1-25-12
NEWS!!!  CLICK ON the words: LEGAL NEWS to see a note from Jerry Cooper about what is happening with the Claims Bill and see a series of emails to and from Jerry, Greg Hoag from Masterson Law and from H & K Law


1-19-12
We received a big envelope full of beautiful thank you notes from the boys at Eckerd's.  They really will touch your heart.  They were as greatful for our time as they were for the material gifts.  Robert Straley's glow lights were also mentioned by many as being greatly enjoyed (one young man uses it to read novels at night).  I will scan them as soon as I get some time and post each one for you to enjoy.  Thank you again to everyone that participated in the Christmas Project!

1-13-12
NEWS FROM THE ATTORNEYS CLICK HERE

DON'T FORGET THE MEDIA PAGE FOR ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN IN THE NEWSPAPER OR ON TV LATELY.. CHECK IT OFTEN!
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1-6-12

NEWS FROM JERRY COOPER, ACTING PRESIDENT:

In this house, the State of Florida beat and scarred our bodies, wounded our souls, and dampened our spirits. But now… united…we rise up…and join together to ensure that this history is never, ever repeated!

The Official White House Boys Organization
P. O. Box 152 · 1616-102 West Cape Coral Parkway
Cape Coral, FL 33914
 
Officers & Board Members
President Emeritus - Dick Colon / President - Jerry Cooper / Vice President - Nate Dowling / Treasurer - Peggy Marx / Secretary - Babbs Cooper /
Sargeant at Arms - James M DeNykke 

Federal investigation confirms abuse at Dozier, suggests children in danger at other facilities
By Ben Montgomery, Times Staff WriterTampa Bay Times
In Print: Saturday, December 3, 2011

The U.S. Department of Justice has blasted the state for failing to properly treat and protect children who were housed at the now-shuttered Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, Florida's first and oldest state-run reform school that closed in June after 111 years of operation.

The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice's failure to oversee the program and prevent children from being abused and neglected suggests other programs have similar issues, according to the report by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, released late Friday.

"Although Dozier and JJOC (the Jackson Juvenile Offender Center on Dozier's campus) are now shuttered, these problems persist due to the weaknesses in the state's oversight system and from a correspondent lack of training and supervision," the report said. "Our findings remain relevant to the conditions of confinement for the youth confined in Florida's remaining juvenile justice facilities."

The Justice Department's investigation, announced in 2010 to then-Gov. Charlie Crist, showed "reasonable cause to believe that the state of Florida was engaged in a pattern or practice of failing to have proper measures of accountability that led to serious deficiencies."

The Justice Department alleged many instances in which the state violated the constitutional rights of the boys, ages 13 to 21, confined to Dozier, and said the state must take immediate measures to "assess the full extent of its failed oversight" to protect children at its other facilities. The state must also strengthen its oversight processes by implementing a more rigorous system of hiring, training and accountability, the report said.

DJJ spokesman C.J. Drake said Florida has already implemented a number of reforms and has seen a dramatic reduction in the use of physical techniques to control children. He also said the state has closed or substantially reduced 23 residential programs statewide since 2008 because of performance issues.

"That's because we proactively identify problems in our residential programs and take swift corrective action," Drake said. "Residential programs that cannot implement and sustain corrective actions are closed."

DJJ Secretary Wansley Walters, who took over the department in January, was not available to comment on the report, Drake said.

The Department of Justice found:

• Staff used excessive force on youths, including choking and mechanical restraints. It documented incidents caught on tape in which guards violently pushed youths to the ground, and struck and choked youths. Staff unlawfully shackled youths with mechanical restraints as a first response to youths who did not respond to verbal commands. One youth was held face-down on the floor for 48 minutes and placed in mechanical restrains for an additional three hours and 17 minutes.

• Youths were often disciplined for minor infractions through inappropriate uses of lengthy and unnecessary isolation without due process. The report documented one case in which a boy was kept in isolation — inside a small cell with a concrete-slab bed and thin mattress — for two weeks. And shortly after he was released, he was sent back to isolation.

• Staff were not appropriately trained and had a generally "laissez-faire attitude" toward suicidal youth. The report noted that average pay for direct-care staff fell below $12 an hour, well below the nationwide median hourly wage for correctional officers of $18.78.

