For over twenty years, Mr. Fomby has enthusiastically provided instruction to many people and organizations throughout the United States and the Virgin Islands. On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, Mr. Fomby will open the 2013 Adolescent Conference as keynote speaker. His message will tell us that, increasingly, more communities are feeling the impact of youth who have little or no support system - no village.

“It is important that more individuals understand their role and comprehend that they have a stake in the village's future, particularly the young who will eventually grow up to make a contribution,” he emphasized.

It makes the entire village stronger when youth have the proper tools and support to be successful at home, school and in life. As parents, educators, law enforcement personnel, community leaders, social workers, counselors we all want safer neighborhoods, good educational opportunities, and brighter futures for our children.

“We want our youth to know we are there for them as much as we can be. However, to have a positive impact on the lives of our youngest villagers, we need to develop our “response ability” by better understanding youth culture and what influences it,” according to Mr. Fomby.

Mr. Fomby has worked extensively at both the local community and state levels in Alabama and Mississippi developing strategic prevention and/or behavioral health care plans. Marc has also developed curriculum and programs for high-risk youth and families as well as instructional guidelines for behavioral health education and prevention. He is a member of the Recovery School District of New Orleans, a national initiative committed to breaking the cycle of violence and providing support assistance to youth and the Metro Jackson Community Prevention Coalition, dedicated to youth life skills and peer education training. Marc is also a consultant and advisor to the Executive Director of the National C.A.R.E.S. Movement and received his Bachelor’s degree in business management from Belhaven University.

New York Times Bestseller, An Invisible Thread, Brings to Life the Inspiring True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

First Time Author Laura Schroff Explores the Role of Destiny in Our Lives & the Invisible Threads that Connect Us All “Complex and unswervingly honest, inspirational … (An Invisible Thread) is capable of restoring our faith in each other,” says Catherine Ryan Hyde, author of Pay it Forward.

(NEW YORK & NASHVILLE) – “Excuse me lady, do you have any spare change? I am hungry.” This simple question marked the beginning of an extraordinary, unlikely friendship that ultimately transformed two lives. Laura Schroff’s New York Times bestselling book, An Invisible Thread, is based on her own true story and narrates the unexpected connection between a busy ad executive and a hungry little boy, Maurice Mazyck. The result is a complex and moving story of how two lives were meant to converge on a Manhattan street corner one fateful day. “Whatever made me notice him on that street corner so many years ago is clearly something that cannot be extinguished, no matter how relentless the forces aligned against it,” writes Schroff. “Some may call it spirit. Some might call it heart. Whatever it was, it drew me to him, as if we were bound by some invisible, unbreakable thread. And whatever it is, it binds us still.” In An Invisible Thread, Schroff recounts how this chance encounter, followed by a simple lunch shared between strangers, became the foundation for a weekly ritual and a life-changing friendship of shared experiences. Schroff and her co- author Alex Tresniowski beautifully weave the story of 11-year-old Maurice – born to an abusive father, drug-addicted mother and living in welfare hotels with his knife-wielding grandmother – with Schroff’s seemingly disparate life, poignantly revealing how Maurice’s childhood echoed Schroff’s own in Long Island, NY, where her father’s violent alcoholic tirades wreaked havoc on the family. An Invisible Thread is a story about letting go of fears, burdens and expectations, in order to embrace the sweet, unplanned blessings of life. An Invisible Thread is an inspirational tale with strong central characters and a big emotional and inspirational payoff at its conclusion.