SideKicks: Helping Youth Succeed against the Odds

Not one to back away from a challenge, veteran educator Reed Thomas accepted an almost impossible task: figure out how to rally a group of unmotivated, struggling students and transform them into kids who are involved, interested in school, and—maybe most difficult of all—so confident in themselves that they would leave, diploma in hand, and make a success of their lives. And that's exactly what happened.

Some called it a miracle, as one student after another triumphed over insurmountable odds, and Reed was hailed for his unflinching faith in them, though in his own eyes, the students were the heroes.

His true story teaches principles and solutions anyone can apply in every walk of life. You'll laugh, feel inspired, and even shed a tear or two as you cheer for the students who turned their lives around. You'll come to honor the man who encouraged them, and you'll feel empowered to make your own difference in the world.