09/18/2026
Last night, I had the honor of sharing my success story at The Salvation Army Wilkes-Barre's Annual Community Dinner, honoring Anthony "Tony" Brooks for his extraordinary decades of service to the Wyoming Valley.
I told the room that titles like founder and CEO only tell you what I do, not why. So I shared the why: growing up as one of nine children in a home touched by addiction, entering foster care at six years old, and the years that followed where I lost time and direction. I talked about my father, who turned his own life around to become a counselor helping others get clean, and the words of his that carried me forward, "God bless a child that's got his own."
I shared how becoming a father shaped everything that came after, including raising my daughter, who has Down syndrome, with every ounce of effort I have. I talked about the moves from Trenton to Scranton to Wilkes-Barre, and about once walking into The Salvation Army looking for shelter for the two of us, only to be told they didn't house fathers with children. They listened, and reconsidered. Last night, in that same room, that story came full circle.
I also honored my son Nehemiah, who passed away at three months old, and spoke about the family I'm building with my two other sons and my daughter, the reason behind everything I do.
That "why" became Kings Raising Queens: what started as hats and shirts made for my daughter grew into a mission, a community, and a legacy.
Thank you to Denise Acosta for the presentation, to Tony Brooks - Wilkes-Barre City Councilman for the honor of sharing that stage, to The Salvation Army for being exactly where I once stood, and to everyone who came out to support Kirby Family House. A person's worst chapter is never their last one.
