“These parents have to take a look in the mirror, and be willing to first, examine themselves, and acknowledge their responsibility in preparing their children to be successful in life with or without their assistance!”

By JENNIFER LUMPKIN

His training as a fighter would prove to be a real advantage to Antonio Stitt, growing up as a poor and defenseless kid in the tough city of Cleveland, Ohio.  Surrounded by family members involved in the world of crime and street life, one has to wonder how Antonio Stitt came to choose a pen and paper over tight-fisted hands as his weapon of choice. In his new role as the Village of Highland Hills Chief of Police and co-author of his first work titled, Change the Parent Change the Child (CPCC), Chief Antonio Stitt has taken on the challenge to fight juvenile crime and the breakdown of the American family one page at a time.

Frustrated with processing and booking “children” “young babies from the neighborhood” Chief Stitt took action, producing a five week “Man Talk” program and positively impacted, encouraged and inspired over 600 young men at a Cleveland juvenile detention center, Chief Stitt discovered that his life’s passion was helping troubled juvenile delinquents overcome the same adversity and negative influences that once surrounded him as a young man. Upon seeing the success of some young men through the program and the unfortunate detriment of others, Chief Stitt began to question the real issue -- the root of the problem for the young men he was helping through this difficult phase of their lives.

Unquestionably the problem was the parent and the familial structure surrounding these young men, which ultimately affected the life choices and paths they chose to follow. The fighter in Chief Stitt took his mission one step further by co-authoring his passion project with Cleveland teacher Shalana Satterwhite, a parent who once sought his help for her own troubles with a delinquent teenage son.

“I am grateful for my childhood, but I am even more grateful for the difficulties and challenges I endured. Because of my hardships I can relate to these young men, and my advice and conversation is REAL to them.”

“These parents have to take a look in the mirror, and be willing to first, examine themselves, and acknowledge their responsibility in preparing their children to be successful in life with or without their assistance!”

Chief Stitt can be scheduled for parenting skills workshops and Q&A sessions throughout the year by calling 330-425-0210 or by emailing pr@red2blackmarketing.com. For more information about the book or to bring the CPCC Movement to your school or organization, please visit http://www.changetheparentchangethechild.com/ or search Change the Parent Change the Child on Facebook for more information.