Thankful (Continued from page 14 14))
reputation when it comes to our manners in situations like this,” Terrazas explained. Before the big trip, he sat down with Daly to learn more about what to expect and how to act. It was successful, as Terrazas was complimented by the hosts for his very non-American ways. Tribeca and Windsor Castle were big moments in the life of a now 23-year-old, but they could have been disasters without the proper help. “It would have been an absolute mess, but John made sure I was ready,” Terrazas said. “My outlook on how you should treat a wait staff, or the proper way to do things, has completely changed. When I see rude people, I immediately know I don’t want to work with them, because those actions can easily be turned on me. These are important life skills.” And sometimes it takes getting personal to get through to a teenager that doesn’t realize they need help. Daly doesn’t mind self-reflecting, and it paid huge dividends with one of his earliest students, a “gangbanger” that readily rejected The Key Class curriculum. So, Daly told him that he didn’t have to attend, something the student originally agreed upon. But then they met each other again at juvenile hall, where the young man didn’t have a choice but to listen to
Jesus Terrazas has presented with John Daly in talks about The Key Class
Daly. Yet, Daly didn’t use his new position of power to his advantage, instead telling a group of inmates about his upbringing and how he had struggled. It changed the young man’s perspective. “I thought you were just another rich, white guy telling me how I should live my life,” the young man would tell Daly. They turned a corner, with the young man becoming an advocate for The Key Class, managing to graduate high school. A couple of years went by, and Daly wondered what had happened to the young man. His phone rang one day, and he was met by a remote-
ly familiar voice. “I bet you don’t know who this is,” the voice said. “No, who is this?” Daly asked. It was the young man. “I want to thank you for saving my life,” he told Daly. The young man was headed to the Navy, where he was set to train as a Seal. “I leave in two weeks, and I had to get in touch with you and thank you for what you did for me. Not only about the manners and stuff, but so much more.” Tears were running down Daly’s cheeks. “I’m driving and thinking I really
have done it now; I’ve helped somebody. That’s what I think life is all about,” Daly said. As a product of the Santa Barbara Unified School District, Terrazas believes that The Key Class should be required for any incoming freshman, plus an additional course for seniors that are about to head out into “the real world.” “It gets you headed in the right direction, it takes obstacles out of the way and makes them strengths,” Terrazas said. The Key Class is funded 100% by donations, with Daly setting aside a modest amount of money to help make sure that students who need help are never turned away. But the need continues to grow, and Daly’s vision is one that Terrazas believes is worth investing in — by everyone. “When you look at donations to some other nonprofits, they are normally one-time aid, like donating food, and we should continue to do those things,” Terrazas said. “But investing in The Key Class is making an investment in our future. Something that will continue to pay dividends. It’s about paying it forward.” •MJ 411 Website (including donation instructions): thekeyclass.com Phone: 805-452-2747 Email: johnkeyclass@gmail.com
2021 Puzzle 12: “Can You Make the Time?” Solution The December MMMM challenged solvers to find a hit from the ’70s. The puzzle’s title, “Can You Make the Time?,” is essential to figuring out the meta. The word TIME (with one letter changed) appears in eight different places in the grid: TIMOR STIPE DON’T HATE ME PRIMES OPTIMA STALACTITE TOMEI TIRES Reading left to right in the grid, the changed letters used to “make the time” spell O-P-E-R-A-T-O-R, pointing to Jim Croce’s famous 1972 song Operator, technically Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels), this month’s meta answer.
Pete always does a cover version related to the meta answer (usually with his band, the Kindred Souls). You can watch the video and see this month’s full write-up here: https://pmxwords.com/dec2021solution 16 – 23 December 2021
• The Voice of the Village •
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