Sean Mulroney, President My name is Sean Mulroney, president and founder of Teens Of America. As a teenager I was addicted to drugs and alcohol. I was first exposed to them at the age of six and by the time I was 13 years old I was involved heavily in both drugs and alcohol. I know first hand the dangers teenagers face on a daily basis. Many of my friends died young from drinking and driving, drug overdoses and suicide. It took many years and the help of trusted adults for me to overcome these addictions.
Since my years as a teenager the dangers and temptations a young person faces each day has increased. It is because of my experiences that I want to help teenagers to avoid the pitfalls of drugs and alcohol. Also, for those that have already gone down that road I want to reach out to them and help out of the pit of destruction. My desire to help young people led me to form Teens Of America, a drug, alcohol and crime prevention program.
Since launching TOA we have seen many young people make decisions to stand against negative decisions. I have spoken to over 50,000 students and receive emails daily from teenagers and parents asking for help or telling me that our assemblies have changed their lives. Though many young people have been reached there are thousands upon thousands more that need to know the hard truth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
I cannot reach them alone. It must be a community effort and we need your help. Parents, teachers, principals and local citizens need to band together to reach the young people in your community. Won’t you partner with us and reach the teenagers in your own backyard?
Jason Gibbons, Maine Director
For 6 years, Jason Gibbons, aka “White Shadow” has been entertaining crowds all over the country with his unique style of showtime basketball as part of the Harlem Superstars comedy basketball team. He’s performed with Disney, Nike, Fox Sports, Brand Jordan and Nba Entertainment at the 2008 and 2009 Nba All Star Weekend.
His message of hope for young people of all ages has made him much in demand in schools all over the country, using his unique blend of basketball tricks, trick shots and crowd interaction to set the table for the message that he brings.
He inspires and encourages young people to believe in their dreams and goals, avoid negative peer pressure and the pitfalls of making poor choices. “Now a days there are so many negative influences just bombarding our kids from every direction…the Internet, tv, Hollywood, the music that they listen to etc. My hope is to try to be a voice that can be a positive influence in their lives. I’ve seen how Showtime basketball can be an amazingly powerful tool to set the table for the message that I bring and if I can do that, I feel like I’m doing my part.” ~ Jason Gibbons
John Treager, National Sales Director
I was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and moved to Big Lake at the age of 5. I am the oldest of three children. My father was a very industrious man and started his sons out at an early age teaching them financial responsibility and values that later would make them and their sister responsible citizen’s and well equipped to take their place in society.
Like many adolescents, I experimented with and acquired a taste for alcohol at an early age. I started drinking at the age of nine when I got into my dad’s liquor supply. This early drinking didn’t last long as my father stopped drinking - drying up my supply.
At the age of 16 I went on the road selling magazines door to door. I did this for three years. In 1963 I joined the Marine Corps and spent the next 4 years there. Eight months of that time was spent in South Viet Nam as a Machine Gunner in the I Mike Company of the 4th Marine Brigade.
I continued my drinking where it started to put me on a path to self-destruction. I saw where this path was leading me, and I quit drinking and the many bad habits that came with it, turning my life around. I began a career in the shoe business starting out in the stock room, and I soon worked my way up to Director of Retail Operations. The company was sold and I Moved to St. Louis to become director of Warehouse operations for another shoe company.
I was in charge of 40 of the most difficult people I have ever had to supervise. Most worked at the warehouse during the day and returned to a halfway house at night. Needless to say my experience in Viet Nam got me through this assignment. Just as I got this situation straightened out and the major drug ring broken, the company closed their doors and went out of business.
The last 13 years I have spent working with law enforcement to supply them with material to use in their community awareness programs. These programs are implemented in our schools and cover a wide array of subjects including, but not limited to: Drug Abuse, Violence, Bullying, Stranger Danger, and many other Child Safety Issues. I have worked in 27 states with many county Sheriff Departments as well as many municipal Police Departments.
Now I have a golden opportunity to work with this outstanding program and make a difference in the life of our young people, which are the future of our country. The more time we spend now showing them we care and listening to them when they share their concerns, the better our tomorrows will be.
