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Troup County could be considered a writing community after Tuesday. Dr. Nick Griffin, the Troup County Schools Transition Facilitator, carried a tote bag full of books around to the county’s schools this week. The book, Home and Away, is an anthology of poetry, prose, photos and more produced by the Pathfinders Network. This year, it features over 20 Troup County students and some staff members. 

The Pathfinders Network works with local community organizations to provide support and resources to “system-impacted individuals and families,” according to the group’s website. Griffin, who also runs the mentoring program ELVTD, has incorporated some of the Pathfinder’s programming into his organization, including the anthology. 

A couple of years ago, Griffin pulled students from the varied community groups he is involved in, primarily ELVTD and POPS the Club, which focuses on family members of incarcerated individuals. They brainstormed prompts to write about. After creating short prose on the topic ‘Sky is the Limit,’ students and some TCSS staff members turned in their work to Griffin. 

On Tuesday, Griffin got to show them what it is all for. Some had forgotten they had written the piece, only understanding when they saw their names in print. 

“He said we had a chance for it to be published, but we didn’t know we would actually be published,” said one of the writers, La Kevin Appleby, smiling as he flicked through the book. “I can’t wait to tell my mom, she is going to be ecstatic.”

Appleby was helping another of the writers, Mason Blandingburg, find his name and piece in the book. 

“I was just writing about my background; it’s not really similar to other people’s [background]…[I was] talking about my journey, how to stay motivated, because things will pay off,” said Mason.

Mason’s brother, Myles Blandingburg, echoed the feeling of seeing his piece featured. 

“It’s cool to see my name in a book…I’m a hard worker and want to get better every day, learn things every day,” Myles said. 

Griffin chose kids whom he knew from his various mentoring initiatives around the community, whether it be athletes he coached or the kids involved in his organization, ELVTD Youth and Mentoring, Inc. 

Donnovan Rippy has been a mentee of Griffins for years. From Communities in Schools to a member of ELVTD, Rippy personifies the power of these organizations. 

“It’s helped me grow and be a good person,” Rippy said. “The club is nice, they’re good people. Check the book out.”

Seconds after the interview ended and Rippy had gone back to class, a teacher at LHS came into the foyer, where the interviews had been done, saying that he had never seen Rippy so proud of himself as he was showing the book off. 

He was not the only one proud of his progress. Griffin said Rippy has been passing his classes and recently got an award at school. 

The impact of the project is not confined to LHS. Jaylynn Nelms, a student at Callaway High School, is a longtime writer. She started in middle school, needing an outlet after her father was incarcerated. 

“I feel like writing was such an escape for me, like my own self and my feelings. So it gave me reason, like put it on paper, and it felt like I was actually speaking to somebody,” Nelms said. “If they ever feel like they don’t have anybody to talk to, just get a pencil and a paper.” 

One of the contributors, Chance Grier, is a well-loved student at Troup High School, based on all the hugs and handshakes he received after being handed the final book by Griffin. 

It was especially impactful for Grier because he got to check something off his bucket list. He wants to write a book about his life and the obstacles he has overcome. Now, he is a published writer. 

Grier is another student who has not only benefited from this project, but also gone through the POPS the Club and ELVTD program. 

He says after school, he wants to become a social worker or community advocate, having seen the impact people like Griffin can have on a child’s life. 

“[They] have inspired me; the librarians, just about the whole staff of Troup [High], they’ve helped me come a pretty long way.” Grier said he hopes to give back and “help towards the progression of young males or young females, anybody I can help.”

The JROTC cadet said he was a much different person early on in high school. 

“There’s many people out here who don’t have as much as the next…I came from really not having a great life to building myself back up,” Grier said. “The first two years of my high school tenure, I was in and out of ISS, bad grades, to now, A’s and B’s and a model student. Everybody in the building knows me.”

Programs like Pathfinders or ELVTD are not about getting a name in a book. These initiatives allow kids and adults to be vulnerable enough to share their experiences and give them the space to feel proud when they do share. They are impactful not only for individuals but also for families.  

“Words cannot express,” said Mary Funcello Bagley, grandmother of ELVTD members, said of the book. Bagley has seen the difference the program has made in the lives of her grandsons. One is an intern at Fokker Services working toward a career, the other, Keemon Parkmond, is published in the book. He wrote a letter to his future self at high school graduation. He will soon be re-enrolling in school. 

“God had already had a plan. Everything started lining up as what needed to take place in order to bridge the gap…everybody coming together,” Bagley said. 

ELVTD is open to the public, adults and children. The club provides mentoring, free resources and programming for families. They meet on Wednesdays (5 p.m. to 6 p.m.) and Thursdays (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.)  at the LaGrange Memorial Library at 115 Alford Street.

Home and Away can be purchased online at https://outofthewoodspress.com/featured-title/. Contributors of the book include:

• Torean Kendrick (LHS) 
• La Kevin Appleby (LHS)                    
• Myles Blandingburg (LHS)              
• Mason Blandingburg (LHS)               
• Caydin Thomas (LHS)                       
• Donnovan Rippy (LHS)                   
• Justin McCants (LHS)                        
• Chance Grier (THS)                           
• Dewan Harden (THS)                         
• Kamari Griffin (GNMS)                   
• Nyla Griffin (Callaway Elem.)          
• Isabella Mullaney (Hillcrest Elem.)  
• TyQuon Henry (CHS)                       
• Jaylynn Nelms (CHS)                        
• Emmanuel Scott (CHS)                      
• Dr. Nigel Walker (EKES Principal)            
• Dr. Nick Griffin (TCSS Transition Facilitator)             
• James Bray
• Keemon Parkmond
• Andy Owens
• Tip Scott
• Nik
• Gabriel