Otis McGee

Mentee

July 5, 2009

Otis McGee
Calera, AL

Jeremiah Castille Foundation
P.O. Box 382514
Birmingham, AL 35238-2514

To: Jeremiah Castille Foundation,

I met Jeremiah in 1998 at a Men’s Summer Camp at Briarwood Church. Jeremiah Castille trained and prepared young men for college. After his trainings, he would teach and talk about becoming a leader and tell us that we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). I asked Jeremiah to become my mentor in 1998. During his mentoring, I was able to attend college and graduate from Brewton Parker College in Mt. Vernon, GA.

Now, I currently work in Birmingham at Coke-Cola and run a successful network marketing business. Jeremiah taught me the importance of being sexually pure and to trust God for my wife. I became abstinent in 1998 and for over ten years, I dedicated my body to the Lord. I got married on June 21st, 2008, to Ashley McGee. The mentoring, marriage counseling and understanding of God’s word continues to help me become a great husband and future father. Through Jeremiah and Jean Castille’s marriage counseling, my wife and I are able to mentor and counsel other couples today.

Growing up in the inner city and in a single-parent home, I personally know the great need for more young Christian men to become examples for youth in our communities. Jeremiah Castille Foundation allows us to go hand in hand loving, mentoring, supporting, and filling the void of a father’s love to the fatherless. This mentoring and love will statistically impact and effectively combat crime, dropouts, and ultimately deaths for our young generation. Statistics show a sixty percent chance, between the ages of 13-21, that a black male will be killed by another black male. If it were not for Jeremiah Castille and the work of the foundation, I could have been a part of this statistic.

Sincerely,
Otis McGee
Otis_McGee.pdf

Romeo Penn

Mentee

To Whom it May Concern,

I am honored to write this letter on behalf of Jeremiah Castille. My name is Romeo Penn and I am an adopted child that knows what it means to be fatherless. I know the pain of not knowing the woman who birthed me. However, my life is now a life filled with passion, purpose and power.
The needs an earthly father provides is crucial, for out of the role of an earthly father comes the transfer of passion, purpose and power. Even though I had wonderful parents who adopted me, something was missing. I later found that something in Jeremiah Castille. Tucked away in a quiet, five foot nine inch frame is what my heavenly Father wanted me to receive. When I think of mentorship and fathering, I think of Jeremiah. He mentors the right way, life-on-life. He not only shares the Word of God, he transfers his passion, purpose, and power.
The passion that Jeremiah carries is contagious. The passion of Christ inside of him ignited a fire inside of me that stands true to this day. That same passion enables me to praise God regardless of how things look. I saw my mentor praise God through thick and thin, and that same passion is alive in me.
When I think of purpose, I think of helping others. The reason of course is that I saw Jeremiah take care of others with a compassionate heart. Again, seeing this and learning how to care for others was crucial in my development.
Another quality that was transferred through the mentorship-father relationship was simply power. I can recall a number of times seeing situations that looked and sounded hopeless; however, there was power demonstrated to overcome all obstacles. Yes, that was also added to my account. So, quite honestly, had it not been for the Father placing Jeremiah in my life, I would not be living out the passion, purpose, and power the Father ordained for me to walk.
In closing, when a person is willing to submit to authority, there is a divine transfer of what God entrusted with that person. In reality, my life today is successful because of the divine transfer of passion, purpose, and power through Jeremiah Castille. There are more Romeo Penn’s out there who need these three qualities and Jeremiah is the right man for the task. He is a true mentor and Godly, earthly father. Hope was revealed through his investment in me.

Much love,
Romeo
Romeo_Penn.pdf

Edrick Williams

Mentee

My name is Edric Williams, and I am a young man that has been personally mentored by Jeremiah and Jean Castille since July of 2001. I met the Castille family at a birthday party for my friend, Artavious Bogan, who was living with them at the time. My life has been forever changed because of that meeting. When I first met Jeremiah there was something about him that I didn’t quite understand, but today I do. He is a true man of God with the anointing of God all over his life.

I was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and lived in Los Angeles, California, for a short period of time when I was younger. I moved back to Birmingham around 6 or 7 years of age, growing up in the inner city of Birmingham in a broken home. My father left when I was 7, leaving my mother to provide and care for my sister and me. She did what she could for as long as she could, but the influence from friends and the environment got to me. I began hanging around guys who were headed in the wrong direction, but there was always the strong touch of my mother as she tried to protect me. In spite of her influence, I experimented with drugs, alcohol and fornication at an early age as an escape from the pain I felt from being unloved. My mom worked 2 and sometimes 3 jobs to take care of us, leaving no one at home after school and on the weekends. I spent a lot of time with my friends, who soon began to replace my family.

Anger consumed me, but I did not know why. I now realize anger was my way of expressing the hurt over my father leaving and my mom never being there and yelling and cursing when she was. Sports, drinking, girls, and smoking were my security. Growing up, I always wanted a big brother that would look out for me or a man who truly cared about me, but all I found was a boyfriend of my mother’s who cheated on her and yelled at my sister and me. I was ready to end my life at one point.

