WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR: There is a saying that we recite at the end of every A.A. meeting: "It works if you work it." When Nugi Nichols, "Tahli," was Senior Facilitator in the Greentree program, he wrote an anthem for his "C- Tier Cougars." Within that anthem was a saying: "Information is just information without application." Both sayings led me to understand that if we don't apply action to the things we believe in, then our belief is in vain. As scripture tells us, Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20). There are many people who want results but are not willing to put in the work to achieve them. Anything worth having is worth working for! Within that work comes much struggle, many sacrifices, disappointments and hardships. I've come to learn that when you work hard to attain something, that something is now viewed as having even greater value. Therefore, you will work even harder to maintain and keep it.Right now, at the age of 62, I view everything about me as valuable. During all of my sufferings, my hardships, my failures, and my trials, God brought me through, and everything I was able to bring with me is valuable - a gift from my creator.There was a time in my life when I didn't understand my value, so I sold myself out to a $5.00 bottle of alcohol, a $10.00 bag of heroin, a $20.00 around the world prostitute. I sold my freedom to ignorance, and my soul belonged to the god of this world" (Cor. 4:4). Incarceration became my place of refuge, because God was here and my final words are just like the first: "A LIFE CAN'T CHANGE UNLESS THE HEART CHANGES FIRST, AND THE ONLY ONE I KNOW WHO CAN CHANGE A HEART IS GOD." OPENING STATEMENTS: When I decided to write this book. I thought about all those involved. We all have our own perception of a thing; and, just because I feel, see, or believe a certain way about a thing does not mean that someone else feels, sees, or believes the same. I give to you my understanding of how My Brother's Keeper Mentorship Program came about. I express my state of mind, and who and where I was before My Brother's Keeper was conceived in thought, We never know what treasures may be found in the midst of our experiences; but, I can tell you, my experiences left me filled with jewels. As I traveled on my journey toward the establishment of the My Brother's Keeper Program, I noticed that many of the people picked up along the way came with their own agendas that were contrary to the design and vision already established for the program. Even in the midst of all this, I learned many important lessons. I even learned that the things I began to hate were only "tests" that made me stronger, and all the crazy, defiant, and undermining things being done only showed me who I used to be. I want to take this opportunity to thank every man and woman who appeared in my life throughout this journey, "the good, the bad, and the ugly," because you all have prepared me for the things I am yet to face as I go continue my journey of being My Brother's Keeper. I pray that anyone who reads this book will know that "No Disrespect" is intended to any of the names written herein. This is simply My Brother's Keeper through the eyes and from the heart of Gerald "Honcho" Collins, Co-Founder of a wonderful program and lifestyle.