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In 1983, at the age of 18, Roy had the opportunity to go overseas to Germany with his parents and younger sister. He immediately enrolled in classes through the University of Maryland. While attending classes, Roy had time to volunteer at the local youth activities center at Patch Barracks Army Base. Later that year, Roy was offered a position working at the youth center with sports and activities. Roy soon discovered how many teens wanted something to do. Having a little bit of a drama background, Roy asked students to help him put on a show. Many of the male teens asked, “Do you mean a play?” Roy replied, “No, a show.” Roy knew that boys who participated in sports would often shy away from drama-related activities. He quickly then came up with the idea of putting teens into real-life situations and have them solve these common problems. The male participants now looked at the program with interest. They saw that they could input many of their personal experiences into a show program. Teen Productions had become a reality and was growing at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany. As they say, all good things must come to an end. Roy’s dad was scheduled to return with his family to the United States in 1986. This would end probably one of the greatest experiences he had ever had. Roy was saddened to leave so many friends and families who he had supported and known. But it was on to another challenge, returning to the US. Upon arriving back to Virginia, Roy discovered things had changed. The pool he once worked at and had cherished was gone. Expensive town-homes now covered the area that was once the biggest outdoor pool in the region. Many of his friends had also moved away. Roy enrolled at George Mason University and Northern Virginia Community College to continue working on his program. He also started coaching at a local high school. Roy soon discovered that many kids were involved with drugs and alcohol when they had time off on the weekends. The Teen Productions program was then launched through the YMCA youth program in Alexandria. In 1988, Roy met and began working for a man who would mold his business future and become one of his closest friends. Roy’s new friend and employer was Christian B. Marchetti. From that day until now, Roy has worked with Mr. Marchetti with records management and also worked with area schools in drug, alcohol, and violence prevention activities during the school day. At the same time, Roy was reunited with his old high school principal, John Porter, who has been a mentor and friend in his life since 1980. Mr. Porter believed in Roy and his abilities and allowed him to have his first in-school assembly performance. Officials from Fairfax County and other jurisdictions came to see what the program was all about. They were not disappointed and neither was Mr. Porter. From there, the program went on to other Northern Virginia school communities and was introduced to communities in the Mid-Atlantic region. In 1995, Teen Productions began partnering on all projects with the Vienna Community Center in Vienna, VA (a non-profit community organization). This partnership continues through to today. Roy has kept his dream alive because he’s known the importance of keeping youth safe in their schools and communities. He will continue to work on strengthening the lives of children by allowing them to become directly involved in helping their peers.
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