• The safety of youths was compromised as a result of their relocation to the Jackson Juvenile Offender Center (a more restrictive and punitive facility on the Dozier campus).

• The state failed to provide necessary and appropriate rehabilitative services to address addiction, mental health or behavioral needs, which served as a barrier to the youths' ability to return to the community and not reoffend.

• Youths were subjected to unnecessary and unconstitutional frisk searches. Dozier youths were frisk searched more than 10 times per day. One told investigators, "Some staff rub on your privates." Another said staff "touch too much."

"The failure to address these concerns not only harms the youth, but has a negative impact on public confidence and public safety," the report said. "The critical role of the juvenile justice system to correct and rehabilitate is being abdicated and youth may well be leaving the system with additional physical and psychological barriers to success."

The Dozier school in Marianna, about 60 miles west of Tallahassee, has been the subject of an ongoing investigative series in the St. Petersburg Times called "For Their Own Good." The facility has been exposed a number of times for abuse and neglect. The Department of Justice's investigation confirms much of what the Times has reported.

"What the Department of Justice has done in this report is help us look back at what was and gives us a true guide for what should never, ever happen again," said child advocate Jack Levine, who exposed abuse at Dozier in the early 1980s that prompted a federal class-action lawsuit against the state.

Drake, the DJJ spokesman, said the department is working on a response to the report.

"The issues at Dozier occurred long before this administration took office and it was this administration that closed that facility," he said. "We … do not tolerate misconduct or poor performance. If we identify it we seek to correct it, and if it's not corrected it's closed."

Times staff writer Waveney Ann Moore contributed to this report. Ben Montgomery can be reached at bmontgomery@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8650.

SALUTE TO OUR VETERANS!
Many White House Boys went on to serve our country in the military.  Launched on Veteran's Day, 2010, we've created a page dedicated to ALL those who so bravely served our country.  Please take a moment to look at the new page HERE.  If you or one of your family members are a veteran, its not too late to send your story and photos.  Please send to mailto:theofficialwhitehouseboys@gmail.com GOD BLESS AMERICA and GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!

ARE YOU RECEIVING THE NEWSLETTER?  EMAIL/NEWSLETTER REMINDER!  To be sure that you receive all emails and newsletters, please be sure to add the following email address:  theofficialwhitehouseboys@gmail.com , to the list of "contacts" on your email program.  Otherwise, there is a chance that the emails and newsletters we send can end up in your "spam" or "junk mail" file folders.  If your email program "recognizes" the email address, then newsletters will go straight to your INBOX, and won't end up lost in with thousands of JUNK emails. 

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Many of the White House Boys have written BOOKS, click HERE for info

WHITE HOUSE BOYS IN THE NEWS SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010:

The Boys of the Dark: Robin Gaby Fisher & Michael O'McCarthy




A story that garnered national attention, this is the harrowing tale of two men who suffered abuses at a reform school in Florida in the 1950s and 60s, and who banded together fifty years later to confront their attackers.Michael Orsquo;McCarthy and Robert W. Straley were teens when they were termed ldquo;incorrigible youthrdquo; by authorities and ordered to attend the Florida School for Boys. They discovered in Marianna, the ldquo;City of Southern Charm,rdquo; an immaculately groomed campus that looked more like an idyllic university than a reform school. But hidden behind the gates of the Florida School for Boys was a hell unlike any they could have imagined. The schoolrsquo;s guards and administrators acted as their jailers and tormentors. The boys allegedly bore witness to assault, rape, and possibly even murder.For fifty years, both men---and countless others like them---carried their torment in silence. But a series of unlikely events brought Orsquo;McCarthy, now a successful rights activist, and Straley together, and they became determined to expose the Florida School for Boys for what they believed it to be: a youth prison with a century-long history of abuse.  READ MORE ABOUT THE BOOK AND SEE ROBERT STRALEY INTERVIEWED BY FOX BY CLICKING HERE

