Former drug dealer and ex-felon instill hope and destiny in our youth by Paula Anderson
Saving youth has been the mission for a local businessman, political consultant and youth advocate for over 30 years. Stevie Moore, founder and president of Freedom from Unnecessary Negatives (F.F.U.N.), has been working to change the lives of youth who sometimes find themselves in the juvenile and correctional system. He served time in several penal institutions and decided that he wanted to use his past negative behaviors to make a difference in the community. Moore says, two things an ex-felon needs to stay out of jail, “a place to stay and food to eat - they can’t do either without a job”. His program has impacted many at-risk youth and young adults because he was able to tell them about the hard facts of a life in crime. At the Shelby County Correctional Center, he taught a class entitled, “The Daily Survival Plan”, which he wrote. The class focused on four areas: 1) relationships, 2) environment, 3) appearance, and 4) attitude. True transformation happens when you develop positive relationships, renew the mind and spirit, and a change the negative appearance. Moore points out that many young people are lacking positive male figures and this is causing them to seek love from negative sources. “Children love their mama, but they mimic their dad,” adds Moore. But he recognizes that a positive or negative male presence can have a lasting impact on a child. He shared a story about the influence on his own children and how they emulated what he was doing. “They were getting into fights and one day they took a pistol to school. When I questioned them about the pistol they said, “Dad you carry a pistol”, says Moore. In 2003, an incident hit home. Moore’s son, Prentice, was shot in an ambush-style attack after an altercation that occurred at a local night club while sitting in the car at a gas station down the street from that night club. This was a life changing moment for him. “Stop the Killing’ initiative was birthed from this tragedy. F.F.U.N. community wide initiatives help raise awareness about the adverse effects of crime and senseless killings to urban youth, young adults, families, schools and our neighborhoods. F.F.U.N. is celebrating 14 years of giving back through our annual back to school initiative. Donations from the community, city and county governments, political and spiritual leaders, and local corporations help fund this initiative. “We giveaway free school supplies and food, have informational tables and entertainment at our events. It has grown from a few people to over 2,000 in attendance”, states Mr. Moore.
Moore’s advocacy for education and youth violence was recognized in 2007 at the Jefferson Awards. He received the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting the Local Community. His tireless efforts and commitment to saving transforming lives is evident when he hears the success stories. Moore says, “One young man who completed his Daily Survival class called me after being released. It was late one night and I was about to leave my office, but he was adamant about me seeing him. He insisted that I wait for him because he wanted to show me something - he was wearing a suit. He embraced my message about “appearance.” “The desire to be wanted, accepted and encouraged can change the outcome of our children’s lives and the one thing that is lacking the most is love,” says Moore. Paula Anderson is a freelance journalist. She can be reached at writingbydesign7@gmail.com.