"Joe Davis Day" Offers Inspiration from Reformed Drug Addict

Students at Kealing Middle School in Austin received a huge surprise when a man they had been reading about in class brought literature to life when he came to visit their school.

The story of Joe Davis, featured in Beth Johnson's book Everyday Heroes, detailed his life as a drug addict, dealer, and petty criminal, including a street shooting that left him paralyzed from the waist down, and his subsequent rehabilitation and turnaround.  Davis went on to earn his associate's degree, bachelor's degree in Mental Health Social Services, and master's degree in social work.  He currently coordinates the "Think First" program at Magee Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia.

The students at Kealing read the book on Davis as a part of a unit on non-fiction literature.  After reading about him, the students wondered what Davis had done since the publcation of Johnson's book in the mid-1990s.  They were able to contact Davis, who spoke to members of the class over the phone and gave Kealing Middle School the gift of the Bluford series of books, published by Townsend Press.

But Davis' surprises didn't stop there - he traveled to Austin from Philadelphia to meet the administration, faculty and student body at Kealing.  During the trip, he spoke to the student body about literacy and staying free from drugs.  The school declared the event "Joe Davis Day."

Davis continues to visit and speak to schools as an Ambassador at Large for Townsend Press.