On Sept 11th the students of the Rubin Pollack Education Center at Sullivan County BOCES had the privilege of meeting author and Sullivan BOCES alumni Edward Coon.
Edward Coon is passionate about inspiring others with his words and knowledge. For more than 20 years, he has given help to others and continues to do so in his everyday life. Mr. Coon felt that coming back to where it all started would give him the opportunity to possibly change the lives of students the way his life was changed when he was enrolled at BOCES.
The session started with Mr. Coon paying tribute to his mentor as he talked about how things turned around for him. The turning point in Coon’s life was when he opened himself up to the comments and recommendations of his BOCES teacher and mentor Robert White. One of Coon’s dreams was to have the
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Coon spoke about his life and experiences at BOCES. He spoke about he was no different than they were and how he transformed from a young troublemaker to a person who continually works to give back to others by going above and beyond. The student’s interests peaked as he spoke about being in a band, driving a race car, being in the military and riding bulls. Throughout the message, Coon stressed the importance of making “Good” choices in life. “By making good choices, each and every one of you can accomplish anything in life and fulfill your dreams,” stated Coon.
Coon also spoke about how he started writing to help students cope with the loss of friends and family at one of his schools, Edward Coon wrote a 12-page pamphlet titled “Lost Love.” “Lost Love” told a true and powerful story of a young girl’s life, including an inspirational message to help students cope with their loss. A few years later, Coon received an anonymous call from a man in Branson, Missouri, whose family benefited from the message within “Lost Love.” The man encouraged Coon to tell the whole story of “Lost Love” in book