and ask questions about the topics they heard about. The flyer below is what the Guidance Department used to inform our students about the weeks events.
The following photos are from Kevin's talk with our Upper School.
His Topics Include:
Impaired, distracted and dangerous driving
Suicide prevention, self-harm and depression
Bullying, relationships and forgiveness
Decision making and peer pressure
Overcoming obstacles
Coping with guilt, tragedy and stress
Leadership and creating positive change
His Topics are Perfect for:
High schools and middle schools
Provincial, state and national conferences
Colleges and universities
Military organizations
Athletic teams
Prom, homecoming and graduation season
Community forums and events
Kevin's Mission is to Kevin’s mission is to impact, motivate and inspire, and he does just
that in his programs for middle, high school and college students,
community events, athletes, military members and other organizations.
You can find Kevin on Social Media:
Instagram: @justwiggleyourtoes
Twitter: @WiggleYourToes
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/radkevinbrooks
In just over a decade Kevin has spoken to
over half a million people across North America. His story has impacted,
motivated and inspired countless people, ultimately changing attitudes
and saving lives.
From Maclay School's Facebook Page: Maclay's Guidance Office is holding a Week of Awareness and the programs today included an inspiring assembly with Kevin Brooks and a Teen Traffic Safety Fair. Thank you to MADD and SADD for participating with us on these important topics. #weekofawareness
If you are interested in booking Kevin Brooks, please contact the Drive to Save Lives Tour. Email: info@drivetosavelives.com
***I read this on Kevin's website and wanted to share the whole story...very powerful!
Imagine waking up one morning, and finding out you no longer have the
use of your legs. Motivational speaker, Kevin Brooks, knows this all too
well.
On a Monday morning, some odd months ago, we were informed in homeroom
that a motivational speaker would be coming to talk to us about drinking
and driving. Let me tell you, no one in our school cared to hear some
dude come in and lecture us about the consequences of drinking and
driving. None the less; we all filed into the gym to hear the
presentation. When we looked to the center of the gym, there was this
guy in a wheelchair in about his twenties. Slightly shocked at seeing
his appearance, everyone shut up and listened to what he had to say.
This man sitting in front of us was Kevin Brooks. Kevin told us his
story . . .
Kevin was always a partier, he was actually known as "The Creature".
When coming home from parties he would be drunk, yet still driving. He
knew the road to his home well and he thought that there was no danger
in drunk driving to get home. Up until that point, he had been lucky and
nothing unfortunate had happened while he drove home. That all changed
one night. Kevin was at the wheel and his friend Brandon was in the
passengers seat . . . they crashed. The crash killed Brendon, and
rendered Kevin paralyzed. Kevin had to go to court where he was on trial
for manslaughter. He would have gone to jail, but two people stopped
that from happening. Brendon's parents. Brendon's parents didn't blame
Kevin for Brendon's death. They knew that that whole group of kids drunk
and drove on a regular basis, their son included. They decided to fight
in court on Kevin's behalf, because of them Kevin was saved from having
to spend time in jail.
After Kevin was done speaking, we all sat in silence. His presentation
was just amazing, one minute he would have you smiling, the next crying.
And I'm not exaggerating, looking around the gym I saw a ton of people
just bawling their eyes out. Sometime during his presentation, Kevin
said the line "Just wiggle your toes, it's something so easy, yet I
can't do it." And it had everyone in the school wiggling their toes
without even realizing it.
Kevin has spoken at over 700 high schools and events. He has even appeared on "The Tyra Show"!
I decided to email Kevin and ask him if he wouldn't mind being
interviewed so I could share his story with teens and hopefully
discourage them from drinking and driving when they're old enough. So
Whyvillians, here is Kevin Brooks!
ocean10kv: How fast were you driving before you crashed, and do you remember how many drinks you had?
Kevin: I was driving between 130 - 140kms and I was well into double digit drinks.
ocean10kv: Do you remember anything from the crash?
Kevin: I remember nothing leading up to, during or after the crash . . . my first memories are waking up in a hospital weeks later.
ocean10kv: How long were you unconscious for?
Kevin: I was out of it for the better part of 3 weeks.
ocean10kv: How long were you in the hospital for?
Kevin: I was in the hospital for 2 months and in
rehabilitation at GF Strong in Vancouver for 4 months. I crashed my car
June 24th and was not home again until December 21st.
ocean10kv: What was your hospital experience like?
Kevin: Initially the hospital was hell. I was on so many
meds I was seeing things and thinking staff were out to get me. I ended
up strapped down to the bed. I was in and out of it for almost a month .
