Sam Bracken was 18 years old when he left an abusive childhood in Las Vegas, boarded an airplane for only the second time and headed east.
His mother had thrown him out of the house three years before, and he managed to get through high school while living with a friend’s family. When he landed in Atlanta, he possessed only two things: a football scholarship to Georgia Tech and an orange duffel bag stuffed with everything he owned.
“He had one pair of jeans and one T-shirt,” recalled John Porter, an Atlanta business exec who attended Tech with Bracken in the early 1980s. “And it must have been very strange, moving from Nevada to Georgia.”
On Monday, Bracken was back in Atlanta with a message for other unfortunate youth. After almost two years of planning, the first 12 teens graduated from the pilot leadership program he designed for the state’s Division of Family and Children Services office. The concept, based on lessons he learned through his rough upbringing, his time at Tech and his successful segue to a meaningful life, offered teens in the state’s foster care system the chance to develop their own visions for the future and specific goals to achieve their dreams.
Bracken, now a successful executive and father of four in Salt Lake City, returned to his fond roots in Georgia to launch the program that’s based on his recently-released book, “My Orange Duffel Bag: A Journey to Radical Change.” Co-written with local author Echo Garrett, the work is a blend of uncensored biography, photos, audio CD and handbook for making the best of life, no matter how difficult the circumstances.
“My vision wasn’t just to write a book,” Bracken said. “I wanted to help other kids unlock passionate change in their lives. As a kid, I was helped by so many people. There is no way I can ever repay those who helped me in those moments of absolute despair, but when I needed something, they stepped in and helped me. This book is a part of my thanks.”
The list of Bracken’s life-altering moments are still fresh in his 47-year-old mind: the friend whose family took him in and taught him what “normal” was; Georgia Tech football coach Bill Curry who gave him a scholarship; a friend’s parent who gave him a summer job when he was broke; the couple who took him home after church one morning and fed him. Through those acts of grace, he never lost his faith in the future. It’s a story that resonates with Mashon Meadows, an 18-year-old who lives in an independent group home in College Park and was selected for the pilot program.
“I was four when I was taken away from my mom and was in and out of the foster system,” Meadows said. “I went from home to home. I was raped; I ran away from home. I was house-hopping.”
Meadows has now spent almost a year in College Park and is working on a GED while planning to own her own restaurant. Being part of the leadership program has helped define her path.
“I had never broken it down to different pieces before, but Mr. Sam taught me how to do it,” she said. “I put down my mission, my values and what goals I’m working on.”
Kathy Herren, the deputy director of programs and policy for Family and Children Services, said those personal connections were the best part of the 8-week program.
“Sam is someone our youth can identify with,” she said. “His personal story is very compelling, but he is not the sum of his past. He showed them that by having a clear vision and setting goals, he is where he is today. I’d like to see this program have a statewide influence.”
Bracken also dreams of taking his Orange Duffel Bag program to the rest of the country.
“The 2002 census estimated almost 2 million homeless children, and I believe that estimate has skyrocketed with the recession,” he said. “Most kids in foster care age out at 18, and more than half of them don’t have high school degrees. They’re not self-reliant. In a few months, they’re homeless and forgotten. But with this program, we create a structure to help them discover their talents, to have a meaningful long view and a vision that encourages them to make the best of every day, every week, every year.”
Along with the leadership program, Bracken formed the Orange Duffel Bag Foundation to spread his message. Atlanta businessman Mike Daly joined the effort last fall and recently took over as board chair.
“I was very touched by his story,” Daly said. “And I related to the book, even though I wasn’t a homeless kid. It reminds you of the real steps necessary to change your perspective and gives you skill sets to create change. The orange duffel bag is now a metaphor for anyone struggling on the street.”
The book and the program have shown 18-year-old foster teen Joseph Cook that he can succeed in life despite his background, and he can inspire others to change as well.
“I can tell other teens, ‘Just because you’re going through this doesn’t mean you can’t succeed,' ” he said. “I want to prove to myself and others that I can do it.”
Sam Bracken signs “My Orange Duffel Bag”
Meet the author at these events this week:
- 5:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, a women-only gathering at Taylor English Duma law offices, 1600 Parkwood Circle, Suite 400, Atlanta. Wine tasting, chair massages and more. RSVP required: 770-434-6868.
- 7-9 p.m. Friday, Intrigue Salon, 1314 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta. Wine and appetizers served. 770- 977-3696.
- 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday. The Cafe Paris, 1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Marietta. 770-977-4945.
- 2-4 p.m. Sunday. Borders at the Avenue East Cobb, 4475 Roswell Road. 770-565-0947.
Bracken is also set to appear at the Decatur Book Festival in September. Details about his book and foundation are online at www.myorangeduffelbag.com.
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