The Crossing Blog

I spent the day yesterday with Rob Staley and Becky Brown. I had to be up at 4:00 and out the door by 5:00 to meet them in Goshen by 7:00. It is always a tough decision to be gone from my building, I have a perfect attendance record, I have a great and competent staff, I am fearless, I have great kids who work when I am doing other Crossing business, but I want to be there every moment. This is my life!

We visited two school systems in Central Indiana and, I’ve got to tell you, it was a beautiful thing to watch both Rob and the audiences of administrators and other school personnel as they explore the options for kids who desperately need the extra help. I witnessed superintendents who expressed their deep desire to help meet the needs of this growing population of truly needy kids. It was so refreshing to meet people who really care and are willing to work outside the box to find working solutions for today’s special problems. It was also fun to see the expressions on their faces when Rob said things like, “give us your druggies, your gun carriers, sex addicts, and vandals as well as struggling students who need another approach to learning, we want these kids”! Needless to say there was a strong acceptance to his plea! Rob said over and over that this is a “messy” business but it yields the greatest returns in terms of investment. Not only will we be offering these students a lifestyle other than prison or chains of addiction, but they will be trained in Career directions and life choices that will result in the development of tax-paying citizens rather than entitlement mentality consumers.

Listening to Rob as he addressed the listeners and absorbing his passion for the vision of the Crossing was enriching. The fervor for this work as Rob’s passion is shared is so very contagious. Rob is definitely the source of the Crossing H1N1 virus and anyone who spends any amount of time with him is bound to become infected and a future carrier of it. All the Crossing personnel agree, we love this work! We could not walk away from it without being greatly distressed. We have been forever changed ourselves!

Now, don’t you wish you could work at the Crossing? We have the opportunity to have the greatest impact for change for the select students who come through our doors. To us, and to God, they are precious beyond measure.
Thanks Rob.
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Don Riley