Suicide is a growing problem in our society. It knows no boundaries and can touch the lives of everyone in some way. Colorado has been in the top 10 states of children/youth taking their lives ever since records have been kept by the Center for Disease Control.
"I was in a gang. I joined out of peer pressure. When I realized this was not the life I wanted and tried to get out of the gang I was badly beaten. I was ready to kill myself because I saw no way out. My grandmother contacted Les Franklin at The Shaka Franklin Foundation. Les took me under his wing, mapped out a plan of action to get me out of the gang. He taught me how to love myself and develop a path to the future. He was able to keep me away from the gang and he let them know I was no longer part of their self destructive life style. Without The Shaka Franklin Foundation I would not be alive today; I would not be married to a wonderful lady; I would not have been able to adopt 2 wonderful boys who have all made my life worth living" -- David B.
"I was 16 years old when I saw my best friend murdered in a drive by shooting. After this event I was struggling to just function day to day. My mother was a drug addict and was not able to help me process what happened to my friend, let alone motivate me to stay in school. The next thing I knew we were homeless and living on the streets. I attended an alternative school where The Shaka Franklin Foundation was housed at the time. The people volunteers with organization could see something was going on with me and started talking to me. I told them I wanted to die because I had no future. They kept encouraging me and pushing me to stay in school. They told me I was destined to do great things in life. They were there for me and showed me love and caring. I stayed in school and they presented me with an award at their annual Love Our Children Luncheon in front of 700 people. I was so proud. This award for courage was so important to me. I remember The Shaka Franklin Foundation being there for me, taking my calls at all hours, picking, me up when I had nowhere to go and making sure I was safe. Today, I am a college graduate with a masters degree and I just finished my doctorate. If it had not been for The Shaka Franklin Foundation I would not be alive today." J. S.
" My parents had "old school" ideas who immigrated from another country. My mother was killed in a car accident. My father raised me, my older and younger sister and two half sisters from his second marriage. I was touched inappropriately by a high school teacher. I could not tell my father this.. he would have thought I did something to encourage this horrible event. He wanted to send me back to our native country and had arranged for me to marry a much older man whom I did not know. I was 17 years old and this is not the life I wanted. I wanted to go to college and earn a degree and maybe get a master's degree as well. I saw Les Franklin on the Montel Williams Show talking about suicide and the loss of his son Shaka. They flashed the name and number of The Shaka Franklin Foundation on the television screen. I took down the number and called it later that day and asked to speak to Les. He was not there but he called me back immediately. I told him my story and I asked if I could live with him and his wife. He told me "no" but when I was 18 he and his wife would help me get into college, find a job and get my own place. I took this to mean I could stay with them until all this could be set in place, but I needed to be 18 years old/. When I turned 18 I packed my things, called a taxi cab and showed up on Les and Marianne Franklin's door step. It was in the middle of the day and thankfully Les had come home to check on the household when the taxi pulled up and I got out with my suitcases. They could have sent me back home or to a shelter but instead they took me in. They helped me meet my goals and I lived with them for two years. I know that if they had not helped me my next stop was to become a prostitute and try to earn a living that way. I am now a responsible adult with a good job and 2 college degrees. I have a wonderful son and a great life all because of The Shaka Franklin Foundation. I have also been able to settle my differences with my father, something Les Franklin told me I needed to do sometime in my life." G.W.
The Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth is a non profit organization focused on providing support, organization, and funding for children and families to reduce and prevent youth suicide occurrences and raise awareness about mental health.
The Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth was founded in October of 1990 after the suicide death of 16 year old Shaka Franklin, a student at Thomas Jefferson High School. Shaka's father, community activist and IBM executive, started the organization to address the serious problem of youth suicide in Colorado & the nation. Over the past 29 years 100's of presentations have been given on suicide, depression, mental health and self destructive behavior to schools, youth groups, parents, teachers and professionals. The organization has positively touched the lives of thousands of young people across the United States and other countries, helping them work through problems and issues which sometimes require clinical help and medical treatment. We have provided informational counseling to families with the hope that they will not have to experience the heart break of losing a child. From 1999 to 2012 the organization operated Shaka's Place Youth Technology Center. The center was a place for young people to gather and learn. Daily and after school programs were open to all who crossed the threshold. As times changed the organization made the decision to close the youth center and redirected much of its resources and efforts towards providing college scholarships to those who needed financial assistance. Another focus has become mental health advocacy which involves educating the community about mental health issues and helping people find the care they need.
Organization name
The Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth
other names
Love Our Children, SHAKA I.C.E., SHAKA on the Move
1990
Tax id (EIN)
84-1163379
Category
Youth Development
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
8101 E. Dartmouth Ave. #11Headquarters
8101 E Dartmouth Ave #11Denver County, CO, US