Stay-Focused conducts third program!

Following up on two very successful programs, Stay-Focused conducted its third program in August – again, a smashing success! The program participants were Christopher Arcell, 16, and Louis Riccardi, 14, both of whom have spina bifida.

The Stay-Focused Experience

As highly-motivated participants in our third program, Chris and Louis did an excellent job in mastering their skills and working through their SCUBA diving certification. Both were enthusiastic learners, full of energy, and eager to take it all in. Each day brought new challenges and more laughter and learning.

Leading the Program

Leading the program were Stay-Focused Founder/President Roger Muller; Program Manager and Dive Instructor Richard Smart; Dive Instructor Marty Banks; Board Member and Educational Advisor Mark Nevins, PhD; Medical Advisor Dr. Casey O’Donnell, of Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ; Trisha Yurochko, a coach and Children’s Specialized Hospital’s Marketing Coordinator; and Stay-Focused’s first intern, David Lebovitz.

DIVER

As part of the Stay-Focused curriculum, divers assigned motivational words to the acronym, DIVER. Here is what they created:

D   Determined
I    Inspirational
V   Victorious
E   Eye-opening
R   Rewarding

Chris and Louis were determined to succeed and overcame all sense of fear and apprehension in doing so. SCUBA diving is indeed an inspirational sport. Chris and Louis were victorious in successfully completing their PADI Open Water certification, and considered it an eye-opening experience. And, I think it’s fair to say, we all considered the experience to be very rewarding.

Thanks for Your Support

As an early-stage, nonprofit organization, we are thrilled with our success thus far and know it’s important to thank those who have contributed to the initial success of Stay-Focused. While too many individuals and organizations have lent support for us to list all of them, I do want to thank everyone who has embraced the program for helping us get Stay-Focused off the ground. From an organizational perspective, many thanks to Booz Allen Hamilton for its ongoing support, and to Dogmatic for its creative input and commitment to Stay-Focused. And, in Grand Cayman, thanks to Chris Brandson, Chris Brandson Underwater Imaging; the Courtyard Marriott, for continuing to provide excellent support for our program; Red Sail Sports, our diving operations partner; and Decker's, for its generous support in hosting our celebration banquet.

Roger Muller
Founder/President