“I always ask people how they are doing,” writes 16-year-old Donnell Rodgers. “If they are having a bad day, I try to make their day just a little better with a good conversation.” Rodgers is one of many young writers in the book Great Inspirations by a Few Great Kids, published by Woodbury author and speaker Trina Dawkins Patterson. The book, released in August 2013, is an eclectic compilation of encouraging words, quotes, poems and stories from youth who share their perspectives on friendship, perseverance, self-discovery, faith and more.
“I wanted to share that because I had a friend who told me a few years after that I really helped him by asking him every day how he was,” says Rodgers, a junior at Woodbury High School. “He was depressed and I didn’t even know he was going through something at the time.”
Great Inspirations by a Few Great Kids is one of the many ways Trina Patterson is helping youth and women find their voice. She founded The Cookie Movement seven years ago after working with teens and finding common themes of lack of self-esteem and relationship-development skills. A series of programming that focuses on women and youth, it has the tag line, “Save your cookie for the right glass of milk.” Patterson explains, “Cookies are your gifts, talents and skills as well as your sexuality. If those gifts are not nurtured, if they are recklessly given, that’s how you get broken. You have to value yourself and surround yourself with people who value you.”
Patterson, who lives in Woodbury with her husband and two sons, brings her message of positivity and empowerment all over the country, as well as to Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.
She has also done programming through the Youth Services Bureau at Liberty Ridge Elementary School, Lake Middle School and Woodbury High School. Patterson develops interactive talks and activities around the themes of self-esteem, character development, relationship development and goal setting. “So many of the women and youth I work with feel overwhelmed by where they are in life, unsure of how to move forward. There’s a phrase I use in my workshops—‘How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time,’” says Patterson, who helps break things down into more manageable bites. In addition, Patterson wrote A Tale of Two Cookies which is a tool to use with children for character development and peer acceptance, inspired by her son who has Asperger’s Syndrome.
While she helps thousands of people identify and develop their goals, she has a goal of her own—to get 5,000 copies of Great Inspirations into the hands of 5,000 youth all around the world. For every book purchased, Patterson is donating $1, up to $1,000 for each of five different nonprofit organizations that serve youth. If a school purchases 25 or more books, Patterson will match that donation of additional books to a nonprofit of your choice. “Children from all walks of life have contributed to this book and you will be amazed by their insight and compassion for others,” Patterson says.
These particular quotes are written by Woodbury kids in Trina Patterson’s book, Great Inspirations by a Few Great Kids:
“As a student, you have the power to decide your fate. Take charge of it and grasp it while it’s still in your reach.”
-Morgan T., age 15
“I believe everyone should be treated equally. There should be no saying ‘you can’t play with me’ or ‘you can’t sit with me,’ just because someone may look different, talk different, dress, different—it doesn’t matter. Be kind to one another and have fun.”
-Shayla S. age 11
“What I love about meeting new people is that they don’t know where you came from, and I don’t know where they came from. When you meet, it’s just a culmination of your life and theirs coming together. They can’t judge you on your past because they don’t know it—they only see the person life has made you.” - Donovan P., age 16
“Friends are like frosting on a cake, and I LOVE frosting!” - Summer S., age 11
“Walk around the world like you own it!” -Tatum M., age 12
