Entrepreneur Jay Thomas of All In One Carpet ... - Key Awareness

“Turning PosiTives
inTo PrinT”
Visit our website: www.keyawarenesspublishing.com or email us at keyawarenesspub@wmconnect.com
Entrepreneur Jay Thomas of All In One
Carpet Cleaning, LLC. A True Believer That
Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness!
Often in our entrepreneur articles we speak of
God’s desire to please the entrepreneur. That’s
because the wise entrepreneur understands that in
order to succeed, he, or she, must operate in, and
on, total faith. God loves it when we activate our
faith; after all, faith can never be faith without
believing that God will ultimately guide us through
the darkness into the light.
So the entrepreneur is simply saying through his
actions, daily: “like the sparrow’s awakening
sonnet…giving praises to his Creator, knowing that
God is his supply and supplier, so goeth the spirit
of the entrepreneur”.
With the precision of a new days dawning… the years roll swiftly by. Now it seems
as though things we remembered as happening two or three years ago… actually
took place five to seven years prior. But nevertheless, each January constitutes new
beginnings… new opportunities… new challenges; thus lies the foundation as to what
is to come within this brand new year.
And as we busily scurry from here to there, diligently, fervently and often feverishly
to meet, accept and conquer these newly set goals, let us take time to remember, that
really there is nothing created a new under the sun: Let us progress with the in-depth
understanding that a rose will always be a rose; a waterfall breathtaking; love will
always transcend all obstacles; and God will always be God in all languages. His love
will abound forever!
Let us, as we scurry through the New Year, never forget that our mission in life should
always be God’s purpose for our lives… and our purpose in life should always be
God’s mission for our lives.
As we continue our journey upon this earthly plane, I bequeath this knowledge to you
my beautiful brothers and sisters [that God is the law and consciousness of our being;
anything acquired humanly has only the substance of itself; and is bound by its own
Continues on page 4
FREE
I N S I D e aWa r e N e S S
Lil Sam's Riding in High Fashion... 2
Geri's Inspirations 3
Entrepreneur Jay Thomas (Continued from page 1) 4
Cynthia's Health News 5
Shalanda Jackson Making A Difference 8
Homeward Street Sheet 9
Drugs Uncut: A Message To Young People! 10
Volum e XV, Num be r X • JaNuary 2012
Imagine Living the Dream of
A Professional Entertainer:
The Jarmels Still Going Strong!
Imagine being able to
live out your dream of
being a professional
singer/entertainer,
performing
throughout the
country to packed
audiences, enthralled
by excellence,
performance after
performance.
Imagine being a professional singer/entertainer and having a hit record
that still opens doors everywhere you go with autograph seekers and
people wanting pictures with you some fifty years into the business.
Imagine having your very own recording studio
Continues on page 6
Have a Happy--- Blessed and prosperous new year!
limitations] (source: Joel S. Goldsmith)
So upon our earthly journey let us awaken each morning with the awareness of the
spiritual beauty of a sunrise birth; let us never forget to enjoy the bliss of an enchanted
evening; absorb, encapsulate and etch in the library of our memory the special love
and gifts God has and continues to give to us.
Know at this precise moment that our mere existence constitutes our spiritual oneness
with God… and only God.
So I beseech you, my brothers and my sisters, in assisting me upon our earthly trek, in
understanding and acting upon the knowledge that pure love covers a multitude of sin;
humility is the portal channeling spiritual growth; forgiveness is the key to personal
happiness; that music is as essential to the soul as the rhythm of breathing is to life.
As I share this awareness with you, my beautiful brothers and sisters, I also offer you
peace, wellness and happiness throughout the New Year.
Have a Happy, Prosperous and Blessed New Year! I’ve got to go… I’ve got to scurry
from here to there! May God continue to bless us all in all of our worldly endeavors.
(taken from the personal writings of R.W.E.)

Page 2 Key Awareness • January 2012
Lil Sam’s Now Riding in High Fashion Due To the Blessings of Caring Hearts!
I’m sure by now our readers are familiar with
Lil’ Sam’s precious face gracing our paper
every month. Well, here she is again in her
new wheel-chair accessible van.
