A Job Left Undone

In Memory of Stephen Joseph Kaplan

Another Way is a Foundation pilot program designed to focus young people on the good things going on in their communities; to offer hope, inspiration, cooperation and awards; to attract adult volunteers and to coordinate the efforts of existing organizations and introduce new programs with impeccable track records.  Another Way is a program that can be adapted to every community's unique needs.

The goals of the program are

• Leverage existing resources to make a community a safer, better place to live
• Utilize the idealism and energy of youth and honor it

We decided to launch the program in Fresno, California-a vibrant, primarily agricultural community in the state's central valley, with a population over 400,000-a community that in 1996 was distinguished by having the highest crime rate in the nation. The good people of this community were already hard at work tackling the problems that accompany rapid growth.

Why Fresno? Because our son Stephen was a member of the Fresno Fire Department up until his tragic death on May 5, 1996. What we have posted in this forum are entries which we discovered in a handwritten journal. The January 18, 1996 entry describes the reality our son faced on a daily basis. The second entry, written only three weeks before his death, describes Stephen's dreams for the future. The other entries were chosen for their inspirational qualities or because they are thought provoking.

The mission of this new program is to inspire and coordinate; to carry out some of the goals Stephen set for himself and is now unable to realize. It is his program. We hope you will participate.

Margaret Bohannon-Kaplan
Director and Co-Founder of The Harry Singer Foundation

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