Spectrum News 13 did a story on my impact in the community through motivational speaking.

More than 4 years ago since the beginning of the pandemic, some people are still struggling with mental health issues either brought on by the pandemic or made worse by it. Data from a KFF-CNN survey shows 90%, 90% of U.S. adults believe the country is now facing a mental health crisis. Our Jeff Allen. Spoke with a local pastor who says his own loss and lingering personal struggles from the pandemic have now inspired him to help others who may be facing their own challenges.

Preparing to speak in front of a group— welcome, welcome—

thank you very much.

A frightening scenario for many people, but not Rico Sharp.

I'm past the stage of nervousness after doing this for 33 years.

He's worked as a pastor and motivational speaker for decades. You can hear it in his voice.

Life would knock you flat down on your back, but if life knocks you down on your back, if you can look up, you can get up. His message today to these Florida Technical College students really helped them to understand very enthusiastically and passionately just how vitally important every moment is. That's the thing that matters the most to me.

But the pandemic took a toll on Sharp and his family.

I thank them for being The world's greatest dad.

We first introduced you to Sharp back in July of 2020, right after he lost his father to COVID. And the losses kept coming.

She passed away, um, right after my dad passed away.

COVID claimed several people close to him, and since then, other circumstances have for one reason or another led to the deaths of more than a dozen members of his family. The grief so overwhelming, Sharp stopped working.

I felt That the load was too heavy for me to bear, and I was looking for a way out. And so, yeah, I did quit. I gave up.

Sharp says the losses came too often to give his family a chance to recover.

And it ripped us into shreds. And although it's been 4 years ago, my family still haven't fully recuperated. We, we're all dazed. We're still stunned. And still waiting to wake up from a nightmare.

Then a year ago, after a series of injuries and illnesses, his brother passed away in his sleep shortly after telling Sharp this.

He said to me basically that don't let life kill you. Don't let life get the best of you. He was someone that life beat up very, very brutally to the point where he died of a broken heart.

Sharp says after that, he became determined to prevent others from suffering the same fate.

When he died, in the conversation that we had, it gave me the replenishing of strength and the replenishing of passion to get back out there and to not give up on the world, but to use what happened to him as my motivation to inspire others to win in life.

Sharp now volunteers his time to speak to people. Here to students at Jones High School in Orlando.

If you believe in you, you don't need drugs.

He shares lessons he's learned from his tumultuous teenage years that in his case led to homelessness and even prison time. Looking at a portrait of his brother and father, Sharp says his family is now trying to move forward by leaning on each other, those who are still here.

We have to seize every moment, maximize every opportunity, and embrace love for one another in that moment.

And his mission to motivate others is more urgent than ever before.

As long as you're opening your eyes in the morning, as long as you're breathing, you have the opportunity to make things better for your life.

In Volusia County, Jeff Allen, Spectrum News.

While Rico Sharp does do paid motivational speeches, he says all of his talks with students at schools is on a voluntary basis, and he says he devotes his time to do that Because he wants to make a difference.