Dr. John “Push” Gaines will visit Mathews next week to talk with students and the community about defying the odds to overcome adversity and gain success and fulfillment in life.
Gaines will address students during two schoolwide general assemblies, said Sheriff April Edwards, who arranged for the grant-funded visit. He’ll be at Mathews High School on Monday, and at Thomas Hunter Middle School on Tuesday.
But a crucial part of his visit will be to talk to adults and the community at large during a gathering at 7 p.m. Monday in the high school’s Harry M. Ward Auditorium. It’s a message that should resonate with people of all ages, said Edwards.
Gaines tells audiences about his childhood as an at-risk youth who grew up surrounded by drugs and violence. After losing his mother at a young age, he was abandoned by his father, but with encouragement from others, he nevertheless went on to excel at sports and to become an author, speaker, leadership consultant, mentorship advocate, and founde...