What makes Lil’ Sam’s story so inspiring is,
she is living proof of what can be achieved
when the village joins the family in helping
to raise the child. Remember the adage “It
takes a village…”
Key Awareness made the commitment for
the long haul. Helping Lil’ Sam and her
supporters acquire the wheel-chair accessible
van was the first half… now we’re all
committed to making the second half of the
venture of raising enough money for Lil’
Sam’s wheel-chair accessible bedroom a
reality. With your continued support there is
no doubt that this too shall be achieved.
Lucy Memmo, Teacher for the visually
impaired for Richmond Public Schools stated,
“Along with my friend Anna Myers, we set
up the account at Wells Fargo Bank for Lil’
Sam. Today is the culmination of everything
we could have hoped for… to get the money
to purchase the van for Lil’ Sam.
Everyone who donated from a dollar up,
played an intricate part in helping to purchase
this van. We would like to give a big…
big thank you to everybody. We want you
all to know how much we appreciate your
support”.
Anna Myers, Sam’s special education
teacher commented: “We’re just so thankful
to everybody… its just unbelievable… it’s
amazing where generosity is… you just have
to ask”.
(L-r) anna myerS, Lucy memmo with
LiL Sam anD mother Dorine
LiL Sam, mother Dorine receive
chriStmaS Gift from cLub 533'S LinwooD Jeter
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Bishop Lindberg Edwards, Pastor,
New Bethel Christian Fellowship UHC
commented: “I think this is awesome. I just
want to commend everyone on their efforts.
They were really persistent in going forth
with this. They made a lot of sacrifices and
we’re just glad to be a part of Lil’ Sam,
her mother Dorine and their family’s life.
They’re great people… and you can’t be sad
around Sam”.
Sam’s mother, Dorine Dillard stated:
“Words can’t explain how I feel today; it is
just awesome… you hear about a lot of bad
stuff that goes on in the world but you rarely
hear about the good things… and this is a
good thing”.
Lil’ Sam says “Thank you everybody for
helping me get my van”.
Now do you see why I love writing about
Lil’ Sam every month… plus, like I stated
earlier… the task is not over yet. We’re
all headed into phase two of helping Lil’
Sam acquire that wheel-chair accessible
bedroom… right!
Life is one big opportunity to help some one
in need: some people miss an opportunity
of a life time… others miss a life time of
opportunities… while still… others live a
lifetime of blessings! (RWE)
Contact info: Lucy Memmo (804) 920-7731
| lucy4eye1@comcast.net Make checks
payable to Samara Dillard, Wells Fargo
Account Mail: Wells Fargo at Bon Air
9026 Forest Hill Ave | Richmond, Va. 23235
| Paypal: vanforsam@gmail.com

Key Awareness • January 2012 Page 3
Chamberlayne
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(804) 329-0420 • Fax: (804) 321-6636
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Banks, Boutiques & “The Deuce”
The Legacy Of Jackson Ward
What year was the Jackson Ward District established?
Answer: 1871
What was the name of America’s first chartered black owned bank?
Answer: Bank of the True Reformers in 1888
What year was Maggie Walker's Bank- St. Luke Penny Savings
Bank established - making her the first female bank president?
Answer: 1903
Who designed the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank at 1st and
Marshall Streets, which was completed in 1910?
Answer: Charles T. Russell, a black architect
Who established a tailoring school in Jackson Ward in 1921?
Answer: Joseph L. Loving
Who staged the 1960 sit-in at the Woolworth in Richmond, to
protest segregated lunch counters?
Answer: 20 Virginia Union University Students
Who was the first woman and first Black person to be certified
to practice medicine by the Virginia State Board medicine by the
Virginia State Board of Medicine?
Answer: Dr. Sarah Garland Jones
Which church in Jackson Ward Served as the foundation for Cedar
Street Baptist, St. John’s Pleasant Grove, Riverview Baptist, Mt
Carmel and Mt. Vernon Churches?
Answer: Ebenezer Baptist Church, organized in 1858
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Geri’s
Inspirations Everyone who got
Where he is had
to Begin Where he
was!
The millionaire that you see
on television or that lives down
the street from you did not wake up one day a
millionaire. He/she started out as a small child with
or without a dream. Somewhere down the line they
decided that their knowledge, skills and abilities
could possibly be used in a more meaningful
manner. In making that decision, they later realized
that a more meaningful manner meant a more
consistent income, which started the process of
financial security. Do you think that little boy/girl
knew they would end up becoming a millionaire?
