PENSACOLA, Fla. — Life isn’t always easy being an adolescent and young teen. Luckily, for some, Jean Gracia is there to help lighten the load and set them on a path for success where they can actually enjoy just being a middle school student. Sue Straughn tells us, he’s one of the Angels In Our Midst.

“Stresses a lot of times get folded onto the child. They bear a lot of that. I see a lot of that here. Kids come here and they know all of the issues that are going on at home. They know all of the bills that are due. They know all of the problems that the parents are having but they can’t solve any of those problems but they carry it with them on their shoulders. And that’s tough for like a 10, 11, 12.” Jean Gracia is a military veteran skilled at maneuvers who now seems the perfect guide to help students through those tough times. He’s a Children’s Home Society navigator assigned to Jim Bailey Middle School. To help some of his students just get through the day, he tries to keep his tool box supplied with the basics they may be lacking-clothes, personal care items, food. The struggles at home that they bring to school are real.

Jean says, “Life consumes us. You know, we get caught in just the everyday life surviving every single day. And I think that people get to a point where they don’t know how to survive and they’re tired of just surviving and they just want to get ahead. They want to get their head more that being just above water. They want to be able to walk again.”

And Jean tries to help them get their footing. They call him, Mr. G. They connect with the former Army man. He’s the real deal. No pretense, he’s straight from the heart. Melina Perez is the Navigator supervisor for Children’s Home Society. She has seen how the students connect with him. “He’s very charismatic and I think when the students meet him and he’s laid back and he’s kind of a cool guy in the hallways that’s telling them, “You matter,” and “good morning,” and “Have a good day,'” and “We’re glad you’re here.” And when they see that and they relate to him in that way, that makes them feel safe and it makes them feel comfortable and it makes all the difference.”

It may have been as simple as turning a child’s day around by giving them a comb so they could do their hair or a toothbrush and toothpaste. Maybe it was food for their sisters and brothers to be able to eat when they got home. Jean also reaches out to the parents to try to be of help. Many times they’re overwhelmed and could use someone to steer them in the right direction too.

Jean explains, “We’re able to work with the families to get them out of those places and to get them stable so they can focus on what’s important. Like, kids shouldn’t have adult responsibilities, but a lot of times they do. So, we help the adult with the responsibility so the kid doesn’t have to worry about that responsibility.”

Jean shared with me that he has walked in those shoes and wished he had had someone to guide him. He knows exactly what he would have wanted in his life and that’s precisely what he gives to every child as he navigates them to their highest heights and beyond. Jean says, “Being that light for people and them being able to see a solution.”

Originally posted by WEAR-TV
By Sue Straughn