My name is Chris, I was a troubled child, wild and crazy just like my father. Unfortunately, my parents couldn’t seem to deal with me or handle me in almost any way. Part of me felt abandoned and part of me felt they just wanted to get rid of me. Which is how I suppose all children who end up in some kind of boarding school feel. I was sent off to military school at a very young age and hated everything about it. It made me even more rebellious to their wishes. But then one day I was dropped at Sarasota community school and that was the day that life started for me. That was the day I started to learn how to be around people who wouldn’t judge me or ridicule me for my feelings that would tear me up inside every day of my life. I had finally found a place I fit in. I made amazing life long friends that I still talk to all time. I learned the steps for a man to be successful. I learned how to cook, clean, actually pay attention in class, and retain the information I was being taught. I am now 28 years old with a wife and two children. I own my house and business and live a very perfect life--and I owe every bit of it to Sarasota Community School. I would not be here today if I didn’t show up on that door step when I was 16 years old and I thank god all the time that I did. I would love to list all the amazing people who had made such an amazing impact on my life. But if I know Chuck Kanner like I know I do, all the children and parents who ever read this will get to meet every one of them.

I had the unique opportunity to experience Kanner Academy, as both a teacher and parent of one of its students. I quickly learned that Chuck Kanner's ability to engage the students, both intellectually and emotionally, made this so much more than a simple school experience. This was truly a heart-experience. Chuck has the ability to connect with students - young people who never felt connected, appreciated, or encouraged, and to allow them to figure out how to identify themselves and grow into amazing adult versions of themselves. I was not only a teacher and a parent, but I quickly became a living part of the school community, which has continued to flourish in my everyday life. The community was a family, and like family, I have stayed in touch with teachers and students from Kanner Academy and see the successful lives that Chuck helped create. My time with Kanner Academy was a wonderful academic and emotional experience. Chuck knows how to reach the most distant student and communicate a better way of living and loving.

Chuck and the school literally change lives. Many of us were not raised by people with the skills and knowledge to help us learn to be whole, honest individuals, and as an adolescent I struggled to relate with others, including my family, in a healthy way. After countless turn-ins taking responsibility for my behaviors and meetings where I faced my entire community with difficult truths, I found myself able to engage in relationships with my family based on honesty and respect.