Two years ago, the Clayton resident arrived outside of NBC's "Today" at 4 a.m. in New York. As soon as host Matt Lauer came outside to chat with the crowd, Burgess yelled, "Matt! I have a book that is going to save kids lives out here." The one line was enough to catch Lauer's attention. Burgess got a 10-second spot to promote "Cool Calvin's No Bandanas for Me: Staying Gang Free."

"When I got home, I had 2,000 orders placed in the first half-hour," Burgess said. "That literally changed my life."

The Clayton Police Department recently got word of the book. It purchased 100 books for rising fifth-graders at Cooper Elementary School earlier this month. Three books were given to the library, while the others were given to students.

"We want to get feedback from the children and their families," Police Chief Glen Allen said. "You have got to be careful with that age group because you don't want to be to condescending, but you do want to reach them. I think it's a great product."

Although Burgess spent most of his career in banking, he always had a passion for writing. He has written hip-hop songs, television scripts, editorials and fictional novels, although the novels have not been published yet. Most of his work catered toward adults until his daughter asked Burgess to write books for her and her two siblings to read.

Burgess decided to take her advice and came up with his first children's book, "The Learning Adventures of Cool Calvin" in 2005. When it came time to write another Cool Calvin book, Burgess wanted to touch upon gang prevention for readers in grades two through six. It was an issue he was often reminded of while living near a funeral home in New Jersey.

"Every month, they had a gang-related funeral and the kids were getting younger and younger and younger," said Burgess, founder and president of Burgess Publishing and Media. "The year the book came out, a 4-year-old girl was shot in the head and killed."

Calvin convinces a schoolmate that gang life would only lead to a troubled life in the newest book. So far, Burgess has sold more than 20,000 books and more than 500 schools across the country have ordered copies.

To reach even more readers, the book will be published in Spanish this fall. Burgess will teach workshops on gang prevention to guidance counselors at the Johnston County schools this summer. Burgess said plans for a movie and a cartoon on the latest Cool Calvin book are in the works.

"A lot of times parents say 'Thanks, but no thanks. My son or daughter doesn't need this book,' but it's not just for kids who might be or become involved in gangs," said Burgess. "It's for kids who want a good story or are learning how to counsel a fellow friend who may be going through this.

"You never know whose life you might be saving, and if people fail to get that, they fail to understand that there is a bigger picture here."

"Cool Calvin's No Bandanas for Me: Staying Gang Free" costs $10 apiece. For more information, call 763-4467 or go to www.coolcalvin.com.