Toys wear out, gift of education lasts a lifetime

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Updated: January 19, 2012 10:58AM

If you have the Christmas Spirit and want to gift a stranger, here’s something to consider:

Give a needy child an opportunity.

I’m not simply talking about donating toys to impoverished children, although that is one way to ensure that children living in poverty get to believe in Santa, too.

But if you want to do something different this year, please consider partnering with me to send a very talented young man to Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Last week I received a heart-wrenching letter from Debra Pickett about the plight of her 18-year-old son, Byron.

Byron graduated from Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing in May and was supposed to attend Berklee College of Music last fall.

But despite receiving $30,000 in scholarships, grants and other financial aid, Byron needed an additional $14,000 before he could enroll.

“It pains me to know that our efforts have not yielded the $14,000 needed to send him toward his dream,” the mother said in a letter dated Dec. 12.

“I was unable to pay, along with the costs of actually getting him to the school,” she said. “We did have a trunk party. People donated money. But it was not enough to cover the $500 in fees.”

So Byron postponed his enrollment until the spring semester in January 2012.

In the meantime, the divorced mother lost her job and has been unable to find work. She claims that she gets very little financial support from her ex-husband. The couple had three other sons: Nicholas, 17; Justin, 15; and Caleb, 14.

“Losing my job caused us to lose our apartment and we ended up homeless,” she said. “It’s been rough, but I’ve tried to do this myself and I can’t. I need help.”

Despite the turmoil, her sons are moving in a positive direction.

With the help of his brothers and a couple of school friends, Byron put together a band that performs at local events.

Dwayne Bryant, a well-known motivational speaker who has presented mentoring programs in Chicago area public schools, came into contact with the family when Byron was in fourth or fifth grade.

“This is a black male with a good GPA and he is very talented,” Bryant told me. “I would say these boys deserve the help so they can go on and make something of themselves. They have values. They have goals. They are not running in gangs.”

Last weekend, Bryant was in the audience when Byron’s band, known as “Phenomenon” performed at the celebrated “Little Black Pearl,” on the South Side.

“They are extraordinarily talented and smart,” Bryant said. “These are the kind of young men that if provided an opportunity, you are guaranteed to get a return on your investment.”

Obviously, this is not your problem.

But this is what the Christmas Spirit is about. Spreading joy.

And there is no greater joy than giving a determined young person a chance to change his or her destiny.

Too often, we tell our children to do their best in school, to stay out of trouble, to put their trust in the Lord, and when they depend upon us adults to do our part, we let them down.

Still, whatever faults we may find with Byron’s parents, this young man has great potential.

I want to help Byron pursue his dreams because I’ve seen too many single mothers break down and cry when they realize they will have to let their sons and daughters down.

I’ve heard too many of these women curse the fathers who had moved on to other relationships, seeming not to care about the future of the sons they left behind.

We may not be able to help every deserving youngster caught up in these circumstances, but we can at least help one.

If you are willing to give, please make your check payable to Berklee College of Music and send it to me at the Chicago Sun-Times, 350 N. Orleans, Chicago, IL 60654.

Toys and electronics wear out. But the gift of an advanced education will last a lifetime.