Fortunately, God’s love rained on me when Romeo Penn, also mentored by Jeremiah and Jean Castille, shared Jesus Christ with me. At that time, I had an aunt that was like a second mother to me die, I had bad grades in college and I couldn’t play basketball, which was everything to me. July 8, 2000, I received Jesus Christ in my life and have been forever changed. Romeo invited me to attend Bible study at the Castille’s home, which was also the night of the birthday party for my friend. I was so amazed and didn’t want to leave. I began spending 3 to 4 nights a week in the Castille’s home.

I have never met a man like Jeremiah or a woman like Mrs. Jean. Who knew God had a spiritual father and mother for me to give me what I was lacking in my natural parents? Today, I walk with the Lord closer than I ever have. I hold a sales position at Birmingham Coke-Cola, work part time at the YMCA in Mountain Brook, own a health and wellness business and train young kids in basketball. I can honestly say that the Jeremiah Castille Foundation saved my life. I am currently in prayer for a wife and family and to go into full time ministry so I can pay forward what the Castille family has done for me. Jeremiah and Jean, for saving my life and teaching me how to dream, thank you and I love you. May God richly bless this foundation for the time, money, tears, prayers and Word of God shared with me. Hope was revealed through you sharing your life with me.

God Bless,
Edric Williams

Edric_Williams.pdf

Michael Kerekes

Dunamis President, 2008-2009

"Jeremiah Castille is probably the single most influential man I have ever met, as far as someone who has challenged, inspired and helped to mold and shape me into a man of God. His foundation has reached out to many on the campus of the University of Alabama, both athletes and common students, in order to show them the love and power that faith in Christ brings. Mr. Castille is someone whom I am eternally grateful to God in introducing me to and allowing me to build a relationship with. I only wish I had met him much earlier in my life."

Students and Faculty

J.D. Davis Elementary School
Book Bag Give-away Recipients

"You are people who make life easier and better for everyone around you. Your continual acts of thoughtfulness and kindness brighten each day. What you did for us will glow in our memory, reviving pleasant feelings every time we think about it. We appreciate you and we thank you."

Trey Burgess

Mentee, Student
University of Alabama

"God brought Jeremiah Castille into my life when I was a law student at the University of Alabama. God allowed me, through Coach Castille, to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of the power and speaking in tongues. Coach Castille taught me about the necessity of praising God and how to praise God through dancing, clapping, shouting, singing and other biblical ways of praise. Through Coach Castille, the Lord birthed in me a ministry to help people get saved and discipleship that is the focus of my life as I live as an attorney in Opp, Alabama. I love Coach Castille and appreciate the individual time he has invested in me to see fruit produced for the Kingdom of God.

I can’t think of anybody else that has impacted my life more for Jesus. He and his wife Jean have had me and my two brothers Walter and Allen and other young men into their home for Bible study, prayer and fellowship on several occasions and Coach Castille has lead retreats that have impacted our lives tremendously. Coach Castille has spent hours of his time one-on-one teaching me the Word of God. The Lord continues to use Coach Castille in my life as I am blessed to be able to call him and meet him from time to time. Coach Castille serves a Spiritual Father to me to this day and Lord-willing will continue to be one in the days ahead."

Jim Gates

Owner, Gates Group Marketing
Supporter

"I have had the honor and privilege of working closely with the Jeremiah Castille Foundation for more than a year. In that time, I have found Jeremiah Castille and those working with him to be passionate and uniquely qualified to accomplish their mission to reach at risk youth. Their unwavering commitment to excellence and the cries of their hearts have made it easy for me to join them as a kindred heart and by sharing resources to succeed."

Blair Brown

VP Operations, All-American Recycling, Inc.
SEC Golf Classic Director

"Everyone knows of Jeremiah Castille, the former All-American, Alabama Legend and NFL football player. But, I have come to know Jeremiah Castille personally and I know him as a true man of God. I believe that the Lord has done a tremendous work in his life, his family’s life and in the life’s of many of the children that he seeks to help. He ‘walks the faithful walk’ and helps others do the same. He is a true leader and I believe that he sets the example by seeking the Lord and HIS will thru the Jeremiah Castille Foundation.

The Jeremiah Castille Foundation is something that I believe in and have worked many hours in trying to help build. I have seen firsthand the need of many children and have seen Jeremiah Castile personally fill that material, mental, emotional and spiritual need. One example was in October 2008, Jeremiah spoke to about 430 children in an assembly at JD Davis Elementary School in Columbus, GA. Many of these children are in broken homes. Jeremiah mentored to them and encouraged them greatly. Further, his Foundation gave each child a backpack and school supplies. This meant a lot to the children and their parents as many could not afford them otherwise. Because of my aforementioned thoughts, it is my intent to work towards helping to build the Jeremiah Castille Foundation for the rest of my life. I believe in its purpose, its goals and most of all, Jeremiah Castille."