First let me apologize for this being such a long post...but it is very important to me. Aloha to all of the fans of The Rock n Roll Autograph Show. A lot of you know why I do what I do, why it is so important for me to Pay It Forward and to give to others. I have told the story over the last 38 years and I am going to tell it again now. There is a reason for me doing this now and you will understand by the end of this post. When I was 18 years old, in the period of one week I lost my job at a liquor store and my home. I found myself homeless and living in my car. I was parked, out of gas, on a busy corner in a bad neighborhood with nothing but a couple articles of clothes, a small dog and a 50lb bag of Gravy Train dog food. During this time I ate the dog food as well as trash from the Jack In The Box trash cans around the corner. Also on the corner was a Shell gas station where I would occasionally sneak into the bathroom and use the toilet and superficially wash up….but this was rare. More often I would utilize the bushes and just be dirty. One day, six months into this life style, a man walked by my car that recognized me. He was one of the security guards at the liquor store I used to work at; his name is Stoney White. Stoney saw me and asked “what the hell are you doing?” I explained my situation to him and he said that he thought his boss was hiring at the security company. I politely said thank you, but also explained that I had not bathed or washed my clothes or brushed my teeth in over six months and that a “job interview” just was not possible; plus, of course, that I was out of gas and couldn’t go anywhere. He said that he understood shook my hand and I watched him walk away. I thought nothing more about it. A few days later, while I was lying in my car, there was a knock on my window. I looked and saw Stoney again, but this time he had company; a woman who introduced herself as Susan Pierce, Stoney’s boss and owner of the security company. She said that Stoney had told her about me and that she was there to interview me for a job. We talked for a little while and then she said that she would hire me, pay for my uniform and license, and give me an advance on my salary and that she had a little apartment behind her office that I could stay at for a little while. I remember like it was yesterday when she said, “Ok, let’s fill your car up with gas and go home”. Go home!? I hadn’t had a home for so long and this angel showed up from nowhere and gave me a home. I have given her credit for the last 38 years for saving my life and I mean that in every aspect of the words. I worked for her for about 8 months and then moved back to Israel for a year. That act of kindness and generosity shaped the man I was to become. Over the years many people have benefited from my paying it forward and I have always said that it was done in Susan’s honor, but it is this show…..benefiting the children and parents of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital that is the culmination of the impact that Susan Pierce had on my life. I have questioned a few times if Susan is still alive or not or if she understands the impact she had on my life. I tried to find her on line, but with no luck. By now you must be thinking, why is Corky telling this story again and so publicly. The reason is this. A woman recently came into my life by the name of Gia. She is an entrepreneur go getter who I have come to realize can accomplish anything that she puts her mind to. The other day we were talking and I told her my story…this story and within 24 hours she had a possible phone number for Susan Pierce. I just called the number and did in fact talk to Susan. I walked through my house shaking while I was talking to her. This woman was just as instrumental in creating the man who writes this as was his parents…and Gia found her. I looked literally for years for Susan and she found her in 24 hours, I am so grateful. Susan was very moved by what I told her and the impact she made. Come to find out she is also philanthropic for children…go figure. Anyway, I wanted to share this with all of you. I wanted to share my love, respect and admiration for these very special women in my life. It is no wonder that my two best friends are also women. I will make sure that Susan is at the next show so that she can truly appreciate all that she has done in my life and for those around me. Remember to always pay it forward and to be M.A.D. (Making A Difference) every day. You have no idea whose life you my impact. There are 40,000 of you here imagine what you can do....go ahead, take a chance. Rock On!!
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 08:18:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015