C.J. Stewart – Page 125

1935 Ford

September 7, 2010 by C.J. Stewart

A little over 3 years ago, I was leaving my baseball training facility in Cobb county for the day and my good friend Josh Mills was coming in to work at his automobile restoration shop. He and other workers were pushing an old, beat up 1935 Ford in the garage.

I said, “What in the world are you going to do with that?”

He replied, “Look at this photo. This car will look like that in a year.”

I’m thinking to myself as I look at the photo of a mint condition replica, there is no way in the world- especially doing it by hand. He bought the old car for $5,000 and claimed that he would restore and sell it for $80,000. Josh had to explain to me that he is a professional and wouldn’t take on a project that he couldn’t complete. He said it takes a plan, skill, patience, the right equipment and paying careful attention to detail.

L.E.A.D. was conceived immediately after that conversation three years ago for the sole purpose of developing the raw baseball talent of inner city high school baseball players in Atlanta and providing opportunities for them to use their new baseball skills to access college.

Three years later, Josh’s 35 Ford has been restored and sold for over $90,000. L.E.A.D. is also established and to date, 83% of our Ambassadors are enrolled in college on baseball scholarships and 100% of them are enrolled in college.

On Sunday, September 5th, 2010, L.E.A.D. finalized selections for our Legacy League Fall Instructional Program and welcomed 60 families into the organization. In the interview process, parents expressed that they want us to teach their sons how to become leaders in their communities, the importance of making good decisions and academic achievement. They also mentioned that their sons love baseball more than any other sport and they want us to finally teach them the proper way to play the game.

L.E.A.D. does that and a whole lot more; we have the plan, skill, patience, the right equipment and pay careful attention to detail. Let’s have another great year L.E.A.D.!

1935 Ford – Before


1935 Ford – After

Young men hear about what it means to be a L.E.A.D. Ambassador at an info session.

L.E.A.D. 2010 Ambassador Graduating Class – All 8 young men are currently attending college with baseball scholarships.

Jason Heyward is the new cool!

September 1, 2010 by C.J. Stewart

Jason Heyward has received national attention this year and is considered a compassionate, selfless, focused, humble and disciplined baseball player. These aren’t words that are usually used to describe athletes. Especially athletes that are only 21 years old.

I have been privileged to be a part of Jason’s development on and off the field as a mentor and swing coach since he was 14. It is an awesome feeling to see a young man achieve his childhood dream and be a part of it.

I get the opportunity to have the same influence on all of the Leaders in the L.E.A.D. organization. Being successful is all about how you respond to support and resources provided by coaches, mentors, teachers, etc.

I am convinced that my leadership and influence works. Jason makes that clear everytime he speaks about the team rather than himself. He also makes it clear everytime he hits a Hey-Maker over the fence and sprints around the bases.

Jason serves as the Honorary Ambassador for L.E.A.D. Not because of who he is but what he does. He is just the example that we need to show our Leaders that striving for excellence in the classroom and on the field is the right choice. Jason isn’t perfect. He is just Jason.

Actions speak louder than words. If only Jason’s actions had a volume button so that they would get more attention throughout the country. Being compassionate, selfless, focused, humble and disciplined is the new cool!

Dreams

August 26, 2010 by C.J. Stewart

This weekend, L.E.A.D. will be finalizing applications and selecting new families into our Fall Legacy League program. The Legacy League is America‘s 1st fall instructional play league that focuses specifically on inner city middle and high school talent.

Being accepted in this program makes dreams become reality. The reality of now being in a program that provides access to college through academics and baseball.

L.E.A.D. Ambassador Mendez Elder who is a two year member once told me that it is his dream to attend GA Tech as a student athlete. “If I can’t go to Tech, I don’t want to go to college!” Mendez is currently a junior at Grady High School (Atlanta Public Schools) and GT’s Head Baseball Coach Danny Hall knows Mendez on a first name basis.

L.E.A.D. Ambassador Desmond Stegall is a one year member and a senior at Benjamin Mays High School (APS). He also wants to attend GA Tech as a student athlete. This weekend, he attended a prospect clinic held by GA Tech and graded high on their baseball evaluation. He told me after the clinic that “this is where I belong Coach.” He made that statement because L.E.A.D. trained him professionally and exposed him to competition against hundreds of the top high school players in the nation as well as some of the nations top travel baseball teams.

