People are not born winners or losers. People are born choosers. If people hold onto their dreams, cultivate the dream-makers and avoid the dream-takers, people can do whatever they choose to do in life.

That is the inspirational message motivational speaker Steve Carrier delivered to hundreds of Beaufort County children and adults this week. Carrier visited the Washington community at the invitation of pastor Steve Evans.

“This was a vision of the Washington Assembly of God. We wanted to do something for the community and bring people into the church,” said Evans.

Carrier uses feats of strength to start each presentation — ripping 3-inch-thick phone books and metal license plates in half with little effort, bending steel rebar like a string, rolling up frying pans into burritos and breaking bricks and baseball bats with ease, Evans said.

But it is his positive message that follows his physical feats that reaches deep into all who listen, Evans believes.

“The focus (of the presentation) is to promote anti-bullying, promote anti-drugs and hang onto your dreams. It’s a very powerful presentation,” Evans said.

Carrier talks about the value of having and holding onto goals and dreams, of avoiding the dream-breakers who can lead people down the wrong path and cultivating the dream-makers who provide support. It’s about making the right choices in life, Evans said.

Carrier draws on difficulties in his life to teach children what is important.

As a young boy, Carrier was told he would never walk again. He was teased incessantly about his physical problems. But through therapy and determination, he became the fastest track athlete at his high school and a top baseball player, won a full scholarship to college and became a weightlifter and motivational speaker.

“He has overcome insurmountable odds. He has known the sting and pain of bullying. But he has overcome that … with the Lord’s help,” Evans said.

“When he goes into the schools, he lets (the children) know there’s a great future. To apply themselves, to not be pressured or be the one who pressures others,” Evans said.

Carrier shared his message with the Washington and Belhaven units of the Beaufort County Boys & Girls Club, Montessori School of Washington, Terra Ceia Christian School, Pungo Christian Academy and at the Washington Assembly of God on three evenings.

“We believe Steve’s visit has been a powerful influence on the children,” Evans said.

“I was really impressed with the whole production and his message. His message goes hand in hand with the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, resisting drugs and violence and the schools’ emphasis on anti-bullying. He really boosted the self-esteem of the young people,” said Kit Campbell, chief deputy of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Evans and Campbell are determined to bring Carrier back to share his message with the county’s public-school children, who were unavailable this week because of end-of-grade testing.

Evans said bringing Carrier to the Washington community could not have happened without the help of several local businesses and the sheriff’s office.

“A lot of what we did and where we were able to go, we couldn’t have done without the support of the sheriff’s department, especially the DARE program and Kit Campbell,” Evans said.

Businesses that sponsored Carrier’s visit included Buddy’s Garage, Tar Heel Medical Transport, Guy Shavender Trucking, St. Clair Trucking, Country Boys Auction and Realty, Frank McClawhorn Construction, Robby’s Home Improvement and Livesay Photography.