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 Several WHBz have Facebook sites running, including Mary B., who has a very nice one dedicated to the WHBz!  Send us your Facebook sites, and we'll post them to share with the brothers and wives
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Note from Webmaster: 
Folks - Don't forget! This website belongs to YOU.  The webmaster is only the one to set it up and do the technical "stuff" but sending in interesting and newsworthy items is your job!   This website needs input from everyone!  Also, Please don't forget to use the GUESTBOOK often. If you find a news story, send it in. (I don't always have the time to scour the internet looking for stories but I'll gladly post any I'm aware of).  Why not send a recipe, news about an event in your life such as a wedding or a baby's birth, or send a photo of you or family?  We've printed comments in memory of Frank Marx, and gave them to Peggy at the Memorial Service on August 21st.    Keep us updated on any illness or challenges or Praise Reports for the new Prayer Requests & Updates  page.  The webmaster is STILL  waiting for a summary of the last reunion which we could not attend, due to family illness.  This website belongs to YOU, and its up to YOU to help keep it current.    In the next few months, I'll be adding MANY more Yellow Jacket photos, but that's just my little contribution to the website.  Please do your part to keep the website current, and interesting.    p.s. If you haven't tried the questbook , it is VERY easy to use, all you need is a name and an email address.  You can even post anonymously if you wish.  Why not give it a try and say hello to your WHB brothers and families?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

OUR MISSION STATEMENT
A Project Dedicated to the Survivors of the White House

We are the faces of 108 years of state sponsored child abue.

“Those who do not learn the lessons of history are bound to repeat them.” Santayana

The state of Florida has one of the worst records for juvenile care in the United States. The negligence on the part of the Department of Juvenile Justice continues to this day: Underfunded, poorly trained and screened staff, overcrowding and the lack of a progressive system of care, treatment and skill training produces a recidivist rate “…for males … 46 percent and for females it is 28 percent.” (Florida Performs.com.) That includes boys and girls returning to the system for “more of the same,” or “graduating” to adult correctional institutions.

“Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee…” John Donne

We are more than “our brother’s keepers.” We are the guardians of the health and welfare of any child in our neighborhood, town, city, county and state. The children are our heritage and our future. When one is mistreated, it affects an entire society. We must stand for justice now; on their behalf and ours.

Where are we now?

As is any democratic movement for justice, it takes time and requires patience and diligence. It requires of us to exhaust every available institutional remedy so when and if we reach the point of a negative response from the powers that be, we are able to demonstrate to the citizenry that we have been reasonable and met with unreasoned response. When we have exhausted that democratic course and we must seek alternate methods in our pursuit of justice.

With the “abeyance” of the Claims Bill in the Florida legislature we have reached one of those negative responses to our call for justice. If and when we enliven the Claims Bill we will officially state our grievances, provide the proof of the wrong done to us and our kind and hold the state government responsible for our reparations while at the same time educating the voting people of the state of Florida, especially that of our class of people, of the consequences of this system of injustice levied upon us and now upon the current class.

We have now entered the first course with our class actions suit in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in and for Pinellas County, State of Florida, Civil Division. Should our case fail there we have the option to continue with appeals into the appellate courts and the federal courts. That process is fraught with years of delay; not a healthy outlook for the aging “White House Boys.” And frankly, our case is not likely to overcome the barriers of Statute of Limitations which require a court to rule that the damage done was so severe as to demand that the statute be set aside in pursuit of justice or Sovereign Immunity (King’s Law stipulating that you could not sue the King (the state) for the wrongs it has done you.”) That too requires a judgment that the harm is of such magnitude that it overrides the King’s protection; in this case its defense of its minion, Tidwell it has thrown the cloak of the king over him.
Frankly, we will never receive justice if we are unwilling to work for it. We will never receive justice if it is we who stand alone. We can only achieve justice if the people of the State of Florida rally to our cause and demand redress and reparations be ordered by the legislature and signed into law by the governor. This process is as old as the call for political and social justice and it requires conscious raising, organizing and the means to bring the voice of the people to the powers that be. What follows is a tried and true democratic method to achieve just that.

Getting here.

We have had our differences in getting here. Some were where we allowed personality issues to override principles, some of the differences were of a strategic nature and we bear the error. Much of the personal pain that effected those decisions came from the irrevocable lash marks and sexual defilement and their pain consequences and more reflected damage done us.