L.E.A.D. Ambassador Brandon Brinkley is currently a freshman at Selma University and a recent graduate of Booker T. Washington High School (APS). Let’s just say that baseball hasn’t been the most popular sport at the school. Rumor speaks to Dr. Martin Luther King being a member of the baseball before graduating and attending Morehouse College. There hasn’t been a scholarship baseball player come from Washington High School in over 15 years. Brandon has cut a trail for several young men at the school to follow. He once told me that “I will do anything to play in college. I just want a chance!”

L.E.A.D. is charged with helping young men who want the most out of life achieve their dreams: attending and excelling in college; becoming entrepreneurs, attorneys and physicians; being civic minded and leaders in their communities.

L.E.A.D. is bigger than baseball and the support of communities in this state and across the country helps us to make dreams a reality. We need help from you so that we can help more families. Can you help us make dreams come true?

The 21st Century Rec Center

August 25, 2010 by C.J. Stewart

When I was a child, the neighborhood rec center served a different type of youth. Today it serves youth that are angered by the lack of love provided by a stable home environment. It serves youth that are hungry to learn more and that want to live a better life than they currently live. They are also hungry from a lack of food at home. Back in my day, just about anything would hold our attention. I remember playing baseball with tennis balls and a stick. We played four square, kickball and raced each other all day long. We would get dropped off at sun up and get picked up at sun down. We were safe and respected authority. We had all the energy in the world and fueled our body with Kool-Aid and chips. Today’s youth need to learn skills that will allow them to earn income now in an effort to survive in the world. Going to college opens up a world of career opportunities and also gives youth and opportunity to live the American Dream but today, they are faced with not much food in the house and a lack of adult supervision.

As a child, I frequented Adams Park and Collier Park. These centers produced several leaders of Atlanta, including Mayor Kasim Reed, City Council President Caesar Mitchell and City Councilman Kwanza Hall. For me as a child, the rec center was simply a place of recreation. An outlet to get out the house and have fun. Today, the rec center has to be a place of development for youth. Staff members have to be the mother and father figure along with being tutors.

The rec centers worked before and can work again but what type of child are the centers serving now? Youth today have to over achieve. You can know longer get a good paying job with a GED. A college degree at times can’t you a job these days. Today’s youth need to know what career opportunities exist and how to get them. Dreaming of success occurs when your eyes are closed but when your eyes open, reality sets in. The reality is that some of the youth in the inner city aren’t aspiring to do more than what they see in their community which is suffering due to a decline in the country’s economy. It is time to introduce them to politics and provide a mentor that will be there every step of the way. It is time to introduce them to programs like L.E.A.D. that takes their interest in a sport like baseball and show them how they can access college with the possibilities of becoming a General Manager for the Atlanta Braves or the Braves attorney. The youth that we serve today needs more than words of encouragement. They demand a road map for success. They demand year round programs that provide year round access to an environment of hope.

A lot has changed since I was a child. We ran to the rec center. The rec centers today aren’t equipped to handle these young men but that L.E.A.D. is. Today’s rec centers definitely need to be upgraded with technology because today’s teen thrives off of it. Technology provides information that will empower youth. When I was a kid, the big thing was staying in touch with friends that you met at a summer camp from the rec center with pen pal letters. Obviously those days are over and will never return.

L.E.A.D. is a program based at Perkerson Park and is charged with meeting middle and high school males where they are. Our goal is to Launch educational opportunities, Expose them to service. Advise them and their parents on how to achieve their goals and Direct them with the legacy of current leaders such as Mayor Kasim Reed and past legends such as Benjamin E. Mays.

On August 10, 2010, Mayor Reed provided hope to inner city Atlanta youth by announcing at a press conference that 6 Rec Centers in Atlanta are now open and ready to serve. I was fortunate to be in attendance for the press conference and hope sounded really loud from the cheers of young kids that were there as well. Hope is no longer a dream. Hope is now a reality; the centers our youth so desperately need are opening. L.E.A.D. is ready to join Mayor Reed’s initiative and serve with programming.

How did you serve today?

August 10, 2010 by C.J. Stewart

The principal of Grove Park Elementary School (Atlanta Public School) called me three a few weeks ago needing the services of my L.E.A.D. Ambassadors. It felt so good to get that call knowing that she knew when she needed help, my young men and I would be there.

Today we prepared the school for the return of young students. Several desk were moved from one room to another along with books. Whatever needed to be done, we made it happen.

The evening news showcased young men between the ages of 12-18 being involved in violent crimes; but for over 5 hours, the L.E.A.D. Ambassadors were serving. Trying to improve the city. Preparing an A.P.S. School for another promising school year.

I love having people depend on me. The opportunity to serve others is as important to me as living.

L.E.A.D. couldn’t stop all crime throughout Atlanta today but we did do our part to serve Atlanta.our city.

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