Mr. Les Franklin

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  www.denverpost.com/news/ci_14501995 - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 3/3/2010    Last Visited: 3/3/2010  

  I asked her about Les.
  ...
  You had to know Les Franklin in the days after he founded the Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth, a suicide-prevention organization named after his 16-year-old son who in 1990 killed himself in a downstairs bedroom of their home.
  
  He was a gregarious, laugh-a- minute bear of a man, who would always turn a firm handshake into a massive hug.
  
  He was an Air Force lieutenant, served 25 years as an executive with IBM, directed the governor's Job Training Office, a job he quit to run unsuccessfully for Congress in 1995. He refused to allow his grief to consume him.
  
  And then 2000 arrived. His 31-year- old son Jamon, long troubled and whom Les had begged to get help, was found dead that August of carbon-monoxide poisoning in a restored blue Cadillac in the four-car garage of the family home.
  
  Jamon had pledged to his dad not to do what Shaka had done.
  
  Les Franklin was devastated. He stepped away from the foundation he had founded, saying he just didn't have it in him to go out and talk with kids about taking their own lives.
  
  In January, he suffered a mild heart attack, not as severe as the one that struck in 1997, said Marianne Franklin, now 59 years old, who succeeded her husband as executive director.
  
  "A good friend of his died a couple of months ago, so Les feels a little lost and cornered right now," she said. "We'll be OK."
  
  Yes, she allows, things have been harder without Les' drive and ability to draw people. She hasn't had a paid staff member in seven years. The youth center, which still serves about 100 kids, is now open but three days a week.
  
  So last summer she turned to her long-standing stable of volunteers for ideas. Dy and Craig Austin, who have been with her and Les for years, came up with a novel fundraising idea to celebrate the foundation's 20th anniversary:
  ...
  We talk a long time about the vision Les Franklin had when he started. Her mood brightens.

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  www.urbanspectrum.net/oct07/writers/teen_suicide.htm - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 10/10/2007    Last Visited: 10/10/2007  

  Mosby spoke with Les Franklin, co-founder of the Shaka Franklin Foundation, who lost his son to suicide with a gun in 1990.
  ...
  That's why we tell their peers, don't ever keep the ,secret' when they swear to you," Franklin said.

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  083100forum - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/31/2000    Last Visited: 6/20/2001  

  We join many in the community is extending our sympathy to Les Franklin of Denver , founder of the Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth.Franklin's 31-year-old son , Jamon , died at his own hand on Aug. 14.It is a bitter irony that the foundation is named for another of Franklin's sons , Shaka , who killed himself at age 16 in 1990.Franklin is well known to many here.He has been attempting to acquire a 240-acre ranch which would be used by the Foundation in its efforts to help troubled youth in the Denver area.Our prayers go out to Franklin and his family.
  
  C-1 classes ; the largest increase in Five years
  
  479 students in school built for 190.
  
  School nixes Bible class.

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  After Columbine: A Community Conversation - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 8/4/2001    Last Visited: 8/4/2001  

  Les Franklin , Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth

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  Board of Directors - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 9/26/2007    Last Visited: 9/26/2007  

  Les Franklin - DirectorThe Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth303-337-2515 Email: info@shaka.org

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  Boardmembers - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 5/20/2001    Last Visited: 12/13/2001  

  Les Franklin
  
  ...
  Leslie S. Franklin,2nd Vice President
  
  In 1990, Les founded the Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth, in memory of his son.His life's dream is to create a center where all children in need will be welcomed, protected, educated and loved.
  
  Les received his B.S in Business in 1962 from the University of Northern Colorado.He was State Director (1991-1996) of the Colorado Governor's Job Training Office.He resigned from this position in March of 1996 to seek political office as Representative from Colorado's First Congressional District.
  
  He has talked nationally via the Montel Williams Show, the Phil Donahue Show, the NBC special "Images Realities" with Lou Gossett, Jr., and the 700 Club.In this national exposure, Les has expressed his concerns about the loss of youth through self-destructive behavior.For several years Les aired a monthly radio program on Denver's inner-city network, KDKO, and has spoken as a "Leading Voice" for KUVO Radio.
  
