Individuals Who Inspired ROC

Brenda Holben was the Prevention Coordinator for the Cherry Creek School District during the 15 years that I was involved in Parent Information Network (PIN).  She worked tirelessly on bringing the 40 Development Assets Program (designed by Peter Benson) to the Cherry Creek Schools and helped staff and parents with personalizing Assets in their individual schools and families.  Her passion for making a difference in the lives of our youth was unmatched.  Her persistence in promoting the 40 Developmental Assets was remarkable.  Thank you Brenda for championing the causes for children and being such a great role model!

Dennis Prager is a conservative radio talk show host who happens to be a strong religious Jew.  You can find him on www.pragerradio.com.  I consider him one of the greatest minds of our time!  Whether you agree with him or not on specific issues, he will make you think.  You may disagree with Dennis, but if you come away angry after listening to him, then I suspect it is time that you re-evaluate your ability to hear different sides of issues because he is one of the most respectful talk show hosts you will find.  He covers life issues in the micro and macro, as well as current world events.  The guests he has on his shows are given more time to speak than he takes for himself whether Dennis agrees with them or not.  He challenges people to be better human beings by first understanding situations clearer and then by inspiring them to continually fight their flawed human natures.  Thank you Dennis for sharing your passion for America with all of your listeners and for inspiring me to start ROC!

Tom Melton is my pastor at Greenwood Community Church in the Denver metro area.  You can find more information about Greenwood on www.greenwoodcc.com.  Tom is a “fellow traveler” in a faith walk with God.  He was instrumental in my becoming a Christian in body, mind and spirit and instrumental in inspiring me to follow through with starting ROC.  He did so through his sermons that challenged every one of us to go outside of our comfort zone and see what God had in mind for us.  He talked about living our faith and partnering with God to make a difference in the world.  Every time I decided to put ROC on the shelf for a while, I would hear Tom speak and then get re-energized once again.  Tom has a tremendous gift for bringing scriptures to life and “getting out of the way” so that we can individually hear from God.   Thank you Tom for inspiring me to follow through with ROC and even more importantly, for teaching me about the kind of joy that passes all understanding!

Brian and Kylie Pitts are my two wonderful adult children who inspired me early on to start ROC before the actual plans ever came to mind.  My heart ached that they were being raised in a time when our culture was becoming so dysfunctional.  Everywhere I looked, our American industries and institutions were making parenting harder, rather than supporting parents around what was best for children, our next generation of citizens.  I knew something had to be done for the sake of American families, but what it was, I had no idea.  Kylie and Brian not only gave me the reason to start ROC, but when it actually was being developed, they challenged me along the way to soften my messages and practice what I preached about listening to other points of view.  Thank you Brian and Kylie for sharing your kind hearts and for helping me continue to grow!

David Pitts is my generous and wonderful husband who puts up with all of my crazy ideas.  At this point in our 30-year marriage, there are few days that I don’t wake up grateful for David and the support he has given me.  Because he has worked so hard all of these years, I have been allowed to work part time, which gave me plenty of time to dream of ways to make a difference and then follow through with my dreams and passions.  I often think of people who aren’t as fortunate to have the time and resources that I have and I become overwhelmed with the idea of wanting to give back.  My desire to start ROC not only came from a sense of concern for our culture, but also out of sense of gratitude to God for my blessings.  Thank you David for being so generous and supportive.  You truly are one of my biggest blessings! 

Sally Pitts
Centennial, Colorado