Month: September 2019

It is 7 a.m. and I am just waking up to get ready for work. At previous jobs, I would dread going to work because I didn’t feel I had a purpose or I wasn’t contributing to society in any way. This morning, I didn’t feel that way because now I work at Repeat Street Thrift Store. Repeat Street makes me feel useful because we give back to the community by using the profit from our store to fund housing for homeless families.

There are over 5,000 homeless people in Fort Walton Beach, Fl, and we are striving to change that. At Repeat Street, we sell furniture, clothing, house items, toys, and electronics, and all of the profit goes to Fresh Start for Children and Families.

The families are given a place to stay and are taught skills to survive. Fresh Start helps the parents find jobs and gives them financial tips on saving and budgeting. The kids are given tutors and a play center to have fun at when tutoring is over.

Volunteers run Repeat Street, and they all are inspired to help people who are struggling in life. I volunteered at Repeat Street for three years before they gave me a job as a full-time donation coordinator. I pick up donations from homes, and I price them when I get back to the store. I love working there because I know that I’m apart of making the world a better place.

All the volunteers are friendly and support me. They were even excited to hear I got accepted into the University of West Florida and had to cut back some of my hours working. Repeat Street inspires me to be a better person.

If you are looking for a way to give back, Repeat Street is always accepting volunteers and donations. It is a good feeling to know you are making a difference.

Message Repeat Street on Facebook to volunteer : https://www.facebook.com/RepeatStreetThriftStore/

I had the chance to train alongside John the whole summer of 2012 and I seen that he was a hard worker and very talented. We spent many mornings at the old rec center on Jet Dr. dribbling through cones, running sprints, and playing full court one-on-one. Seven years later, in 2019, John has his own vision for basketball training with his training company, Silentwork. His sessions feel like training with family that loves you and wants you to do better in life.

Several top local basketball players have taken advantage of this basketball training and now are playing college basketball on schlarships. Two of those players are Kalin Lovett who plays at a Juco in Alabamma and Diante Smith who plays for Texas Christian University. The best thing about training with Silentwork is the different levels of talent. Training sessions include middle schoolers, high schoolers, and pros. The higher level players are patient with the lower level players and help them better their skills. The Silentwork atmosphere encourages players to have confidence in themselves and become better leaders because of the contant encouragement through mistakes.

“Lets go. You go to this! Don’t give up. Don’t give up. Only two more. One more. Good work bro!” Says John to one of his trainees. I felt inspired as I watched and filmed the session. John truly inspires confidence in his players while pushing them to their limits.

I believe in the future Fort Walton Beach will become a city that produces Division 1 basketball players every year because of the friendly and hardworking environment of Silentwork. There link below to train with Silentwork and support by buying a t’shirt.

Below is a video of John training a freshman from Fort Walton Beach Highschool

Purchase Silentwork T-shirts by messeging John here: Facebook or Instagram