C.J. Stewart – Page 107

Wise souls

March 21, 2011 by C.J. Stewart

Spending time with my grandmother today gave me a boost of energy. Like most grandmothers, mine is the foundation of our family. She is filled with so much wisdom and positive energy.

She never saw me play in a baseball game but she was always my biggest fan. We have a large family and grandma couldn’t be everywhere at once. I knew that I could always go to her for money to buy Nike cleats when my mom wouldn’t buy them. Lol! She always found something for me to do around the house to earn the money though.

I’m older now and she was there to watch me be ordained as a deacon. Her being there on that occassion meant more to me than seeing me hit a homerun. She has also been present at several L.E.A.D. functions. I remind her that I serve others now because I was inspired by her as a child.

A kiss on the cheek and a “job well done” from grandma is what I needed today. L.E.A.D. will continue to move in the right direction with the prayers of wise souls like my grandmother.

Disney Magic in Atlanta!

March 20, 2011 by C.J. Stewart

Good old fashion hospitality is the secret sauce behind the Disney magic. There is an amazing culture created here. The best part? It can be duplicated.

It starts with having people involved that want to be involved. Disney employees seem more like investors in the Disney Corporation than just employees.

The second of many ingredients is good leadership. Someone is taking the time to make sure that all i’s are dotted and t’s crossed. Careful planning and execution is critical to providing a memorable experience.

I realize that Disney wasn’t created over night. It started with a mission and vision a long, long time ago. That mission and vision was so clear and that is why millions of people throughout the world can leave Orlando, Florida with a smile on their face compliments of Mickey.

I’m having more fun here recognizing the people that are delivering the experience than riding the rides. Maybe I’m alone on this one but I’m a fan of serving others. Sanitation jobs are revered out here. The parking attendants could sign autographs if they wanted to.

We are mixing up the L.E.A.D. sauce and glad that you are willing to try it. We aren’t perfect but we strive to provide a wonderful, memorable experience for everyone that is involved with our year round program; from the student-athletes on the diamond to the spectators in the stand.

L.E.A.D. is providing Disney Magic in Atlanta!

Career Day the Grove Park Way!

March 18, 2011 by C.J. Stewart

I heard the word entrepreneur for the first time when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade at Grove Park Elementary. Of course there were doctors, lawyers and engineers in the building but that wasn’t what I wanted to do when I “grew up”. I am so thankful that our school principal Mrs. Jones made sure that we had a large variety of careers represented that day.

Fast forward over 25 years and today I was able to have several of my dear friends share their careers with students at Grove Park. Exposure still means so much to me as an adult as I strive for excellence. That same exposure is what is needed to mold our students in APS. Like the old saying goes “you know what you know and you don’t know what you don’t know”. Our students are capable of being great but it is our responsibility to expose them to tomorrow’s positive realities today!

Special thanks to Grove Park’s Principal Caitlin Sims and school counselor Ramia Cook for organizing the successful event. Thank you to my wonderful friends for pouring yourselves into the Grove Park students. L.E.A.D. Today…Change Tomorrow!

Jeff Johnson-Peachtree TV

Kristi Dosh-www.ItsASwingAndAMiss.com Chadd Scott-Sports Radio Personality Kevin Donovan-Helios Partners (Marketing)

Patty Rasmussen-Freelance writer

Darrin Woley-Ignition (Marketing)

I will be updating this list with others guest presenters that were at Grove Park today.

Time for a good time

March 17, 2011 by C.J. Stewart

This has been a great vacation and much needed for the Stewart family.

My time in Orlando has allowed me to hear the laughter of my daughters as they swim in pool. We go throughout the day without a set schedule and I use my iPhone mostly for photo taking. We haven’t seen Mickey at Disney yet but he looks good in our Braves gear.

Being here makes me realize that I needed a timeout. When you love what you do, the last thing that you want is a break from it. I love baseball and I love L.E.A.D. and it has been good to charge the batteries back up under the hot Florida sun.

Time down here will be used to appreciate one another in the Stewart house. The girls can scream as loud as they want to and stay up really late. They deserve it. Kelli has been able to get some good rest and that makes me happy because she wears her cape everyday back home. I’m simply enjoying the ability to wear sandals and my Ambassadors visor.

It’s Friday and our time is almost up. Headed back to the ATL on Sunday and ready to work on Monday. In the meantime, my batteries aren’t fully charged yet. We miss y’all and we are having a good time.

High expectations

March 14, 2011 by C.J. Stewart

It is no secret that inner city schools struggle to meet the bar of academic achievement. Know one has the perfect plan but the key is to have a plan. APS has some of the most talented and dedicated teachers that you will ever find. That is why I am encouraged that Atlanta Public Schools will produce more Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s and Ceasar Mitchell’s in the future.

I am fortunate to have my organization L.E.A.D. to be a partner with the Atlanta Public School System through the Atlanta Partners for Education program. This allows me to be a part of the solution.

Within L.E.A.D., we meet our middle and high school male students where they are. We are dealing with at risk male students but our expectations are extremely high for them. We offer year round baseball programs with a methodology that helps everyone stay on track towards graduating from high school and enrolling into college. We realize and accept that it takes a village to raise a child.

Some students have risk factors that are more serious than others and we are sensitive to that but every student has the potential to be great and it is my responsibility to set the bar high for every young man in my organization. If a young man falls, it is also my responsibility to pick him up but push him forward.

One of the pillars of excellence in L.E.A.D. is exposure. I truly feel that a young man is less likely to fail if he is exposed to a high level of success on a continuous basis. High expectations has graduated 100% of our L.E.A.D. Ambassadors from high school and they all enrolled in college. High expectations within APS produced Dr. Martin Luther King from Booker T. Washington High School and Ceasar Mitchell from Benjamin Elijah Mays High School.

I am honored to be a part of the solution and I encourage you to do the same by joining our L.E.A.D. Tailgate Club at www.Lead2Legacy.org.

If not me, who? If not now, when? High expectations is more than a buzz phrase for me. The bar will continue to be raised high by L.E.A.D. within APS.

L.E.A.D., Inc. | L.E.A.D. Center For Youth