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Letter to the editor

Pain turns to passion

Matt morton endured tough blows as a kid but something turned the troubled youth around, and in a big way.

By DEMORRIS A. LEE, Times Staff Writer
Published September 4, 2007

In the slickly produced video, Matt Morton of Largo kicks back in a crisp white shirt and talks matter-of-factly about how he went from troubled kid to national youth advocate recognized by the White House.

The video is part of the "I Will Not Lose" media campaign created by Rocawear, the clothing line of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. The $450,000 campaign features 16 people - including a single mother, a youngster with Tourette's syndrome and the entertainer Ciara - explaining how determination led to triumph in their lives. Print ads are appearing in national magazines such as XXL, Vibe Vixen, Essence and Teen Vogue.

"Before Jay-Z was Jay-Z, everyone told him that it couldn't happen," Jameel Spencer, Rocawear's chief marketing officer, said from New York. "There is no such thing as can't. You work hard and it can happen. We wanted to highlight real individuals who embodied that spirit."

On video, Morton, 23, tells his story in 2 minutes, 22 seconds see the videos at iwillnotlose.org. We spoke with him recently to get the rest of the story.

BEGINNINGS: Morton, the child of divorced parents, was 5 when his mother died in the crash of a private plane in Alabama. He and his 4-year-old sister went to live with their father, Craig Morton, in Indian Rocks Beach.

"My father had a good heart, but he was an alcoholic," Morton says in the video. "He had married a woman who was a cocaine and heroin addict. So a lot of times they weren't around. Sometimes she was in jail."

In an interview, Morton was reluctant to criticize his dad, saying he loves him. But alcohol "made it hard for him to provide the fatherly duties. I don't tell my story for attention. If you expect youth to be vulnerable, you have to show vulnerability. I understand the issue of pain."

DAD'S SIDE: "I'll admit to some mistakes," said Craig Morton, 56. "On the other hand, I made quite a lot of sacrifices that he didn't understand at the time. I tried to protect him. I did the best I can and I support him all the way. I told him, 'Learn from my mistakes. Don't do what I did. You try to be better.' I couldn't be prouder of him."

ON THE RUN: Morton, who ran away a lot when he was little, continued to run as a teenager. When he was angry with his father, he'd run. When he needed to clear his head, he'd run. One time, he ran 14 miles out and 14 miles back. Seminole High School track coach Bruce Calhoun noticed.

"He was one of those kids who could literally run himself until he passed out," Calhoun said. "Some may call it nuts, but it was that special quality, a capability. I don't think I've had another kid who could do that."

Morton went on to be team captain.

A CARING TEACHER: English teacher Lynda Lippman-Lockhart also noticed the quiet boy who sat in the back of the room but had talent as a writer. In 2000, during Morton's sophomore year, she invited him to attend a youth council meeting. One of his first assignments was to get sandwiches donated for a dance. Winn-Dixie provided more than enough.

"I realized for the first time that as a youth, I could get things accomplished," Morton said.

BY TEENS, FOR TEENS: The next year, Morton and other Pinellas teens established 61 C, a teen center in Pinellas Park that is run and operated by youth. They set the budget, interviewed the staff and later raised $1.3-million from government and private sources to build four other centers in the county.

"At the time, we had no idea that we were doing anything new," Morton said. "But it turned out to be one of a kind in the country. A place where youth controlled everything."

THE ADVOCATE: His work with 61 C led to an invitation to speak at a White House youth summit. Morton went on to become vice chairman of the National Council on Youth Policy. He has spoken about youth empowerment in Colombia and Guatemala.

In Uganda, "he looked in the eyes of kids who may have shot their parents in the head with a machine gun," said Sherry Sacino, senior policy adviser for Youth Empowerment Alliance and a mentor to Morton. "He grew from that experience. He no longer stood outside of his story. He embodied it."

A GOOD CAUSE: Morton attended Stetson University on an academic, track and community service scholarship. There, he founded the Campaign for Adolescent and University Student Empowerment, or CAUSE. With a staff of seven, CAUSE mentored youth at the Spring Hill Boys and Girls Club, helping them to write grants. The kids in turn paid out more than $35,000 in small grants to other youth organizations.

In a few weeks Morton will head to Oxford to pursue a master's degree in social intervention.

THE SHIRT OFF HIS BACK: Rocawear gave Morton almost $2,500 in free clothing for being part of the campaign. If you want to know how it looks, go see the kids at the Spring Hill Boys and Girls Club, because he gave it to them.

"Every child needs one person who is absolutely crazy about them," Morton said. "I was able to find people to help me and because of their investment in me, I was able to channel my pain into a passion. I want to help other youth to find a way to do the same."

Demorris A. Lee can be reached at (727) 445-4174 or dalee@sptimes.com.

ON THE WEB

I Will Not Lose

To read about Jay-Z's campaign and see the video of Matt Morton and others, go to iwillnotlose.org.

[Last modified September 3, 2007, 20:19:20]