But it is time to let the past be the past for there is one common factor that unites us: we were the throwaway kids of the State of Florida and victims of the infamous White House and dens like it at other Florida School for Boys and Girls.

The state treated us with inhumane measures, but we have survived.
We were the children who would be under the rule of DJJ today. Thus, we are in a unique situation to be of service to those who are like us. (For the accurate Time Line of how we became “the White House Boys” and the history of our campaign)

The social origins of the children who would become known as “The White House Boys” which includes all the boys and girls confined at the Florida Schools for Boys and Girls and the later designated prisons for juveniles:

Understanding the racial and economic backgrounds of The White House Boys, all those juveniles who suffered incarceration in the Florida Schools for Boys and Girls and under the rule of the Department of Juvenile Justice, tells us that kids from our class are that last of the last. We are the last to have stable homes; the last to have the benefit of emotional support for our growing years; we are the last to have adequate funds for food, clothing, lodging, adequate health care; last to have decent a decent education; the first to be drafted; the first to be casualties of war; the last to be adequately defended in court– we were then, the last to have a decent enough background for jobs; to be able to earn our way.

We were the first to be victims of our parent’s dysfunction, many of who were previous victims of the same social system into which we were born: drug addiction, alcoholism and spousal and child abuse. These were a matter of everyday life in our homes. Out of the dysfunction we exploded into the arms of the law enforcement and the courts. Rather than support, care and treatment; rather than having the benefit of adequate legal representation before a court, or psychological this abomination of life been revealed: in the true story realized intesting and then counseling or treatment, we were ship-loaded into the state system: whether it was first orphanages, (foster care homes,) or directly into state-wide institutions, we soon became the basis of a sub-class of Floridians whose most likely final destination was more confinement, more dysfunction and then more confinement until a good part of our lives had been wasted away.

The “career path” for our peers was meaningless jobs or the military. Very few of our class would every see the “American dream” realized. At best it would be working our lives away at menial jobs, labor or low management positions; living on high interest credit until a meager Social Security would allow us to die slowly, encumbered by age and illness. That was the forecast if we were lucky enough to evade life sentences in prison or mental institutions or death row.

Only a couple of times in Florida history have  Gideon’s Trumpet (Henry Fonda television movie,) and Chattahoochee, with Gary Oldman and Dennis Hopper. Those were the only portraits of the cruel and inhumane Florida system of corrections and mental health treatment for the world to see. Or recently in the cases of Anderson who was smothered to death in a boot camp or Caldwell who was hammered to the ground and gang beaten at Dozier have we seen how this system continues its role as the grim reaper of the children of Florida’s dysfunctional poor, working and destitute classes.

The White House Boys cause is larger than the recognition of our pain and suffering; more important than an apology from the temporary
politician living in the Governor’s mansion; more significant than any reparations given us. Our cause is to bring light where there has been none and is to this day the dark shadows in which the state best operates. To reveal a social and economic system so inherently corrosive that it eats away the lives of millions of people by either jailing them or holding them in submission to the profit of the state until old age or death takes them.

The political course of action — What Must Be Done:

First each of us must prepare then send out our story to our respective websites, www.officialwhitehouseboys.com and www.theofficialwhitehouseboys.com , then to everyone you know via email, directing them to our websites. Build an E-Mail and phone tree: you will have five non-White House Boys to email and/or phone when there is significant news or an event that requires attention. Each of those five will know five more, and so on and so on.

Second, we must ask those to pass it on to everyone they know, and so on and so on.

Third, arrange for speakers for events at your church or social organization to explain who the White House Boys are and what we are about. A speaker’s committee and a information committee (to provide both print and electronic information on the White House Boys,) must be elected with volunteers to serve.

Fourth, each of us must write emails or hard mail to, and then telephone the offices of, your state elected officials telling our stories and demanding that the State of Florida take the necessary measures to “make us and our families whole” for the damage done to us and our peers.

Fifth, we must reach out to the religious institutions in our  community and ask that they join with us in pursuit of justice for ourselves and our families, and extend a watchful eye over and a call for mercy for those behind the wires of DJJ.