Of course not! Most millionaires will admit that they
were surprised to learn that doing what they love
would bring them such success.
As you survey your worth, net worth, or sense of
who you are based on where you came from or
where you are heading, please know that it’s okay
to start anew from where you are right now. Maybe
you have passed a certain age and feel that life has
cheated you. It is never too late to begin again! I
am a perfect example of that. I cannot count the
number of times I have started over in work and in
love. It is not something that I highly recommend
to others. Although it has worked out to my
advantage, God knows I would prefer it if both
areas of my life were more consistent. Work and
love is simply the two areas that I chose to focus
on for this message. There are many areas of life
where it’s okay to start over again. Everyone who
got where he is had to begin where he was!
So many times we get caught up in the idea of
success for success’s sake. You are the one who
determines what success is to you. Do not allow
others to box you in by their definition of what
should and should not be happening at this stage
of your life. It does not matter if you fall down a
hundred times as long as you get up and continue
to move forward. In some cases it’s even okay to
move backwards for a minute if that gives you the
energy you need to move forward later. What may
seem like a negative to mankind can be a blessing
in disguise. Sometimes we shed tears over things
in our life that is there to grow us. In every negative
there is a potential
positive. Start
where you are
and celebrate the
outcome before
you see it.
For Insurance Call:
Michael Fisher
(804) 264-9443
State Farm Insurance Companies
Home Offices: Bloomington, Illinois

Page 4 Key Awareness • January 2012
Entrepreneur Jay Thomas (continued from front pg.)
Our young entrepreneur Jay Thomas, owner and
founder of All In 1 Carpet Cleaning LLC, is one such
blessed individual.
Jay Thomas, son of Debra Thomas and father of
daughter Breanna, hails from Brooklyn, N.Y. where he
was educated in the Brooklyn Public School System.
“From early childhood I knew I wanted to be an
entrepreneur. Whenever an adult would ask me what I
wanted to be, I never responded, a doctor, a fireman or
lawyer, like most kids did, I always said, ‘I want to be
a business man someday,” stated Jay as he continued.
“I came to Richmond at age 22 and took a 9 to 5 job
during the week while selling things out of the trunk of
my car on the weekends. I did things at flea markets,
stuff online. The good thing was when I got laid off,
I couldn’t find a job, so I started working part-time at
Labor Ready, a temp agency. I realized that I could
use Labor Ready to help sustain me financially while
I continued to develop my entrepreneurial skills. With Labor Ready you get paid by
the day and you go in as you desire, so I would work three days and take the other
three days to promote my business. So I was making money, also I was able to get
out there.
Initially I started off with a cleaning service. I landed my first contract two months
later after putting my all into it.
It kind of took off from there. The carpet cleaning portion of my business was
kind of God-sent by accident. I kept getting calls to my cleaning service for carpet
cleaning. At first I couldn’t figure it out because I wasn’t advertising carpet cleaning,
so I would always refer my carpet cleaning calls to a friend of mine. Well I was
getting 5 to 6 calls a week, so I said ‘What’s going on?’ So I tried the carpet cleaning
phase of the business but I didn’t like it, so I put it back to the side and continued
promoting my cleaning business. But the calls kept coming in, so something was
obviously calling me. I decided to practice cleaning carpets as a special for my office
contract clients to gain more experience at becoming a professional carpet cleaner.
After cleaning carpets for my clients I began to like it because I knew what I was
doing. From there I started to set my goals higher. I knew I needed a professional
carpet cleaning machine and a truck. I did my research and found out what the cost
would be for these investments. I worked day and night for a year until I was able to
purchase a nice used machine and I was able to get a truck.
From there it was all in God’s hands and I just moved up from there. I started my
business in 2007, I’ve been doing carpets professionally now since 2009.
Today All In 1 Carpet Cleaning LLC is three businesses in one. I have the offices
that I clean at night. I do residential and commercial carpet cleaning and I detail cars
also; that’s a passion of mine.
ABC ElECTRICAl
hVAC plUmBING GAS pIpING
804 869-9173
NEW
CONSTRUCTION
DECkS-ADDITIONS-
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INSURANCE ClAImS
RENOVATIONS
kITChENS-
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Because God is blessing me, I’m looking for anything
that I can get involved in to give back. If I can help, for
instance, if people had a fire or something, I would love
to use my services to help them restore their carpets. Or if
people called for my services I could donate ten dollars to
causes like Lil’ Sam or others that you help through your
Key Awareness newspaper.
