His plan is simple. Never give up. Make the creative arts experience the norm for all, not the exception. Which is sadly not the direction of our eroding educational system at present. His enthusiasm is impossible to ignore and his message resonates with simple truths: Inspire, believe and lead. Allow artistic expression to create hope from the ruins of deprivation.

One, as it turns out, can make a difference.

Thanks for posting this heartwarming story. In the future of our country’s educational reforms, Strickland’s dreams should be the mortar on which every stone is set.