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On Wednesday, Sept. 23, motivational speaker and comedian David Edward Garcia brought a message of hope to local students through the generosity of the Drew North Foundation.
Once an at-risk student, Garcia defied the odds, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees and becoming fluent in five languages. He has brought his message of reframing your story and embracing your unique talents to audiences in 19 countries.
“Who we are doesn’t necessarily dictate what we can and cannot do,” Garcia told the gathering of high school students in the W.F. West High School gymnasium. “Every one of you has a super power and every one of you is a genius.”
Garcia’s visit was funded by the Drew North Foundation and the Douglass family. Steve and Jennie Douglass and their family founded the Drew North Foundation in memory of their son Drew Douglass. Their mission is simply to spark more conversations about mental health awareness among young people.
This is the third year the Drew North Foundation has brought an inspirational speaker to W.F. West. During the 2023-2024 school year, then senior W.F. West senior Abby Alexander set a goal to raise the money to bring a motivational speaker to W.F. West to start a conversation about mental health with her peers. The Drew North Foundation stepped in and helped Alexander make her dream a reality.
“It was such a great idea that we wanted to do it every year,” Jennie Douglass said.
Since then, the Drew North Foundation has also sponsored the W.F. West High School Good Place Club, which is now about 75 members strong. Club members work on projects throughout the year to spread encouragement and belonging throughout their school community.
In addition to W.F. West students, students from Chehalis Middle School, Pe Ell, Adna and Mossyrock also attended Garcia’s talk at W.F. West High School. Later in the day, Garcia also spoke in Montesano, also sponsored by the Drew North Foundation.
