Sometimes, it seems like the universe puts two people in the same place at the same time in order to change their lives. That’s exactly what happened when Officer Brandon Sheffert met 16-year-old Anthony Schultz. Their first encounter was strange — the officer saw Anthony running as fast as he could down the road, so he stopped teen.
When he was questioned, Anthony explained that he was just going for a jog. “Something about it bugged me because I couldn’t get through to him,” said Officer Sheffert. “He just seemed like there was something going on, and that there was something that was hurtful going on that he wouldn’t say.”
The man decided to investigate and learned that the teenager was sharing a 1-bedroom apartment with seven family members. He would visit Anthony at the apartment complex where he lived. “I kept coming over here, talking to him, spending time with him, getting to know him, getting to know the family, understand what’s going on,” he recalled.
Eventually, Officer Sheffert initiated a formal mentorship through the Reach & Rise Mentoring Program with the YMCA. “I had a role model, I had someone I could look up to, I had someone I could aspire to be,” Anthony said about his connection with Sheffert.
But, one night, Officer Sheffert received an alarming phone call from Anthony’s mother. “You need to come take him,” she said. “I can’t take him anymore.”
Though he was surprised by the request, he and his wife decided to take Anthony into their home for a few weeks while things settled down. However, by the time Anthony turned 18, he was homeless once again. So, the officer and his wife decided to take him in on a more permanent basis.
“We have taken him in as one of our own,” he explains. “Even my kids say he’s their big brother, and they love it.”
Anthony doesn’t like to think about where he might be if he hadn’t met Officer Sheffert that fateful summer night. “If he weren’t there that night, there would be no one else, in my opinion,” Anthony said. “I don’t think I would be here,” he continued. “I wouldn’t be the person I am — I could be in jail for all I know.”
With the help and support of a loving family, Anthony is preparing to join the Army and hopes to grow up to help others. “I feel as though there’s not a lot stopping me, at this point.”
Watch more about Anthony’s story in the video.
