Fayetteville behavioral health professional helps bridge gap between youth and families
A community is like a jigsaw puzzle. It could have 10 pieces or 1,000 pieces. When placed perfectly together, the pieces form a beautiful image.
Humans do not realize their power until they are empowered. Often, the biggest fight is within oneself: Doubt, fear, and lack of self-worth are detrimental to achieving one’s fullest potential.
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Dr. Anthony “Tony” Haire has devoted his life to looking at the internal gift of all those he encounters along his journey in life.
“Exposure to external stimuli exposes self-discipline,” says Haire a behavioral health professional and Fayetteville native.
He grew up on Murchison Road and is a proud graduate of Fayetteville State University.
The power of education
His outward appearance is that of a man of means. Beyond the tailored suit lies a man that remembers waking up to rats nibbling on his ears as he slept in his family’s Washington Drive home. But the home was filled with the love of parents who believed highly in education and teaching him the value of an idea.
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After graduating from high school, Haire looked forward to attending N.C. A&T State University in Greensboro. However, a reality check from his father led him to enroll at FSU.
During his first year, he earned excellent grades and was named to the Chancellor’s List. With his father’s blessing, he transferred to NC A&T. But his grades took a hit and he returned to Fayetteville State to complete a degree in Criminal Justice.
After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Haire went on to continue his education, receiving a master’s degree and a doctorate. Even after completing the highest level of degrees, he continued to learn and grow,personally and professionally.
Working with youth
Haire would eventually join the John Maxwell team. Dr. John C. Maxwell is a New York Times bestselling author that has trained numerous leaders throughout the world. Maxwell has worked with everyone from Fortune 500 companies to the United Nations.
Haire became a certified Leadership Development trainer, speaker, and coach through John Maxwell.
One of the programs Haire offers is YouthMax, which encourages young people to help themselves and others. One of its principal goals is learning to “fail forward to success.”
Haire said he turned his failures into successes with the help of God. He remembers standing on the balcony of his Durham luxury apartment and accepting Christ into his life. It was a life-changing moment for the then-teacher.
C-Rep: Bridging the gap between youth and families
His Murchison Road background gave him a firsthand account of the mental health issues that plague the youth in impoverished areas. Coupled with his education, Haire and his wife, Denise, developed the Community Re-Entry Program (C-REP) to bridge the gap between youth and families.
C-REP utilizes Multisystemic Therapy, a combination of family and home-based treatment. The MST approach is a method that presents the individual, family, peers, schools and neighborhood as an interconnected network of systems.
Haire’s foundation of faith helps him to bring out the good in the youth that enters his program. Theentrepreneur believes in putting the same time and investment into the community that raised him.
'Ear to the streets': An entertainment company
Though he has grown through life experience, Haire never forgets where he came from and continuously works to build up the people around him. He keeps his “ear to the streets.”
The behavioral health specialist founded Way2Real Entertainment to allow independent artists to achieve mainstream success. He enlisted the help of legendary nightclub owners The Clark Family and music industry mogul International Special to push artists like Mr. Red Carpet, SK Glizzii and I Am Southeast to the masses.
Way2Real is looking to become the standard for artist development in the region. It is more than a record label, it is a brand. Haire and his team plan to erect a brick and-mortar building that will house community and artist development resources. For more information and updates on Way2Real, follow them on Instagram, @way2real_kings.
Salute to Dr. Haire and every activist getting active. Peace.
Rakeem “Keem” Jones is a community advocate and father of three from the Shaw Road/Bonnie Doone area of Fayetteville. He can be reached at keemj45@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville professional works with youth, has 'ear to the streets'
