Dear Friend, Most people face adversity and find little meaning. For me, adversity was my inspiration. At the age of twenty, while serving in the Navy, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I went through four rounds of chemotherapy and two operations, where I had a Mohawk for brief time and went by the name, "Chemosabay." I was cancer free for less than a year, when I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, where even with treatment, I was given six months to live. That was 1986 and I am still here. I was discharged from the Service and attended Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. As my way of giving back, I began volunteering for Lee's Friends, a cancer support organization. Even though I mostly drove cancer patients to their radiation appointments and helped with volunteer orientations, this was a turning pint in my life because I discovered I found great reward and satisfaction from helping others. In 1992, I served a two-year volunteer mission for my Church in Dallas, Texas. Upon returning, I was married and enrolled at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. When it came time to fulfil an internship, I didn't find any that appealed to my sense of community. Therefore, in 1996, I approached the American Cancer Society about sponsoring my idea, "a support group for teens and young adults with cancer." They agreed, and for the next two years, "HERO" was the most attended program in the State of Utah. In 2002, I returned to Ohio as the Program Director for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio and Kentucky. Over the next three years, I oversaw the granting of more than 1,000 wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. One of my favorite wishes was from Travis Flores, a young man who wanted to publish a book to encourage other children in the hospital. With the help of several other people, we published, "The Spider Who Never Gave Up." This wish was the Make-A-Wish Foundation's Infinite Wish Award winner for 2004. An award that recognizes the wish that is most likely to have a lasting impact on children. Following my divorce in 2004, I took an interest in fatherhood when I read that almost 10 million children each year do not see their father at all. This was appalling to me and lead to another key turning point in my life. While working for the United Way of Greater Cleveland, I was invited to become a member of the Cuyahoga County Fatherhood Initiative. Then after working with a variety of fathers, I discovered that I could explain key parenting principles to fathers when I used football analogies. Using this same philosophy, I was a break out speaker at the Fatherhood Conference and later wrote and published, "Become A Touchdown Dad: Turn You Love of Football into a Winning Parenting Style." In 2006, I relocated to Toledo, Ohio and co-founded the Northcoast Fatherhood Collaborative. This involved the communication with and coordination of more than 50 faith- and community-based organizations, government agencies, educational institutions, and hospitals that serve fathers. This lead to the opportunity to speak to a variety of groups and organizations. In 2008, using the collaborative relationships we had established throughout the community, we were one of ten organizations funded by the Ohio Commission on Fatherhood. The Northcoast Fatherhood Initiative is a community effort to empower fathers to make a difference in lives of their children. As the Director, I am to continue to focus on my love for community service and the impact that fathers have on their children. I hope you too can find your passion through community service, while helping to make a difference in the lives of your community. Sincerely, David Justus |
| Author, Motivational Speaker, Fatherhood Coach, and Community Service Authority |
| David's Book on How to Make a Difference (Northcoast University Publishing 2009) |
| David's second book was written to empower fathers using football (Northcoast University Publishing 2008) |
| We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. ~Winston Churchill |
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| David Justus is the father of nine children (two biological and seven stepchildren) |
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| "Touchdown Dad" TM |
| Empowering Fathers To Make A Difference Call 1-419-740-2717 |
| Northcoast University, 627 Pierce St, Maumee, OH 43537 (419) 740-2717 Admin@northcoastuniversity.com |
