Foundation teaches kids to make informed decisions
Parents speak about son's life, death

As seen in Pataskala Standard
Thursday, August 18, 2005

CHAD KLIMACK

Photo by David J. Chad Klimack Standing near a fairway at Willow Run Golf Course, Tom Miller poses with a signed Peyton Manning jersey, a signed Columbus Blue Jackets Jersey, a United States Olympic hockey jersey and a baseball bat signed by numerous New York Yankees legends. All the items -- and many more -- will be up for auction during the Chris Miller Foundation's third-annual golf outing Sept. 2 at Willow Run Golf Course.

Although almost three years have passed, Tom Miller still gets choked up and needs to pause whenever he talks at length about his son, Chris.

"Sometimes I feel like I let him down, and I know he's looking down on me now," said Tom, who usually is voluble and outgoing. "I just want to look up and have him say, 'Hey, Dad, you're doing a great job.'"

A promising athlete and member of the Columbus Crush junior hockey team, Chris died after a Zanesville man gave him a lethal dose of morphine on Oct. 11, 2002.

The man, Edward Eugene Williams II, currently is incarcerated in the Ross Correctional Institution, where he is serving a seven-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter, among other offenses.

Prior to his death, life could not have been more promising for Chris. He was handsome, strong and possessed the confidence of a successful athlete.

One night spent hanging out with the "wrong crowd" proved fatal for Chris, Tom said.

Chris had never dabbled in hard drugs, and Williams gave him the morphine without telling him what it was, Tom said. The decision to take the clear liquid cost Chris his life.

Tom and his wife, Doreen, could have let crumbled after Chris' death. Their pain was intense.

Instead, they decided to tell Chris' story to thousands of youngsters throughout central Ohio. They also decided to found the Chris Miller Foundation, which has raised money for charitable causes throughout the region and provided hockey equipment to disadvantaged youth.

"One of the things we said is, 'We never want to see another parent go through what we went through,'" Tom said. "Also, deep down inside, we're doing it because it was so devastating. I just told Doreen we needed to turn something from a negative into a positive."

Tom and his wife speak at colleges, drug and alcohol abuse centers and high schools. They talk about the importance of making informed decisions. More than 1,000 kids have heard them speak, Tom estimated.

Their visits to drug and alcohol centers have proven to be the most challenging -- and rewarding -- experiences.

"Social workers or drug counselors would tell us to be aware that the kids may make wisecracks and tell jokes," Tom said.

"Then we would tell our story, and these kids, you could see where their hands were over their eyes, where they were crying. They didn't want anyone to see because they were tough guys."

Invariably, after Tom and Doreen finish their program and everyone else had left, the couple see a teenager hanging out in the back of the room. After a moment or two, the teenager usually approaches them.

Tom still remembers what one such teenager said to him.

"He said, 'I don't want my mom and dad to go through what you went through," Tom said. "I promise I'm going to turn my life around."

If only a handful of kids react in a similar way, Tom said he will feel as if he has made a difference.

Judging from one of the centerpieces of Chris Miller Foundation, Tom and Doreen have made a difference.

The foundation has sponsored a golf outing for three years. The first outing raised $5,000, and the second outing raised $12,000. This year, Tom hopes to raise $20,000 at the outing, which is scheduled for Sept. 2 at Willow Run Golf Course.

Tom used proceeds from the first outing to buy hockey equipment for underprivileged children. Last year, he bought more hockey equipment and also donated money to the Ronald McDonald House and Franklin County Children Services, among other local agencies and charities.

Professional and college sports teams from around the country have helped make the golf outing a success. Tom organizes a silent auction, and the Ohio State University and Columbus Blue Jackets, among others, always donate items for the auction.

This year, Tom said he expects four Blue Jackets' players to participate in the golf outing. He also hopes Doug MacLean, the team's GM and president can attend.

"The greatest thing is just to see the overwhelming response from the community is central Ohio," Tom said.

Despite the positive response, Tom said he still feels like there is a void in his life. He only hopes Chris is looking down from above and seeing his father and mother working to make a positive difference in the world.

"I miss my son," Tom said. "Chris was a good kid, and I want Chris's name to be known in the public as a positive and not a negative."