. . out of it mostly. But my hallucinations and dreams were so vivid. I
remember them to this day. It was like a revolving nightmare . . .
ocean10kv: What injuries did you have?
Kevin: Multiple lacerations (I needed two blood
transfusions) dislocated shoulder, partially separated shoulder, 2 broke
collar bones, a collapsed lung and a fractured C6 - C7 vertebrae in my
neck that rendered me paralyzed from the chest down.
ocean10kv: When and how did you find out that you could no longer work your legs?
Kevin: I think it was about a month in . . . I asked why they didn't work and my mom broke the news to me. It was an awful day.
ocean10kv: You talked about wanting to die while in the
hospital, but you couldn't give up on life. What made you want to pull
out the tube? What made you leave it in?
Kevin: I thought I didn't deserve to live after killing my
friend in the car. I thought I wouldn't be able to live being
paralyzed. But something inside wouldn't let me quit. I don't have a
name or explanation for it . . . maybe it was the will to live.
ocean10kv: What was your first response when you were told that Brendon was dead?
Kevin: Total shock and disbelief. There is no way anyone could ever be prepared to hear such a thing . . . I was devastated.
ocean10kv: Did you blame yourself for his death?
Kevin: I did blame myself at first. But I was very lucky
to have many around me, including Brendon's parents supporting me and
not blaming me. They taught me how to forgive myself by forgiving me.
ocean10kv: In court, Brendon's parents fought for you, not against you. Were you surprised by this?
Kevin: I was shocked when his mom called me the night
before and told me what they had done. I mean who does that?? Amazing
people for sure.
ocean10kv: Did your friends stop drinking and driving after your injuries and Brendon's death?
Kevin: Many did . . . or at least smartened up. Some
didn't. Those who didn't I had to separate myself from. It definitely
had an impact on those closest to me and still does for many.
ocean10kv: What was your dream job, did you have a plan for your future before the accident?
Kevin: I really wanted to be an electrician at the gravel
pit where my dad has worked his entire employable life. I also worked
there all growing up. The money was going to be great. I really liked
the people at work. And I especially enjoyed going to work every day and
getting dirty. There was nobody to impress. No need to look presentable
. . . I liked that.
ocean10kv: You were a hockey player, and a skateboarder.
You still go to the skate park with your wheelchair, but it's not the
same is it. Can you talk to me a little bit about having difficulties
doing the things you love?
Kevin: In time (11 years just this Friday) since the crash
I have learned to both let go and also to find a way. I have done a lot
of stuff in a wheelchair most likely don't or wouldn't. I still try to
find new adventures too. I called a surf shop in Oregon just this
morning because I was to take up surfing on my stomach. But for sure
there are days where I would do anything to be shredding on my skate,
out on the ice or on the hills with my board. I had to make the choice
whether I would let missing these things keep keeping me down or if I
was just going to accept it wasn't happening today, while being grateful
for my past experiences doing what I loved and never ever giving up on
tomorrow.
ocean10kv: Why do you tell people to "just wiggle your toes"?
Kevin: My presentation has just evolved over the years.
Nothing was ever really written down. Some things I have said have had a
noticeable affect on others more than other things I have said or shown
. . . my video, the three chairs, Hayley b'day wish to name a few . . .
the wiggle your toes thing just came out one day years ago and I could
tell people in the audience were wiggling there toes. So I called them
on it and there was this awkward laugh like 'How'd he know??'. It hit me
that something so simple that the majority of my audiences can do and
do do can encompass to much of my point of my story. Wiggle your toes . .
. remember to be grateful for what you have. Wiggle your toes . . .
don't throw it away. Wiggle your toes . . . it goes on and on . . .
ocean10kv: Do you have anything else you'd like to add?
Kevin: I have learned that the best way to heal from a
traumatic experience is to turn it into something positive. This story
could have been the end of me, but rather it became a new beginning. The
future wasn't clear for years and I can't say it was easy but today I
have found my greatest passion through the worst mistake and experience I
ever went through. Life is very unpredictable, and when it gets bumpy
as long as we just keep hanging on it all eventually comes together and
makes sense. Life is not so much about what happened. It is more about
what happens next!
I would like to thank Kevin so much for answering my questions, especially since I realize some may have been difficult.
So Whyvillians . . . remember, if you're going through a tough time, just wiggle your toes.
-ocean10kv
Author's Note: Check out Kevin's website at
http://www.kevinbrooks.ca/ where you can learn more about Kevin, send
him an email, or book an event.
Our kids are still talking about this speaker at school! Check it out...you will be glad you did! I know I am blessed that he was brought to our school to help educate our students! 1969
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