If there are elderly people who can’t maintain their
environment like they used to, if they need their carpets
cleaned, I would love to just take a day to help them;
just make them smile, get their carpets done for them
regardless of what their income may be.
I’d like to develop a specialty for seniors on fixed
incomes because I don’t believe that because you don’t
have 90 dollars you shouldn’t be able to get your carpets
cleaned. I think we all deserve the same opportunities.
When your environment is clean you feel better about
your life.
I wish I could motivate half the guys out here, but I can’t. But I just want to say,
whatever it is that you truly like or love doing… go for it. Believe in yourself… no
matter what people might tell you, or what you might think… all things are possible,
and it can happen.
Don’t be afraid to be different… don’t be a copy cat… have your own style, because
that’s what’s going to make you unique. People will try to make you think that
there’s something wrong with being different, but that’s what will set you apart from
the crowd.
Whatever you set your goals to do… keep
researching, keep learning in that field… get
books,,, speak to successful people in that
field… just try it… don’t be afraid to make
mistakes… don’t be afraid to ask people for
their help… get their opinion, whether it’s
good or bad, you can still learn from that. Put
it all together… be you… and go on out there
and do your thing”.
Within you right now is the power to do
things you never dreamed possible. This
power becomes available to you just as soon
as you can change your beliefs. [Source: Dr.
Maxwell Maltz]
To speak with Jay, you may call him at
(804) 402- 6806
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Looking for licensed Barbers and cosmetologists
Booth Rental Rates:
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Any questions or interview –Call Carlton Crossin
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Key Awareness • January 2012 Page 5
Cynthia's Health News

Page 6 Key Awareness • January 2012
Jarmels (continued from front pg.)
allowing total accessibility to
express creative flow at your
utmost desire.
Imagine sharing the spotlight
with some of the most talented
performers ever to grace the
entertainment stage. Artist like
Gladys Night and the Pips/Gene
Chandler/ Ben E. King/ Brook
Benton/ Stevie Wonder/ Jerry
Butler/ The Isley Brothers/ The
Platters/ Tammi Terrell/ Curtis
Mayfield/The Drifters/ The Ink
Spots/ The Miracles, etc. etc. etc.
Imagine having your music listened
to and sampled by artist like Jay-Z/
Lil Wayne and other acts of that
genre.
Well, Ray Smith, Tyrone “Lil
Tommy” Thomas, Ray “Baby Ray”
Moyer and Alton “Big Al” Watkins,
AKA, The Jarmels don’t have to
use their imaginations for any of
the aforementioned… They are
being blessed to live this dream that most of us can only imagine.
Recently, I had the privilege to talk with Ray Smith and Tyrone Thomas here in
Richmond as they prepared for their upcoming show with Lil Anthony and the
Imperials at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut on January 15th, Freedom
Classic Weekend.
“The Jarmels was reassembled four years ago. My only regret is that we did not do
it sooner”, commented Ray Smith, only surviving original member that featured
Paul Burnette, Tom Eldridge, Earl Christian and Nathaniel Ruff.
Tyrone Thomas said, “The response we receive from our audiences throughout is
really an indescribable feeling; it’s like receiving the Holy Spirit or something…
it’s crazy that they are actually feeling us like this. It’s just amazing that there are
people still feeling what we do today”,
Speaking of feeling The Jarmels music today is a perfect lead in to announce The
Jarmels CD: a compilation of ten beautifully arranged, well written, well produced
love songs. After listening to this CD I truly believe that a warning label should
be placed on the front stating: Warning, listening to this music could cause instant
JarmeLS receive richmonD recoGnition awarD from 7th DiStrict
city counciL member cynthia newbiLLe at city haLL
love repercussions; may be habit
forming resulting in extensive eargasms.
Please check with your love
doctor before reviewing. Definitely
not for the faint of heart.
“We have couples in the audience
today that were dating back then
when we first started singing those
songs… today it brings back a lot
of memories for them”, stated Ray
Smith. “And on the flip side… our
new CD has a nice, fresh sound
that’s capable of hooking today’s
generation of music lovers once
they have the opportunity to listen
to our music”, commented Tyrone
Thomas.
