Kurt Varricchio the President of KVA Sports LLC. is now representing some major league baseball players. But based on his work today, many wouldn't guess what he went through as a child.
In his new book Behind in the Count, he opens up about his past. He is now traveling to different cities talking to at-risk kids hoping to inspire them, so they too can turn their life around like Varricchio did at age 12.
Varricchio visited with some at-risk kids in the Waco community to talk about his new book.
"To make some changes and to help some kids and I know we're not going to help all of them but if we can help a few and then those kids help a few and so on it can really spread and we can make an impact," Varricchio said.
Living without a father figure, he said life would be a downward spiral. His father passed away when Varricchio was just under the age of two. His mom was taking care of four children, uneducated and all of them living off no more than $190 a month.
"The violence in my family was pervasive which resulted in me running away and then when I'd run away I lived on the streets and when I lived
on the streets I'd need some money to buy food and then I accidentally got into a life of crime," Varricchio said.
Varricchio was in and out of juvenile hall for many of the crimes he committed, most of his crimes were stealing. The first time he decided to steal was when he saw a car with its windows rolled down and change sitting out in the open.
"It escalated from burglary to armed burglary and the first time I went to juvenile hall I was 9 years old the last time I was 11 years old," Varricchio said.
Between those two years, he went back to juvenile hall five times. Along with being a troubled kid, the adults he did come in contact with were not very inspirational when talking about his future.
"Counselors, guards, judges, attorneys, teachers told me that I would either be dead or incarcerated by the time I was 21," Varricchio said.
Receiving little hope and not sure where to turn next, he was sitting in an isolation cell in juvenile hall, looking out the window. What he saw made him want to turn his life around for the better.
"Watching the Fourth of July fireworks from my cell," Varricchio said. "I could see the fireworks going off but I didn't hear any of the booms and people were celebrating and I thought life's going on without me and it was upsetting to me, I gotta do something about it."
Realizing the world wasn't going to stop just because he was in jail, he was ready to start a new chapter.
A husband and wife decided to take Varricchio in as a foster kid just before his 12th birthday. A big decision for the couple and an even bigger one for Varricchio, keep his last name or change it to Evancho.
"The last name Varricchio in southern Florida was not really well thought of and I wanted to try and change that," said Varricchio.
He then got back on track, graduated from law school in 2002 and is now with a family of his own.
He hopes that by telling this story and publishing his book Behind in the Count it will not only help the kids today, but tomorrow and years after that.
"I think giving a second chance, or a third, or fourth chance at life it's my obligation to give back," Varricchio said. "But it's not about me, I have a great job, great wife, great clients. It's what can I do to help other people experience the success that I've had."
It's more than standing in front of a crowd of kids and telling his story. He will speak to them individually, emailing or talking. Anything he can do to help the ones who might need it most.
"When I speak to kids, they have my email address," Varrichio said. "They can ask me any questions, I'm more than happy to help them along."
Two kids came up to him after one of his speeches to personally thank him for his story, as they too were in juvenile hall and looking to make a change.
Nothing can beat those experiences for Varricchio.
"It's pretty impactful when someone comes up to you and says you've given me an opportunity that I'm going to take," said Varricchio.
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