Richard Santana
Homeboy Goes To Harvard
mrchocolate@earthlink.net

Dear Richard:

Although it has been several months since you were the keynote speaker at The Ark Gala held Thursday, September 23 2010 at the Ortiz Center, 402 Harbor Drive, in Corpus Christi, the memory of your presentation is still quite vivid. You were very effective in capturing everyone's attention and holding it until the conclusion. Most importantly, your words touched people's hearts.

You have my deepest appreciation for having served in that capacity and for contributing to the success of The Ark Assessment Center and Emergency Shelter for Youth's gala in such a big way.

The agency was truly blessed to have had your support. May the Lord bless you mightily throughout 2011.

Sincerely,

Delma Trejo
Executive Director/Administrator

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA)
1910 Association Drive
Reston, Virginia 20191-1548

Dear Richard:

I hope you've had a chance to recover now that the marathon weekends of the 2004 FCCLA National Cluster Meetings are over. It is quite a schedule! I know the weekends of our meetings were hectic for you. Hopefully you were able to get a little rest during the recent holiday season.

On behalf of over 11,000 students and adults from across the country attending the meetings, the national staff, national officers, and especially myself, I would like to thank you for doing such a great job as our extraordinary youth session speaker. Your talk was wonderful, especially your unique energy. The youth at the cluster meetings were greatly inspired by your message and your presentation. It was a great way to get our delegates energized for the other sessions and trainings. You relate so well to our members, as was shown by the standing ovation you received following your presentation. You can take great pride in your commitment and dedication to making a difference in the lives of students across the country.

Thanks for being a part of the success of our 2004 National Cluster Meetings in Omaha, NE and Salt Lake City, UT. Best wishes to you for a safe and happy new year.

Warm Regards,

Emily A. Phillips
Program Coordinator

Frank Keating
Governor of Oklahoma

Mr. Richard Santana
C/o Oklahoma Sale Schools Summit

Dear Mr. Santana,

I want to express my personal appreciation for your outstanding presentation at our recent Safe Schools Summit. The parents, teachers, community leaders and students who were on hand were inspired by your account of your personal journey from life in a street gang to Harvard and beyond, and I know I speak for all or them when I express our thanks for your most inspiring message.

Oklahoma created an annual Safe Schools Summit to help prevent school violence; your presentation was a dramatic reminder of that mission, and I know the participants returned to their home schools and communities eager to put your message to work. Thank you for being part of this most important event.

Sincerely,

Frank Keating

Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Office
Educationl Services Center
570 Airport Way
Camarillo, CA 93010

Dear Richard:

On behalf of the Region 8 Healthy Start Regional Lead office and the participants at our Healthy Start Conference, a hearty thank you for an outstanding keynote presentation January 30th. Those who were not able to join "thank you in-person line" gave me comments throughout the day about how much they enjoyed and appreciated your message. You, indeed set the tone for the remainder of our Conference. The activity immediately following your presentation was geared toward table talk about relating your message to their own experiences and to writing at least one thing they planned to do as a result of accepting your challenge.

On a more personal note, I appreciated the opportunity to talk with you on our drive from the airport (hope I didn't make an "elder" story for you to tell!!). Thank you for willingness to be away from your precious family in order to share yourself with others.

Enclosed please find a certificate to remind you of our Healthy Start Conference and to know that you are admired.

Sincerely,

Judy Seyle, Director
Health Programs