The Jarmels have been touring
the country performing to packed
audiences at venues such as The
North Shore Music Theatre in
Beverly, Mass. The Benedum
Theatre in Pittsburg, Penn. The Fox
Wood Casino in Connecticut and
recently did back to back weekends in New York.
Their upcoming show in Mohegan Sun Arena, Conn. With Lil’ Anthony and the
Imperials is reportedly a sold out 10,000 seat capacity.
Once back home and rested The Jarmels will begin preparing for the annual spring
concert for their Richmond fans before dashing down to Plant City, Florida for
another engagement.
Like I said earlier: Just imagine being able to live the life of a professional singer/
entertainer…what a blessing to be able to share God’s gifts with the world!
Ways to acquire The Jarmels New CD:
Plan 9 Music / Ray Smith at (804) 356-2819 /
Tyrone Thomas (804) 525-6724
Barky’s Spiritual Store / Robert Evans (804) 788-
6872
Wallers Jewelers
Key Awareness Publishing
For Insurance Call:
Michael Fisher
(804) 264-9443
State Farm Insurance Companies
Home Offices: Bloomington, Illinois
JarmeLS poSe with 70th DiStrict houSe of DeLeGate member
rev. DeLoriS mcQuinn at cD reLeaSe party

Key Awareness • January 2012 Page 7
Main Street
Medical Center
2025 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23223
T. (804) 591-2890 • F. (804)591-2895
A Healthcare Home Your Family Can Count On.
Northside
Medical Center
2809 North Ave. Suite 206
Richmond, VA 23222
T. (804) 525-1800 • F. (804) 525-1811
Vernon J. Harris
Medical Center
719 N. 25th Street
Richmond, VA 23223
T. (804) 780-0840 • F. (804) 780-0862
When choosing a healthcare provider, consider their dedication to improving the
health status within your community. Consider the commitment to accessibility,
and culturally responsiveness to healthcare services. Consider the span of on-site
services provided to meet your healthcare needs.
CAHN has, and we are proud to serve the families of our communities. We
provide healthcare services to insured, uninsured, Medicaid and Medicare
patients, with dignity and respect. We also offer patient education, specialty
referrals, and social services support. Consider CAHN, a healthcare home your
family can count on.
Glenwood
Medical Center
2709 Byron Street
Richmond, VA 23223
T. (804) 525-1818 • F. (804) 525-1820
Southside
Medical Center
101 Cowardin Avenue Suite 102
Richmond, VA 23224
T. (804) 420-1300 • F. (804) 420-1290

Page 8 Key Awareness • January 2012
Shalanda Jackson Making A Difference In The Community!
In my travels, often I’m
approached by people, young
and old, seeking to understand
their purpose of ministry. The
question often asked is, “How
will I know if what I’m doing
is God’s ministry for my life”?
My reply is simple and to the
point. All God-given ministries
are built on God’s greatest two
commandments:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy
mind. 2. Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself. On these
two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”. [Matthew 22: 37-40]
At the end of the day if you have labored to serve God and have been a blessing
to your fellow man, then you are operating on the premise in which all God-given
ministries are based upon. Many are blessed when we use our God-given talents to
assist the needs of others. Such is the ministry of Shalanda Y. Jackson, founder and
president of Hand Up Not a Handout, Inc.
Hand Up Not a Handout, Inc is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non-profit organization that works
with juvenile non-violent ex-offenders ages 13- 17. Hand Up Not a Handout’s
overall mission is to bridge the gap
between ex-offenders and the community, restoring individual lives and families.
Hand Up Not a Handout seeks to assists our youth with developing self-sufficiency,
life skills, educational/ vocational training. Furthermore, Hand Up Not a Handout
will assist our youth with developing a positive self-image and clarify their values
on which to build successful lives.
Hand Up Not a Handout’s Walking Into Adulthood program is a 6 to 12 month
client-centered program that provides our youth with a life coach that will
collaborate with our clients and their caretaker to construct an individualized service
plan (ISP). This ISP will include measurable goals that will help our youth decrease
their chances with returning to jail. Our first phase will consist of educating our
youth on the importance of life skills and building healthy relationships. The second
phase will consist of providing our youth with on the job training experience while
going through our Hand Up Not a Handout’s Community Outreach Program. This
phase will allow our youth to earn incentives to pay off their fines. We believe this
will teach our youth to take responsibility for their actions.
