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JAMESTOWN – Ahead of Thursday’s anti-addiction presentation by a former NBA basketball player at Jamestown High School, we sat down with the man making it possible.
Patrick Smeraldo, owner of Collaborative Children’s Solutions, is bringing Chris Herran of the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets to Jamestown to host a free community discussion entitled “The First Day”, which documents his battle with addiction.
Smeraldo explained how this discussion is important to have with children, especially as Jamestown’s battle with drugs continues.
“It is our belief that everybody in their life has that ‘aha’ moment. Maybe where they saw something or they experienced someone,” says Smeraldo.
The plan to bring Chris to Jamestown has been in the works for a few years, with help from board members and a former student of Smeraldo’s.
“So with Chris coming here to tell us his story, and to show how he has been to the heights of his career (the NBA), and then lost all of that because of his addiction, to then share that with the children and really give an up-close look of what it did to his life and his family,” he said.
Smeraldo explains that the goal of CCS is to offer kids opportunities to reach their maximum potential, and to help them through obstacles they may face.
“The hope is that kids see that and relate to that and then use all of the interventions we have in our area and in our county to then be successful,” Smeraldo continued.
The presentation is free to attend and will start at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. However, registration is required. To register, go to signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4ca8aa23a2fccf8-chris.
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