SPEAKER TO DISCUSS DRUGS, VIOLENCE

Ex-Gang Member To Speak To High School Students

Gangs, drugs, violence and crime in Manhattan?

Many residents may scoff at the thought of violence in Manhattan, but area
officials said residents need to take precautions.

"I think there is more of a problem in Manhattan than we want to
recognize," said Starla Bocanegra, coordinator of Youth As Resources with
the Regional Prevention Center in Manhattan.

The Manhattan Area Risk Prevention Coalition also recognizes the problem
and is sponsoring a motivational speech at 8 p.m. Thursday in the Manhattan
High School East Campus auditorium.

The speaker is Alex Correa, a nationally known motivational speaker.

"He is the best speaker I have ever heard. He spoke to an audience of 500
adults and there weren't many not crying," Bocanegra said. "His message
hits home, and it affects us all personally."

Correa uses his speech time to tell his personal story of drug addiction,
violence and homelessness as well as his battle to get his life together again.

Matt Roots, Manhattan High School drug and alcohol prevention coordinator,
said he especially wants high school students to get positive messages from
Correa's speech.

"I would like the students to attend because sometimes youth get a negative
picture painted of them in society, and here is an opportunity to see an
individual who had a rough life and chose to make it positive," Roots said.

Bocanegra said she hopes community members will pull messages from Correa's
speech as well.

"Hearing from a person with first-hand experience lets us know that it does
happen to our youth all around us. It's right here," she said.

Roots said that by the age of 14, Correa was a homeless gang member in
Chicago whose life involved drugs, violence and crime. Correa managed to
turn his life around after stints in juvenile detention and prison and now
owns a business and travels around the country giving motivational
speeches, he said.

"This hits home that there is a problem and now we can do something about
it," Bocanegra said.

The speech is funded by the City of Manhattan from special alcohol funds
and is free to the public.

"This speaks to the community and is for everybody," Bocanegra said. "It
speaks to the youth and to the average person to show how they can make a
huge difference in someone's life."