As you are aware we are hosting a life skills retreat at Lincoln University for foster, adoptive, kinship youth between the ages of 14-19. To kick off the weekend, we are honored to be bringing "Coach" Jim Marshall from Codys Gift as a keynote speaker on Thursday July 12th. Because we feel his message is so critical with the current opioid crisis at hand, we would like to open this opportunity up to all of our families. Please RSVP if you plan to attend. “I’m not here to talk at you. I’m not with the sheriff’s department or the police department. I’m not here to shove some DARE program down your throat. I’m just a humble man here to tell you my story.” He’s spent more than 32 years in education in Jefferson City as a coach, physical educator and social studies teacher. He’s taught over a thousand students and, looking at him, he comes across as a pretty standard coach – dressed in an athletic polo with his hair cut short and neat. But Jim has a hard-earned gift. When Jim stands in front of an auditorium of rowdy students and speaks, everyone – from the boy who can’t stay seated to the girl that won’t stop talking – listens. When he speaks, he speaks with humility, pain, intensity and truth. Because he’s telling his story, and it’s about Cody. We hope you can attend to this free presentation. Learn more about Coach Marshall and Cody's Gift at https://codysgift.org/ | 
