Jonathan’s Place has made the difference for so many children who could have easily been passed from place to place. Instead it has provided “the place” to learn, grow and be embraced with hope.
That was not the case for “A Chance To Soar” keynote speaker/Walgreen’s executive Steve Pemberton. He was a child who rose above the musical chairs of a nightmarish foster home system.
This story was revealed at the Jonathan’s Place fundraiser on May 14 at Brook Hollow.
Except for an off-again, on-again, off-again sound situation, the filled ballroom decorated with four ballroom columns was just right for the event.
Following a VIP reception on the patio, guests squeezed into the ballroom for the lunch and program.
Honorary Chair Lisa Troutt joined Luncheon Chairs Connie Miles and Kathy Jeffrey on stage to thank the guests for supporting the event.
But the message proved to be a little rough due to the audio. Adding to the problem was the music playing in the background. A guest at table #31 got fed up and sought a staffer to stifle the music. Her request was quickly handled.
By 12:30 the audio had improved for Host Committee Chair/last year’s honoree Pam Busbee to salute Mohr Partners for their “outstanding support of Jonathan’s Place.”
Then three young women took their places on stage and each took her turn describing how Jonathan’s Place had indeed made life-changing differences in her life.
Emcee Scott Murray introduced Steve at 12:54. It appeared that the event was not going to be over as planned at 1 p.m. The sounded returned to a lackluster status.
What could be heard throughout the room was the sound of chairs being moved around to get a better view of the tall, handsome man, who was impeccably attired. Looking a bit like George P. Bush, Steve told of his present life like any proud pop — living in northern Chicago with his wife Tonya and their three children (Kennedy, Quinn and Vaughn). He was an executive with Walgreen’s. What he didn’t mention was his past positions with Monster.com and his being on “Fortune”’s 2007 list of the Top 20 Chief Diversity Officers in corporate America or “Savoy”’s 2008 Top 100 most influential African-Americans in corporate America.
But his life didn’t start that way, not by a long shot. His father, Kenny Pemberton, was an African-American amateur boxer and drug addict, who was killed at 26. His mother, Marian Klakowicz, was an alcoholic and too unstable to raise her children. Results: Steve Klakowicz and his siblings became wards of the state.
Due to his dark skin and blue eyes, a social worker who was involved with Steve’s foster home placement said they didn’t “know whether he belonged in a white family or a black family.”
Steve didn’t care” what the color of the house was,” he just wanted security and safety.
It didn’t happen. Instead he was adopted by a family, who “took him for the money” and left major gaps in his care.
His escape was sitting in a secluded outdoor area and reading a book. It was here that a woman happened upon the youth. She spoke to him and surprised him by noting that he was reading the same book day after day. It was a brief conversation, but it was one that made the boy feel like someone had finally noticed him. It was also a conversation that would be a turning point in his life.
That same woman showed up at his house with a box full of books. That box opened his world to a world of hope via “Watership Down, “ “Lord of Rings,” etc. What he learned was that “people had the opportunity to turn back but they didn’t.
Reading showed him the way and enabled him to escape a dismal future.
He spoke about the reason for writing his book, “A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, A Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home” and other highlights, like his eventually changing his name to match his father’s last name, “Pemberton,” and searching for his brothers and sister. That search was both gratifying and disappointing, but time didn’t allow for details about the reunion and his sister Joni’s reaction.
In concluding, Steve said, “There’s nothing special about me. . . I refuse to retreat.”
At 1:16 the event was over. While the sound could have been better, Steve’s message was loud and clear — whether it’s a stranger with a box of books or an organization like Jonathan’s Place, kids like Steve are not doomed to a hopeless fate.