On January 7, 2012 L.E.A.D. hosted its 2nd Annual Meet The Ambassadors event at the Diamond Directors training facility in Marietta. Meet The Ambassadors is a free event that allows the public to learn more about the dynamic young men and families we serve. It also gives the attendees a chance to train like the Ambassadors.

The Ambassadors set up/lead training stations and show guests the proper way to execute drills and tell what parts of the swing the drills support. To teach is to learn twice so this event is a great tool to help Ambassadors be even more accountable for the information they receive throughout their tenure in L.E.A.D.

Always a hit, Meet The Ambassadors was a huge success this year as well. Thank you to everyone who came out and we look forward to seeing you at some games this year! Click here for more photos.

I’ve loved baseball every since I was a kid. It started with me watching games on television. I remember my dad buying me a wooden bat from Kmart and I would hit rocks outside all day.

Those of us that love baseball have so many stories to tell about getting your first glove, playing catch with your best friend or going to your first major league game.

When I was a kid, playing competitive baseball cost less than $200 per year. Today, you can’t even buy a glove with that. If you don’t invest at least $5,000 per year for year round baseball, you have no chance to compete for a college baseball scholarship.  There are currently less than 7% of African-Americans competing in baseball at the college level.  Click here to learn more.

L.E.A.D. uses baseball to help inner city Atlanta males access college. Our success rate has never been achieved in America prior to L.E.A.D. To date, 100% of our Ambassadors have graduated from high school and enrolled on college while 89% of them have have enrolled in college with a baseball scholarship. The state of Georgia currently graduates 45% of it’s African American males from high school.

What L.E.A.D. needs now more than ever is support from communities across Atlanta and throughout America. If you love baseball, “Like” L.E.A.D.  Please share with your friends and network!

Being an Ambassador is all about making the sacrifice to learn and then being willing to share what you learned with others for the sake of empowering them.

We began the process of selecting our 2012 L.E.A.D. Ambassadors in the fall of 2011 during our Legacy League fall instructional play program. Forty high school males competed for 18 L.E.A.D. Ambassador spots.

The Ambassadors represent the best of L.E.A.D. in four areas of excellence: academics, athletics, service and exposure. Since November 2011, our Ambassadors have raised funds for families in need, toured the CDC and the Jimmy Carter Center and learned the same skills of hitting like Dexter Fowler and Jason Heyward at Diamond Directors.

Today, the Ambassadors are sharing what they have learned with the Atlanta community during our annual Meet The Ambassadors event. Through L.E.A.D., we are truly transforming communities by connecting communities.

The Ambassadors are truly celebrities. These are our change agents that are invested in Atlanta and are willing to learn how to lead the way.

We all offer tremendous value to the world. We all have a story to tell that can empower others. Follow the story of L.E.A.D. in 2012 as we continue to L.E.A.D. Today and Change Tomorrow!

Meet The Ambassadors
*Elder, Mendez (Grady)
Jackson, Rhandal (Mays)
Morgan, Jerald (Mays)
Ratliff, Quinton (Washington)
Martin, Miles (North Atlanta)
Reed, Cedric (Carver)
Reed, Cornelius (Carver)
Booker, Antwain (Tri-Cities)
Booker, Darvell (Tri-Cities)
Hodge, Marcus (SW Dekalb)
Sinkfield, Marquese (Grady)
Muhummad, Earl (Grady)
Key, Santoine (Redan)
Phiffer, Julian (Mays)
Willingham, Jamarcus (Therrell)
Thompson, Dexwin (Therrell)
Mackenzie, Russell (Therrell)
Cornell (Hughes)
Hyde, Max (Hughes)

*Honorary Ambassador

It’s that time again to set new goals for a new year. 2011 was good to me but improvement has never killed anybody. 

In 2012, I want to become more patient, more consistent and execute at a higher rate. 

I wouldn’t call myself a perfectionist but I do like for things to be done with excellence.  I have high standards because of exposure that I have received in my life time.  I have to remind myself that I’m a long way from being considered as the gold standard of human beings on Earth. With patience, we can all become great. Thank God for my family members and friends for being patient with me. In the most loving way possible, I ask that you remind me when I lack patience.

Being good at something means that you can do it it once and maybe even a few times. To be great is to be consistent meaning you do good things most of the time. My intentions are good but laziness and not being aware causes me to be inconsistent. I want to be a great husband, father, son, leader, friend, mentor and more. To be more consistent in 2012 would be amazing. 

I’m a visionary and I love it. My mind races all day and all night with ideas. I’m convinced that I have come up with several million dollar ideas in my lifetime but my bank account doesn’t reflect it because of lack of execution. Execution requires patience and consistency. 

Father God, help me to be a good steward of the time and talents that you have blessed me with. Allow me to receive the blessings provided by my family and friends. Remind me that everything that I do must be done for your glory. All these things that I ask in your son Jesus Christ name. Amen.