Carmine Azzato "Blast", 2 time World Heavyweight Champion wrestler, spoke to our JH/HS students this week. Carmine is part of the SportsWorld Network of speakers who encourage positive choices. The assembly was sponsored by SBLHC Healthy Communities partnership.
Carmine spoke about relevant issues facing teens: respectful relationships, peer acceptance, personal value, academic excellence, and consequences of choices.
Carmine told his personal story of becoming a wrestler where he noted that "You are not born a winner; you are not born a loser; you are born a 'chooser'".
Carmine let the students know that if they are really struggling with something they can text the word CHOICE to 494949. Seven days a week 24 hours a day they will get a text back from the team at SportsWorld. That communication is designed to understand the individuals situation by maintaining a level of communication that leads to directing that person to get the help they need in their respective community.
It is a 24/7 web and text based chat center that can be reached by texting the number 494949 within the United States.
We thank Carmine for his inspirational words!