Sixth, because we chose this course we must exhaust the state and, where applicable the federal court remedies – while simultaneously supporting the forthcoming Claims Bill which will cause legislation to be passed giving us reparations and putting into law those reforms necessary to see that the state of Florida will “Never, Ever Again” abuse its most vulnerable children but rather, lock into place budgetary and legislative guarantees that those children placed in the State’s care receive the education, psychological and physical care that will better their lives and give them an equal opportunity to be socially successful.

Lastly, we must prepare to follow in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. who taught us that those in power only respond to more political power and that peaceful, nonviolent protest is constitutionally guaranteed and is a righteous process for letting those in power know they may be not long in power should they not join us in our just cause.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sign up for our Email Newsletter   

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WHITE HOUSE BOYS MOVIE TRAILER IS BELOW

=====================

JULY, 2011 - PICNIC AT FORT DESOTO PARK, SARASOTA, FL

PHOTO ALBUM BELOW
ALL PHOTOS ARE "CLICK TO ENLARGE"
TURN PAGES BY CLICKING ON THE NUMBERS BELOW

THERE ARE MANY NEWS ARTICLES FROM THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.  CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM ALL

Just In!  JUVENILE JUSTICE -
6 fired over teen’s death in lockup -CLICK HERE to read

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR YOU TO READ (CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THE ONE YOU WANT TO SEE - THEY TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO LOAD) :

FLORIDA SENATE CLAIMS BILL SB46 (2012)

FLORIDA DEPT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT (FDLE) INVESTIGATIVE SUMMARY REPORT ON UNMARKED GRAVES

FDLE INVESTIGATIVE SUMMARY REPORT ON ABUSE AT DOZIER

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LETTER TO FLORIDA'S GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT

FEDERAL DEPT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATION OF DOZIER - DECEMBER, 2011  (.DOC)

FEDERAL DEPT OF JUSTIC INVESTIGATION OF DOZIER - DECEMBER, 2011 (.PDF)

ROBERT STRALEY'S REBUTTAL TO THE ORIGINAL FDLE REPORT

 Lets get the claims bill (SB46) passed!  Contact our government by phone, letter and email!

CONTACT OUR SENATORS!  http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/

CONTACT YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES!  http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx

To read the entire bill, click this link:
http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?Mode=Bills&SubMenu=1&Tab=session&BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&BillNum=0044&Chamber=Senate&Year=2011&Title=-%3EBill%2520Info%3AS%25200044-%3ESession%25202011

*************
CONTACT INFO FOR OUR ATTORNEYS:

Holland & Knight LLF
100 North Tampa Street. Suite 4100, Tampa, FL 33602
 T 813 227.8500 // F 813.229.0134 
www.hklaw.com
Joseph H. Varner, lll - (813) 227.6703
joevarner@hklaw.com 

                and

Gregory J. Hoag, Esq.
Masterson Law Group, P.A.
699 First Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

727-896-3641 (phone) // 727-895-3559 (fax)
email: ghoag@mastersonlaw.com 

THERE ARE MANY NEWS ARTICLES FROM THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.  CLICK HERE TO SEE THEM ALL

Just In!  JUVENILE JUSTICE -
6 fired over teen’s death in lockup -CLICK HERE to read

IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR YOU TO READ (CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THE ONE YOU WANT TO SEE - THEY TAKE A LITTLE TIME TO LOAD) :

FLORIDA SENATE CLAIMS BILL SB46 (2012)

FLORIDA DEPT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT (FDLE) INVESTIGATIVE SUMMARY REPORT ON UNMARKED GRAVES

FDLE INVESTIGATIVE SUMMARY REPORT ON ABUSE AT DOZIER

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE LETTER TO FLORIDA'S GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT

FEDERAL DEPT OF JUSTICE INVESTIGATION OF DOZIER - DECEMBER, 2011  (.DOC)

FEDERAL DEPT OF JUSTIC INVESTIGATION OF DOZIER - DECEMBER, 2011 (.PDF)

ROBERT STRALEY'S REBUTTAL TO THE ORIGINAL FDLE REPORT

http://www.flsenate.gov/Senators/

CONTACT YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVES!  http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/representatives.aspx

http://www.flsenate.gov/session/index.cfm?Mode=Bills&SubMenu=1&Tab=session&BI_Mode=ViewBillInfo&BillNum=0044&Chamber=Senate&Year=2011&Title=-%3EBill%2520Info%3AS%25200044-%3ESession%25202011

