This week’s Feel Good Friday is unique in that it covers two states and several years. The power we have to impact the lives of others should never be underestimated. There are countless memes floating around about how sharing a smile or a positive word can have a lasting impact on the recipient. Do you ever wonder at how that smile or word affected the one to whom you gave it? Most of the time, we never know. That’s why this Feel Good Friday is so unique. We get to see how the efforts of two men from California – now working together at a Texas law firm – impacted a number of young lives, one in particular. This week’s Feel Good Friday is all about changing lives one play at time. Football plays that is (sorry, Shakespeare fans).
This week’s Feel Good Friday is unique in that it covers two states and several years. The power we have to impact the lives of others should never be underestimated. There are countless memes floating around about how sharing a smile or a positive word can have a lasting impact on the recipient. Do you ever wonder at how that smile or word affected the one to whom you gave it? Most of the time, we never know. That’s why this Feel Good Friday is so unique. We get to see how the efforts of two men from California – now working together at a Texas law firm – impacted a number of young lives, one in particular. This week’s Feel Good Friday is all about changing lives one play at time. Football plays that is (sorry, Shakespeare fans).
The story begins about seven years ago at Strathmore High School in Strathmore, California. It was, in the words of Dustin Fox, an attorney at Justinian and Associates, a place where kids had few options – drugs, school or a random job. Dustin and Ernie Medina, a client development specialist at Justinian and Associates, both grew up in Strathmore. One day, Jeremy Blackwell (one of Strathmore’s teachers and the head football coach) and Robert Garza (a board member and the head youth football coach) realized that there could be other choices.
Neighboring high schools had successful youth football programs and starting the kids out at an early age seemed to give them an advantage and more options. Jeremy and Robert set out to give Strathmore kids the same leg up. Ernie, Dustin and a few others (all in their early to mid-20s) became the first coaching staff the town had seen in years, volunteering to coach pee-wee and high school leagues.
Fast forward to the last months of 2016. One of the kids Ernie and Dustin used to coach, Edgar Barajas, now a high school senior, contacted Ernie and asked him to fly back to California to be honored at Edgar’s Senior Night in November. Senior Night at Strathmore takes place before the start of the last Varsity home football game. Players who are seniors stand on the field and their parents or guardians are called forward to stand with them. Each player then introduces their parents and gives a brief speech on how they helped or guided the player.
Ernie had such an impact on Edgar’s life that he was called forward and introduced with Edgar’s parents.
When I asked Ernie what he thought he did to have such an impact on Edgar’s life, he replied, “Mainly the commitment & effort I put into it and always being there when he had questions or needed help. I invested in my community & in these kids. My best memory of coaching Edgar was that he never made me jump through hoops or gave me a hard time. He is one of many who are genuine, heartfelt and committed. Edgar is a standup young man who is not afraid to tell you what he thinks or how he feels about you. He was very reliable, smart, hardworking, and my go to guy when I needed something done on the field.”
This is the kind of commitment and caring that creates lasting change. But, before we get to that change, what did Edgar have to say about Ernie?
Young Mr. Barajas answered, “What really affected me was him, from the start. He’s always been there for me in my time of need, even for the little things outside of football. Although he was my coach, I always saw him as family. It’s like those people you meet and you know that they are good folks and I saw that inside him the moment we met. Even though he moved away, I knew he was always there, though not in body but in heart. No matter how far anyone is from you, those who really mean something to you can always be near you. So when I asked Ernie to come be with me on my Senior Night I wanted him to know that he belonged there because he was there in the beginning and he sure earned the right to be there at the end.”
I don’t mind saying that Edgar’s quote truly impressed me. Honestly, this whole story impressed me and yes, it even tugged at my heartstrings a bit. After all, this is one of those moments! It’s a chance to actually see how kindness can pay off by changing another’s life. And pay off, it did. If you think Edgar’s quote is impressive, wait until you hear about his life and his future plans.
Remember how, in the beginning, there were few options for Strathmore’s youth? Well, young Mr. Barajas is about to show you that kindness, caring and good coaching (along with his own hard work, of course!) opened up a whole new world of options.
Edgar isn’t doing drugs. He’s not taking a random job, either. Edgar is headed for a four-year university. An avid trombone player, he’s been offered a music scholarship to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Other offers are pouring in and Edgar is working at making the right choice for his future plans.
So, what are Ernie’s thoughts on how things turned out? He told me that “the best thing about coaching & teaching these brutally honest young men was how they became better people for the community and hardworking individuals like Edgar Barajas. My investment has showed its great effect on these student athletes today, which has set the standard for future football players in our community.”
Is Ernie still coaching? Not at present, but he would love to at some point in the future.
What about the Strathmore program? Is it still running? Ernie said it’s still going strong with four Pop Warner teams with players from ages 7 to 12 years old. One of those teams even went to the state championships in 2016. They played very well, but missed becoming the champs due to a play in the last few seconds of the game. Still, quite an impressive accomplishment!
This is exactly the kind of story, the kind of people, we need so much today. The world is changing, but decent, caring people like Ernie and Dustin can and do make a huge difference. Just ask Edgar.
My thanks go to both Ernie Medina and Dustin Fox of Justinian and Associates and Edgar Barajas (of a very bright future!) for this story. Well done, gentlemen!
And to all our readers, I hope this inspires you to let your own kindness show. All those memes turned out to be true! How will you change someone’s life today?
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