DAYTONA BEACH — At age 17, Jayson Meyer was sitting on top of the world. A technology whiz who dropped out of high school two years earlier, he had started a computer company that quickly grew to become a million-dollar business. By 2000, he was the subject of a flattering profile in the Wall Street Journal as well as CBS's "48 Hours" and was invited to appear on the "Oprah Winfrey Show."

Pam and Bob Tebow, parents of former NFL player-turned professional baseball player Tim Tebow, will be the keynote speakers at an event in Daytona Beach next week. The aim of the Fail Forward event at the Ocean Center, 6 to 9 p.m., Sept. 29, is to encourage people to learn from adversity and not be afraid to take risks, according to Jayson Meyer, the CEO of Synergy Billing, one of the event's organizers.

Not long ago, I thought that the word "homeless" was synonymous with "hopeless." About a year ago, I was at a convenience store and was persistently solicited by a man seeking loose change. Frustrated by the panhandling, I asked him, "If you are this persistent, why not apply these skills to getting a real job?" I'll never forget his response: "Brother, I tried but there weren't any jobs for someone like me. So, now I'm here."