  Les has served on numerous boards, committees, commissions and councils that address education, youth issues and economic issues such as the AmeriCorp National Civilian Community Corp., Colorado Association of School Counselors, Crisis Prevention Advisory Council, Metro Denver Youth Gang Commission, University of Colorado Student Advisory Council, Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, Denver Family Opportunity Council, National African American Male Health Coalition, School-to-Work Statewide Initiative, Up With People Leadership Committee, Hispanic Institute for Education and Economic Development, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, State Workers Advocating for Youth (SWAY), Drug Court Advisory Committee and the Governor's Commission on Mentoring and Youth Community Service.

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  Charles F - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 5/3/2006    Last Visited: 12/26/2007  

  Leslie S. Franklin (Class of 1958)
  
  Following his graduation from Colorado Springs High School in 1958, Les attended the University of Northern Colorado, earning a B.S. degree in business in 1962.In 1989 he was inducted into the UNC Alumni Hall-of-Fame.He served as a First Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, and in 1965 he was employed by IBM and became an executive in manufacture and administration.From 1991-1996, Les served as State Director of the Colorado Governor's Job Training Office.
  
  In October of 1990, tragedy befell Leslie Franklin when his sixteen-year old son, Shaka, took his own life.In 1991, as a result of this agonizing experience, Leslie founded the Shaka Franklin Foundation For Youth to provide counseling and recreation for young people and to educate people about the warning signs of suicide.His life's dream is to create a center where all children in need will be welcomed, protected, and loved.
  
  Les is active on numerous boards, committees, commissions, and councils that address education, youth issues, and economic issues.He is well-versed in the National Education Goals that offer a blueprint toward achievement and is very concerned about the implications of continued failure in our schools.He has appeared on national television on the Montel Williams show, the Phil Donohue show, the NBC Special "Images, Realities" with Lou Gossett, Jr., and the 700 Club moderated by Ben Kichlow, where he expressed his concerns about the loss of youth through self-destructive behavior.For several years he broadcast a monthly radio program on Denver's KDKO and has spoken as a "Leading Voice" for KUVO Radio.He has also been a speaker for a number of schools and community groups across the country offering information and guidance in dealing with the needs of young people.He has received numerous personal letters from teens and parents expressing their gratitude for making a difference in their lives.
  
  Among the many awards that Les has received for his dedication and service are the Colorado School Counselors Advocate of the Year Award, the Five Points Business Association's Recognition of Outstanding Service to the Community, the American Institute for Public Service Jefferson Award, the Governor's Citation for Outstanding Service to the State of Colorado, the National Labor Committee's NCLC Lewis Hines Award, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews Brotherhood-Sisterhood Award, as well as the El Pomar Foundation R. J.Montgomery Award for Excellence in the Category of Human Services-Youth which carried a sizable monetary grant for operating the Shaka Foundation.
  
  It can truly be said that Les Franklin has shaped, enriched, and in some cases actually extended the lives of many young people.

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  Colorado Avalanche | News - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 1/24/2001    Last Visited: 10/4/2003  

  The Avalanche will skate at 10 a.m. In addition to the 12 boys and girls, Les Franklin, founder of Shaka I.C.E., will be on hand to accept the 100 tickets on behalf of the program.
  
  Shaka I.C.E., an NHL Diversity Task Force Program, was established in 1997 and provides an opportunity for children from Denver's inner-city to learn and participate in ice hockey and figure skating at competitive and recreational levels.Shaka I.C.E. is a division of Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth, founded by Les Franklin, a nationally-renown suicide prevention activist and a resident of Denver.

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  Colorado Black Chamber of CommerceDirectors - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 11/14/2009    Last Visited: 11/14/2009  

  Les Franklin Founder Shaka Franklin Foundation for Youth

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  Denver's Road Home - Endorsers - [Cached Version]
  Published on: 2/6/2007    Last Visited: 7/31/2007  

  Les Franklin, Shaka Franklin Foundation

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