Helping young adults make good choices

Submitted by Deborah Lavery Powers
Staff Reporter
February 11, 2015

Ben Byrns died three years ago today, February 11, 2012.

At 20 years of age.

From an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Today, February 11, 2015, Carmike Cinemas will host a VIP opening at its new Yulee movie theatre.

How could these two events possibly have anything in common?

What the two have in common is Ken and Laurie Byrns, Ben’s parents. Ken and Laurie have produced a 30 second video which will be put up on the screen before the beginning of every movie shown at the Yulee Carmike for the next three months. The video is about young people making good choices — and will be amongst the last advertisements shown before the start of the “trailers” that precede each movie. The actors in the video are Nassau County high school students.

This short video, along with the Ben Byrns Foundation, and the Ben Byrns Runway Rally, came out of Laurie and Ken’s almost unfathomable grief at the loss of their son.

In early 2013, Ken and Laurie established the Ben Byrns Foundation with,“the mission of striving to educate and guide young adults to make good choices in their lives.”

But before the Foundation was created, Ken and Laurie sponsored the first Ben Byrns Runway Run/Walk at the Fernandina Beach Airport in remembrance of their son. In September 2012. The month he would have turned 21.

All profits from that first Run – which drew some 350 participants — were donated in equal parts, to the Boys and Girls Club of Nassau County, and the Nassau Humane Society where Ben had been a volunteer.

A Ben Byrns memorial garden was created outside the new Humane Society Building. The fountain sculpture depicts Ben’s love of animals and surfing. The surfboard was carved by his Dad — and, as a special feature, it twirls in the wind.

To further back up their commitment to the Boys and Girls Club the Byrns have put time, effort, and Foundation funds behind the Club’s dedicated effort to organize, develop, staff, and maintain a “Teen” program.

As Ken wrote, “We chose the Boys and Girls Club because we believe they instill teens with life skills and equip them with self esteem in a positive, caring environment.”

Over 700 signed up to participate in the September 2014 run/walk which is now called the Ben Byrns Runway Rally. But hours before the run was to start, the rains came. Over 600 showed up in spite of the weather and 509 finished the full 5K. The Byrns are confident (positive, actually) that most of the 630 actually finished, but in the excitement that reigned at the end of the run, not everybody managed to turn in their “chip” in order to be counted. But, of the 509 who did, here are a few stats:

Three hundred six females and 203 males crossed the finish line. Six little ones under the age of 3 made it, as well. Six in the over-70 set did the same. Teenage gals (14 – 19) were the winners when it came to numbers completing the entire 5K: 133 of them!

You may see pictures of all who crossed that final line by clicking here.

Many 12 to 19 year old boys and girls represented their schools in the Rick Keffer Challenge. Mr. Keffer, a sponsor and board member of the Ben Byrns Foundation, offered a $500 prize to the Nassau County school which had the most students run in the 5K. His offer included his paying for all the student entry fees. Just three schools had students sign up to participate. All of the schools came so close to each other when the total numbers were added up that Mr. Keffer gave prizes to all three instead of to just the literal first place winner, Fernandina Beach High School. Fernandina received $500, Yulee High School and Fernandina Beach Middle School each received $250. Huge kudos go to all the runners for their fortitude — remember they showed up when it was still raining! — and to Rick Keffer who so generously donated the prize money.

In 2013 the Byrns added the Nassau Alcohol Crime Drug Abatement Coalition (NACDAC) to the list of agencies the Foundation would support because the Coalition goals fit so closely in line with the Foundation’s mission.

The Byrns went to NACDAC in mid-2014 proposing the Foundation produce an advertisement video based on the theme, “you don’t think it can happen to you but it can.”

When Laurie explained their proposal to NACDAC members, they said, in effect, “Oh Laurie, what you’re suggesting may be too tough — too hard — to watch. But… Why don’t you take your idea to our Teens for Change and see what they think?” So Laurie did. And described the script in detail, as well as each proposed scene – the last planned shot being of Ben’s headstone. Then she asked, “Is this too much?” Their response: “No. It’s reality. It should be shown.”

With the endorsement of the Teens for Change, the Byrns went into production mode – with the assistance of Andrew Haynes and Cassandra Reeves of Andrew and Cass Photography. Production mode included all the legalities involved in the signing of releases and arranging for police and teachers to be on hand during the filming because drugs (aka Tic Tac’s) were shown in the video. It also involved covering all the windows with tarps to shut out the afternoon sun so the interior lighting would seem as if filming took place at a nighttime party. Then of course the neighbors were told what was going on “over here at our house.”

When asked how the completed video got from Andrew & Cass to Carmike, the Byrns explained that part was easy. They purchased a spot in one of Carmike’s pre-movie Public Service Announcement advertising pods. Their ad should be one of the last ones up before the “trailers” are shown.

The next challenge will be producing 3 more videos to be shown at Carmike Cinemas during the rest of the Foundation’s contract year with the cinema.

As Ken and Laurie said this morning:

“This project was geared towards educating young adults to make good decisions and help them understand that prescription drugs should never be used unless prescribed by their physician, and never experimented with at parties.

“It is also geared towards the parents and grandparents of these kids – in hopes that one particular scene will stay with them — the one showing the teenage boy taking pills out of an unlocked medicine cabinet. Prescription drugs need to be monitored and secured. Parents also need to understand the Social Host Laws of the State of Florida.”

The Byrns extend an invitation to all Fernandina Observers readers to go to benbyrns.com – to look at the pictures, and see the promise, and perhaps become a sponsor/donor? And maybe even participate in this year’s October 10th Rally?

The last sentence in the Foundation’s mission statement reads:

“We are committed to helping as many families as possible avoid the unbearable pain and grief that will be with us the rest of our lives.”

Editor’s Note: After a career in adult education, where writing, course design and development were her “beat,” Deborah now enjoys the world of freelancing, and volunteering. Deborah covers the police beat for the Fernandina Observer writing weekly “Police blotter blasts . . .” We thank Deborah for her many contributions.