Veteran CNN Journalist to speak at 2^nd Annual Cedar Crest Prayer Breakfast 

(Pompton Plains, NJ)—Veteran journalist John DeDakis, a writer and editor for CNN’s award-winning “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer,” is the featured speaker at the Cedar Crest retirement community’s second annual prayer breakfast on Saturday March 20. 

DeDakis will speak about the importance of prayer in his life and throughout his 41-year career as a journalist. DeDakis has worked in radio and television since 1969. His career highlights include a one-on-one radio interview with Alfred Hitchcock, covering the White House for the last three years of Ronald Reagan’s presidency and producing award-winning radio and TV documentaries. 

DeDakis joined CNN in 1988, and supervised the writing on “Daybreak,” anchored by Carol Costello in 2001. 

Since 2005, DeDakis has been an editor and writer on the Emmy Award-winning “The Situation Room,” a fast-paced political news show anchored by Wolf Blitzer weekdays from 5-7 p.m. CNN calls it “the command center for breaking news, politics and extraordinary reports from around the world” and says it is “modeled on the concept of the White House Situation Room.” The show also won the 2009 Peabody Award, the world’s oldest and most prestigious honor in electronic journalism. 

DeDakis, 59, suggests, “If more people would pray about the news instead of complain about it, the world might be a better place.” 

In 2005, DeDakis published his first novel, “Fast Track,” a page-turning, fast-paced read about a young woman trying to unravel the mysteries of her past. The book deals redemptively with issues of journalistic integrity, politics, suicide and mentoring relationships. “Fast Track” is the first in a three-book series, with the second volume due for publication later this year. DeDakis is currently writing the third book. 

“The young heroine in my novel struggles with her faith as she tries to find purpose in her life,” DeDakis says.  “Prayer helps calm her down and keep her focused.” 

Cedar Crest, one of 19 full-service retirement communities around the country run by the Maryland-based Erickson Retirement Communities, is home to more than 1900 people. 

Following the success of last year’s first prayer breakfast, members of Cedar Crest’s four active faith communities asked that it be made an annual event. 

Bert Moore, Cedar Crest’s pastoral ministries manager, says the breakfasts are “an event where we can gather for breakfast, prayer and to be encouraged in our spiritual life.” 

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For more information about Dedakis, link to www.johndedakis.com;

http://www.mysterywriters.org/?q=user/391; and http://authorsden.com/visit/author.asp?AuthorID=38787

For more information about Fast Track, link to http://www.archebooks.com/BookIDX/Indexes/MystSus/FT/FTDesc.htm

For more information about Cedar Crest, link to http://www.ericksonliving.com/ourcommunities/ccv/

More than 1,900 people live at Cedar Crest, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle.  Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities.  

Here at Cedar Crest we have four active faith communities. Representatives of each faith community meet monthly as an Interfaith Council which looks for ways to support and encourage the spirituality of all the residents. Prayer is a spiritual discipline that most faith traditions have in common. So, the Council decided to plan an event where we can gather together as an interfaith community for breakfast, prayer, and to be encouraged in our spiritual life. Last year’s Interfaith Prayer Breakfast met this need leading to the residents requesting this be an annual event. This year Mr. John DeDakis, a novelist and a journalist in the fast paced news room at CNN will join us. He will speak about the importance of his faith and prayer as he daily balances his life with his family and work in such a significant setting.