What inspired me to start Hand Up Not A Handout, Inc. was through my volunteer
work I did earlier in my career with the Carver Community’s Tomorrow’s Promise
program at Carver Elementary School, and later with the Big Brother, Big Sister
program. Afterwards, I did my first internship at Boaz & Ruth working with the
ex-offenders program.
During their graduation ceremony the speaker stated that we all have something
inside that’s capable of helping others. Having acquired my Master of Social
Work degree and also having lived in an environment of substance abuse and
incarceration, it propelled me to want to help ex-offenders because I believe that’s
the least population receiving help, because there is always a stigma attached to
their lives. I believe everybody deserves another chance in life.
Hand Up Not A
Hand Out, Inc.
We Believe in Second Chances!!
Shalanda Jackson, CEO
804-665-3147 or 804-303-3739
handupnothandout@yahoo.com
Bridging The Gap Between
Ex-Offenders’s and the
Community!
So many individuals have a desire to
turn their life around
and have no one to help them do it.
Here at Hand Up Not A Handout,
we believe in second chances.

Key Awareness • January 2012 Page 9

Page 10 Key Awareness • January 2012
DRUGS UNCUT: A Message for the Young People
You know, our Drugs Uncut article is probably our most popular article in the
Key Awareness newspaper. That’s great because that means the more people
reading it, the greater the possibility of those in need receiving the help that they
need.
By press time this month we had not received our potential candidate for this
month’s article and I didn’t want to do a reprint of a previous Drugs Uncut,
so I thought I’d take this opportunity to talk to our young people about the
entrapments and dangers of substance abuse, like a deadly snake lurking in the
darkness of any and every opportunity to strike and poison the purity of your
life’s flow with it’s deadly venom.
Young people listen, “The devil is dope, he’s out of control. The devil is dope,
he’s out to get your soul. Satan is his name, from hell he came, some call him
Lucifer. But he hides his horns in many different forms, but still he’s Lucifer.
The devil is dope, he’s out of control, the devil is dope, he’s out to get your
soul. Young people listen, “While you’re getting high, Lucifer is pulling you down
lower. He’ll make you a slave, and put you in your grave and close the door.
You’ll be in hell, my young brothers and sisters, you’d better beware. That’s no
joke because the devil is dope.”
When I think back over the years, I remember my first time imbibing alcohol.
An older cousin gave me some beer. I remember drinking it for the first time and
how it shocked my body. I was about fourteen and prior to that the strongest drink
I’d had was an R.C. cola (Royal Crown). Now that was a strong soft drink back in
the day. Needles to say I went on into alcohol abuse and marijuana abuse before
crashing into reality.
Speaking of back in the day, for those of you who are already doing some form
of mind alterations through chemical substances, take a moment and reflect back
to the period in your lives before you started getting high. Are you there yet?
If so, remember how innocent life use to be before you chased your innocence
away trying to be grown. Remember how free your spirit was and how natural
fun was. Remember how healthy you use to feel. You could run and jump all day,
effortlessly. But now you can barely do those naturally fun things any more, and
your spirit tells you that it’s okay, that you’re older now and you don’t need to be
doing those childish things anyway.
Now you’ve entered the grown-up world, so it’s ok to feel bad from hang overs,
it’s ok to be out of breath from drinking and smoking. It’s ok to have serious
arguments over nothing, simply because you were high.
Listen, I’m older now, so my reflections goes back rather far with instances
and bad experiences stemming from substance usage. For instance, I’ve lost a
lot of friends, family members, and getting high acquaintances who have died
from organ failure, such as sclerosis of the liver, kidney failure, heart attacks, lung
cancer, etc. due to alcohol, chemical usage and smoke inhalation abuse. Not to
mention those who loss their lives while twirling and dealing in the streets.
And you don’t’ even want me to talk about the ones whose minds are loss
because their brains are permanently saturated with drug overload. You know,
the ones you see pushing a shopping cart loaded with whatever, and there’s not a
store in sight for miles, dressed in two coats, three pairs of pants and a skull cap
in the middle of July.
“There goes Jim, I use to know him, but Jim’s no longer the Jim I use to know.
Jim, what’s wrong with him? He sold his soul to the devil, Jim and the devil made
a bargain. The devil gave Jim money, with money Jim bought big highs, first it cost
a nickel, now it’s a hundred dollars a day, the devil ran out of money, now Jim
has got to pay.
