The Throw Away Kids

The Throw Away Kids Network is a prison outreach program that serves the needs of juveniles who are currently inside Florida correctional facilities - many of whom feel unloved and unwanted and have nowhere to turn.

Rita Pearson, the founder of The Throw Away Kids Network, started the program as a means of getting inside a juvenile facility where her son, Jake, is currently incarcerated. Jake was arrested at the age of 17 before he could carry out a plan a shooting at his school. The FBI intercepted Jake’s internet chat room conversation where he was trying to obtain a gun. See a news video of Rita and a photo of Jake here. Ironically, Jake was arrested two days before Ted on October 28, 2008.

Rita now visits several juvenile correctional facilities and arranges to have Christian rap groups, bikers and motivational speakers visit the kids. Her mission is to show them that they are not forgotten and she hopes to bring about a change in some young lives. Rita works full-time for the state and spends her weekends and free time traveling all over the state visiting various juvenile facilities. Help for these kids can be obtained through counseling and talking to parents, teachers and pastors.

Rita told me about Hidden Rage, a movie about Joshua, a high school freshman who gets picked on, bullied and beaten up every day at school. His teachers aren't aware of the situation and his only friend, Stephen, is too afraid to step to his defense. No one sees the signs of Joshua’s hidden rage - until one day he gets pushed too far…

Hidden Rage is a wakeup call and seeks to reach out to kids in today’s culture of violence. It explores many of the possible triggers that would cause a person to snap. At the same time, the movie also demonstrates the consequences of resorting to violence to solve your problems. The goal of Hidden Rage is to act as a starting point for dialogue among parents, students, teachers and law enforcement agencies nationwide.

For movie showings, see Hidden Rage on Facebook.

The Throw Away Kids Network is a pending 501C3 organization and relies on donations for funding. Visit Rita's MySpace page for photos and more info, or email her at ritapearson731@yahoo.com.

Here's a movie trailer of Hidden Rage: