WEBVTT - Will the Army Act?

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, everybody, I hope you enjoyed our episode earlier this

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<v Speaker 1>week with Aaron Smith of CASA and Thomas. That episode

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<v Speaker 1>really affected me. That interview really affected me, and I

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<v Speaker 1>really haven't gotten it off my mind since we did

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<v Speaker 1>it and produced it. To summarize, Thomas was abused. He

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<v Speaker 1>was tied up by his mother with electrical chords. He

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<v Speaker 1>was one through an institutionaliziz system that really didn't serve

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<v Speaker 1>or care for him and certainly offered him no love.

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<v Speaker 1>He was adopted and in that adoption with provided him

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<v Speaker 1>hope for the first time in his life. He found

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<v Speaker 1>a brother that sexually molested him, and then in defending

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<v Speaker 1>himself by just trying to reach out for help and

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<v Speaker 1>speak up. He then gets taken out of his adoptive

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<v Speaker 1>home and put back into state institutionalized care, and weeks

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<v Speaker 1>later two orderlies that he doesn't know anything about, gives

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<v Speaker 1>him one hundred and fifty bucks and drops them off

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<v Speaker 1>on the campus at Old Miss and says, hey, good

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<v Speaker 1>luck and ride off. There's just no love there, There's

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<v Speaker 1>just no care, and the fact that this kid is

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<v Speaker 1>still trying is an amazing testament to his character and

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<v Speaker 1>his spirit. The other thing I want you to remember

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<v Speaker 1>is despite all of this, this kid made a thirty

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<v Speaker 1>five on a part of his act and got into

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<v Speaker 1>college and even had a full ride to Fisk, which

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<v Speaker 1>is in Tennessee, but he couldn't go there because he

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<v Speaker 1>was under the care of the State of Mississippi. And

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<v Speaker 1>so he went to Old miss having been told by

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<v Speaker 1>the State of Mississippi that they would cover the call

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<v Speaker 1>above and beyond his pel grants and all of that.

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<v Speaker 1>And then they informed this kid, who has been screwed

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<v Speaker 1>by basically every adult in his life, that they were

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<v Speaker 1>wrong funding what in there and you need to take

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<v Speaker 1>some loans. I just don't know what I would do

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<v Speaker 1>if I was Thomas. I just don't I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>i'd handle that. I don't know that I would want

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<v Speaker 1>to wake up in the morning. Yet this kid wakes up,

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<v Speaker 1>has two jobs, goes to class, makes his grades, and

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<v Speaker 1>through his relationship with Aaron, is finding his way to

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<v Speaker 1>be a productive adult and wants to major in psychology

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<v Speaker 1>and criminal justice to keep the very people that abused

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<v Speaker 1>him off the streets so no other child has to

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<v Speaker 1>live what he lived. What a testament to this kid.

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<v Speaker 1>But he's got a twenty thousand dollars debt he never

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<v Speaker 1>expected to have, didn't earn, could have been without had

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<v Speaker 1>he been able to go to FISK, and was tossed

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<v Speaker 1>on him at the last minute, kind of like all

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<v Speaker 1>the other stuff that's been tossed on him, and I

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<v Speaker 1>think it's wrong. He doesn't have family, he doesn't have

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<v Speaker 1>a mom or dad or grandparents to call to lean

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<v Speaker 1>on for help. He's doing more than most his age.

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<v Speaker 1>Du So Alex, our producer, had an idea, we want

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<v Speaker 1>to raise the money. This is not a handout, it's

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<v Speaker 1>not even philanthropy. It's just hopefully showing him there is

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<v Speaker 1>love and care in the world for a kid who's

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<v Speaker 1>been shown very little of it. So Alex is donating

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<v Speaker 1>a thousand dollars. Lisa and I are donating a thousand dollars,

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<v Speaker 1>So that's two thousand bucks. We're eighteen thousand dollars away

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<v Speaker 1>from paying off Thomas his debt that he incurred through

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<v Speaker 1>no decision or fault of his own. My hope is

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<v Speaker 1>that you'll join us, open up your pocket books, and

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<v Speaker 1>give a little money to help the kid out, but

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<v Speaker 1>more importantly show him that his story in his life matters.

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<v Speaker 1>So it's pretty simple. We go to KASA MS dot org.

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<v Speaker 1>That's C A S A MS dot org and click

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<v Speaker 1>on donate And when you go to donate, there's a

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<v Speaker 1>little field there and all you got to do is

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<v Speaker 1>type in Thomas. We've spoken to Aaron, she's ready to

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<v Speaker 1>receive it. One hundred percent of ever dollar that goes

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<v Speaker 1>to this will go to pay off Thomas's debt. So

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<v Speaker 1>again it's KASA, C A S A MS kasams dot org.

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<v Speaker 1>Type donate, put in some money, type in Thomas's name,

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<v Speaker 1>and let's see if we can't can't give Thomas a

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<v Speaker 1>little something that he's not expecting.