Jim, what’s wrong with him? Jim is strung out, Jim is uptight, Jim is even
finding it harder to sleep at night. He’s roaming through the town with a monkey
on his back, looking for a place to make some brand new tracks. I remember when
Jim use to be a star, but now he’s walking through the town with his head in a jar.
There goes basket pushing Jim, I use to know him.”
Terrible thing, terrible thing. Guess what? Every person I know who’s ever been
strung out on drugs and is still alive, all said the same thing; it’ll never happen
to me, I’ll never get strung out, those people are just weak minded, but not me.
Young people listen, there’s not a human being in the world who started
doing drugs with the intention of becoming addicted. Every Junkie believed in
the beginning that it couldn’t happen to them, every Junkie believed that. and
let me share something else with you, and that is, you’ll only get high the first
time. The rest of your drug involvement you will spend trying to recapture that
first experience, you never will. The first time you indulged, one beer and you
were feeling it. Then it took two beers, then a six pack, and a pint of liquor.
Then it took a six pack, a pint of liquor and a bag of weed. Like I said, you
can snort half of the coke in Peru and you’ll still not be satisfied. Where did
that original high go?, that first beer. It’s gone forever, but you’re still chasing
the illusion of that first high. Now you’re not going to stop until crack cracks
you. By then, look at all the money you’ve lost. Look at all the people you’ve
hurt, you’re now flirting with the mother of insanity, contemplating suicide as a
way out. Where’s that first beer. It’s gone forever. “Beware of the Man with the
candy in his hand.”
“Beware of the man with the candy in his hand, his bright colored pills are
poisonous. Warm is his smile, but his heart is cold, he’ll sell you dope for he
loves only gold.
He’ll turn you on, he’ll freak you out, he’ll get you hooked and turn your mind
inside out.
Beware of the man with the candy in his hand.
Beware of the man with the candy in his hand, he’s hiding somewhere in your
neighborhood. He thrives on the lives of your innocent youth, dealing in gold but
denying in truth. Howling and scheming and begging you to try. He’ll get you
hooked and then he’ll watch you slowly die, so beware of the man with the candy
in his hand.”
Where is that innocent first beer? Oh, I know where it is, it’s gone forever, along
with your youthful innocence and your free spirit. Gone forever.
Lyrics to poems in this article were written by a very gifted song writer, Tony
Hester (now deceased)
HELPFuL SERVICES
Richmond Behavioral Health Auth. - 107 S. 5th St. • 819-4000
Alcoholics Anonymous - 210 N. Madison Street • 644-2095
Good Samaritan Inn - 2307 Hull Street Road • 231-9995
CARITAS - 1925 Grove Avenue • 358-0964
Metro Rich. Coalition Against Drugs - 713 N. 1st St. • 344-4357
Fan Free Clinic - 1010 N. Thompson St. • 358-6343
Addiction Recovery Ministry (ARM) - VM: 750-7088 • ECOC 222-2612 x1
Second Chance Supportive Services (804) 308-1714
Brothers Keepers Ministry (804) 230-4918
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMNT
The Armstrong High School Class of 1962 is meeting to plan a reunion in
June 2012. The meetings will be held at Piccadilly’s restaurant, 8004 West
Broad St. on January 21, 2012 at 12:00 noon. The planning group will meet
every third Saturday of the month. All members are asked to attend.
Thank you!
Faye Chlorice - Member of the AHSC1962

Key Awareness • January 2012 Page 11
Shelton’s Beauty Lounge
2100 N. 20th St.
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Thank you to all of my customers for your patronage!
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FAX: (804) 649 8757
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P.O. Box 8027
Richmond, Virginia 23223
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ask for Keia Evans
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Contact:
Key aWare Ne SS
Robert Evans
(804) 788-6872 - Fax: (804) 788-0433
3005 Oxnard Road • Richmond, VA 23223
www.keyawarenesspublishing.com
Copyright 2011. The entire contents of the Key Awareness
Newspaper is copyrighted. Any use or reproduction, in part or
in whole is forbidden without expressed written permission of
the publisher.
Design and Layout: www.visualappealstudio.com
9405 Telegraph Run Lane
Glen Allen, VA 23060
“Turning PosiTives inTo
PrinT”

Page 12 Key Awareness • January 2012
Hair By Fariyd Muhammad
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LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR STATE FARM IS THERE ®
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