*************
CONTACT INFO FOR OUR ATTORNEYS:

Holland & Knight LLF
100 North Tampa Street. Suite 4100, Tampa, FL 33602
 T 813 227.8500 // F 813.229.0134 

www.hklaw.com
Joseph H. Varner, lll - (813) 227.6703
joevarner@hklaw.com 

                and

Gregory J. Hoag, Esq.
Masterson Law Group, P.A.
699 First Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

727-896-3641 (phone) // 727-895-3559 (fax)
email: ghoag@mastersonlaw.com  

The Official White House Boys Organization
P. O. Box 152 · 1616-102 West Cape Coral Parkway
Cape Coral, FL 33914
Email: mailto:theofficialwhitehouseboys@gmail.com 
Website: http://www.officialwhitehouseboys.org

In this house, the State of Florida beat and scarred our bodies, wounded our souls, and dampened our spirits. But now… united…we rise up…and join together to ensure that this history is never, ever repeated!

Officers & Board Members
President Emeritus - Dick Colon / President - Jerry Cooper / Vice President - Nate Dowling / Treasurer - Peggy Marx / Secretary - Babbs Cooper 
Sergeant At Arms James M DeNyke

1 January 2012  

To All White House Boys and their Families :

First I want to thank all of you who had the confidence to vote me back in as your President for a second term .

But as you all know my primary interest is in what is best for the entire group.... In 4 -5 years we were able to do what no one else could do in 105 years.  We closed them down. That will always be the most rewarding achievement I have ever participated in in my life -- to my grave with me it will go! 

Having said that, after speaking with several members, I have made a decision to ask Jerry Cooper to step up and help me as Assistant President for various reasons. One is my health, and I'm 2000 miles away from everybody. More important than that is the fact that our effort has started moving at such a fast, even a bit complex pace, that I feel now what we need is someone on the front lines all of the time.  I have discussed this with the board and they were all 100%. 

My reasons for this choice are many. As our legal liaison, he is on top of everything, everyday, and has a great repoiree with both law firms and he also has been asked to do two interviews, with others in the works.  He lives in Florida, where access for him is much more accommodating than for me at 2000 miles away. 

Since Jerry is retired, he, like Roger Kiser, Robert Straley, and so many others, have devoted much of their time daily for our struggle.  He, like some others, is constantly researching information, converses with other members daily, and communicates with others -- especially our counsels. 

Jerry, like many others, has been at every single reunion, picnic, award ceremony, and all of our donations to both Beacon house and the Eckerd Youth Camp, as have many of you. 

He has done numerous interviews just recently, and to the best of my knowledge, is well liked by all of us WHB's and their families. As your elected president, I feel we need someone with Jerry's knowledge, flexibility and, most of all his loyalty to the WHB's, in Florida, in a position to move forward in our best interest. I am giving Jerry full rein to act on my behalf and will be in constant contact with him.  We have finally gotten the recognition we have so greatly fought for and deserve, by keeping ourselves in the face of the public, which is extremely important at this critical time. 

I want to thank every one for their faith and trust in me and their continued help and cooperation in the future as we look forward to seeing each other at the next reunion; though I don't think we'll all be whistling Dixie that soon. 

Thank you, Cordially 

President

Dick Colon

'White House Boy' claims startling find: MyFoxTAMPABAY.com

For weeks, the Christmas Committee has been hard at work gathering donations for the boys at Eckerds, and finally, with great joy, on Wednesday, we got to bring an abundance of gifts and goodies to 27 boys who reside at Eckerd Youth Alternatives outdoor residential program in Brooksville, Florida.

The day began with unloading FOUR vehicles FULL of presents, clothing, food, sports equipment and other treasures for the boys. While we were organizing the gifts, Lisa A., supervisor, called Jerry Cooper aside and asked if he would speak freely to a boy who was having trouble with authority. The boys mother was present, and told us she was at her wits end with this young man. He continued to violate the judge's orders, and had yet another appearance scheduled next week. She begged Jerry to make a difference in the young man's attitude. Jerry and the boy spoke at length, and he spoke bluntly about what it would mean for the young man to continue down the path he'd chosen. Many tears later, Lisa told us it may have been just what the boy needed.

After meeting with the staff and setting up the gifts, we met the rest of the boys for the first time in the “Chuck Wagon”, which is the cafeteria and meeting room at the camp. They filed in, a bit stand-offish, wondering who the strangers in the room were.

Next, Jerry Cooper was introduced to the boys, and as planned, he spoke to the them briefly about the horrors of the White House, and then turned his speech around 180 degrees giving them hope and encouragement for their future. He told them the military was a great “next step” for them, and how a good education is vital for their success. He talked about having goals, and how they didn't have to continue along the path they were on – the future was theirs if they changed their ways and “don't continue what you were doing before you got here”. He gave them a nice mix of advice ranging from what could happen to them if they continue their destructive behavior to all the possibilities they have if they respect authority and have goals and plans for their future and take the steps necessary to “make it happen”. The camp had invited a reporter from Hernando Today and the reporter listened intently to Jerry's chat with the boys as well. (see article at the end)

The talk wrapped up and gifts were distributed. Each boy received: 2 pairs of socks, a pack of 2 underwear (boxer briefs), a sweat shirt and sweat pants, pair of Wrangler Jeans, a jigsaw puzzle, a beanie buddie, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, Christmas Cards (one was stamped to mail to a loved one at home), a Zac Brown Hat, 10 skeins of embroidery thread and 2 packs of plastic lacing plus rings and clips for the keychains and bracelets they make from these, bag of fudge, candy and cookies, glow in the dark sticks and other glow in the dark novelties (these were a big hit, the boys used them IMMEDIATELY), and a Journal and Pen (which the boys all use).

In addition, we donated regulation size soccer goals to the camp, along with footballs, soccer balls and basketballs. We also donated lots of yarn, beads, and blank paper to the boys as well. In addition, each boy got a "gently worn" hooded sweatshirt, and we added shoes, shirts and shorts to their supply room.

Any excess presents (2 boys went home after we'd shopped) were donated to their “store” in which the boys are able to buy things with a small allowance they are given each month. The boys keep a checkbook of sorts and have to decide between their “wants” and “needs” – preparing them for budgeting their money in “real life”.

The best part of the day had to be watching the boys “ooh and aah” at the overflowing contents of their gift bags. Next, a young man in the program sheepishly came up to us and asked if we would like to join them at their lunch tables. We split up and each table was visited by a “White House Boy” and their partner and we got to know the boys and their history. Again, we encouraged them to turn from the things that put them in the program and have great goals for their life. Of note, was the relationship between the counselors and boys. It was quite obvious to us that the staff truly cares about these boys.

A tour of the camp was next, and we got to see how the boys live – they sleep in a “tent” which is a structure with a log pole at each corner, a tin roof, and a wooden surrounding that goes perhaps 3 feet off the ground. The upper part of each “wall” is open to the elements except for some netting. The boys build these structures themselves from the ground up, including finding the trees to use for the poles, and whittling them away until they are just right. It is a great exercise in math, construction and teamwork. We got to meet with the boys again, and got to know them on a more personal level. Emails and addresses were exchanged with those who asked, and these young men seemed truly appreciative that we cared about them.

In all, the day could not have gone better. Special thanks to those who made it all possible: Mike Sapp and Debbie Bergani, Roger Kiser, Robert Straley, Bill Haynes, Jerry & Babbs Cooper, Peggy Marx and Carl, Chuck & Karen Fedora, Richard Davis, Dick Colon, Ben Elder, Charlie Fudge, Roy Connerly, Bill and Judy Calgun, Richard and Nancy Barton, Howard and Lynn Post, Rev Nan, and Amy Bonano. Without your help, this day would not have been possible. You all gave generously from your heart, and I can't express how much you touched the lives of these young men!

CLICK HERE for Hernando Today Article about the event.

A Photo Gallery of the Joyous Event Follows....
All photos are "click to enlarge.  Feel free to copy, share, print, etc.  Enjoy!  There are many pages.  Use the numbers below the photos to turn pages.

REUNION 2011 PHOTOS ARE IN. CLICK HERE !