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Legacy League Fall Baseball Tryouts

August 19, 2015 by C.J. Stewart

SAFE AT HOME – A GAME CHANGER FOR ATLANTA’S INNER CITY COMMUNITIES

August 5, 2015 by C.J. Stewart

The Inaugural Safe at Home Game was played last Saturday and was a huge success! It was the final activity of a month long series of events that were designed to build rapport between Atlanta’s inner city youth and cops. The final score was L.E.A.D. Ambassadors 10, Atlanta Police Department 7. The Ambassadors won the game! However, I think everyone who participated would agree that both groups won the series because Safe at Home was a game changer for them and the communities in which they live and work.

Working with APIVEO and the Atlanta Police Foundation to create the Safe at Home program has been one of the best decisions that we’ve made as an organization. Our work together created opportunities for the Ambassadors and the police officers to interact on a level playing field. As a result, police officers saw the Ambassadors as potential leaders, with purpose, and hope for a better future.

They were all very polite and genial. I could sense that they had hope and an idea that they are going somewhere in life. The hopelessness and its collateral effects that I normally see in kids from their neighborhoods doesn’t operate in them. ~Lieutenant Jim Hodges

C.J. Stewart exchanging game jerseys with Lt. Hodges of the Atlanta Police Department. Photo credit Jim Stacey.

Additionally, because L.E.A.D. Ambassadors effectively connected with police, they learned to see the officers’ human side.

I learned that everyone is human and has different emotions. The police started to get a little frustrated when they made errors and I realized that we do the same thing on our own team. So no one should get mad at someone else because they didn’t do correctly on the field or at the plate. We should all keep our heads high and continue to have a great game. ~ L.E.A.D. Ambassador Cameron Giles

L.E.A.D. Ambassador Cameron Giles (B.E. Mays High School, Atlanta Public Schools) and Lt. Jim Hodges. Photo credit Jeff McPhail.

I also came to realize a few things from my own experience over the last month. For starters, we don’t take time to get to know our police officers. We tend to put more effort into learning about celebrities and their lives, than we put into getting to know those whose job it is to protect us.

Another realization hit me, as I participated in a police ride in Zone 3 – the area around Atlanta Braves Turner Field. Dispatch alerted us that several shots were being fired in a neighborhood nearby. As a civilian, my instinct was to get as far away from gunfire as possible, while the officers went into it. This made me think about what would happen without a police presence in our neighborhoods. I urge you to think about the chaos that would ensue in that scenario.

It also occurred to me later, while speaking with our police officers’ wives during the first two innings of the game on Saturday that the officers have families, same as me, only I don’t put my life in danger like that on a daily basis.

I can honestly say all of this has been humbling. I’d also like to think that I represented my community well, and that the time I spent with the officers on the ride-along helped raise awareness of the work we are doing through L.E.A.D. and with our Ambassadors.

Photo credit Jim Stacey.

The relationship between APIVEO, Atlanta Police Foundation and L.E.A.D. is stronger now because of our work together on Safe at Home, and that is a big win for all three organizations, especially our Ambassadors, police officers, families of both groups, and Atlanta’s inner city communities. Together our voices will be heard as we develop Atlanta’s next generation of leaders. You can help….ask us how.

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GRAND SLAM EMPOWERS L.E.A.D. AMBASSADORS TO WIN!

July 30, 2015 by C.J. Stewart

Come out to Georgia Tech’s Russ Chandler Baseball Field this Saturday, August 1 at 11am for the first annual Safe at Home game between Atlanta’s inner city youth and cops. These groups are good at bat so you may see a Grand Slam or two. We know that, in baseball, a Grand Slam is “a home run hit when each of the three bases is occupied by a runner, thus scoring four runs”. However, for some, a Grand Slam is L.E.A.D. “knocking it out of the park with bases loaded” to empower Atlanta’s underserved inner city youth to lead Atlanta, the Nation, or maybe even the World.

First “up at bat”. A base hit. Safe on First.

Joining L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) requires a participant’s commitment to complete its program.

Initially, the teenaged boys that we serve are attracted to our program by the very thought of playing baseball. Commitment to other aspects of the program is not their priority. Money, influence and girls are valued more than education and community. I’d argue that’s the case for most boys their age.

I “get it”. A middle or high schooler may feel that he has less freedom if he accepts the tenets of accountability, core values and morals. However, the Ambassadors (young men who have committed to L.E.A.D.’s program) will tell you that the structure created in their lives through participation in our program frees them from the constant worry of becoming an Atlanta statistic: Youth from inner city Atlanta zip codes 30310, 30315 and 30318 grow up to represent 80% of the Georgia Prison population.

Further, once committed to the program, the Ambassadors are also free to think seriously about graduating from high school and college, and starting a career of their own choosing. They are fully aware that this breaks their cycle of poverty and helps reverse another statistic: Only 60% of black males from Atlanta Public Schools will graduate from high school on time or at all.

When the Safe at Home game is over, I hope adults encourage more inner city youth to see that a commitment to L.E.A.D. is a pro-active first step toward a promising future.

Another base hit. Players now safe on First and Second.

Commitment by itself will not lead to a successful outcome. Engagement is also necessary. The Ambassadors are exposed to growth opportunities that empower. We do not enable or encourage negative behavior. Doing so only spurs a groundless sense of empowerment.

We are grateful for our Safe at Home partners APIVEO and the Atlanta Police Foundation for creating and participating in activities that have engaged the Ambassadors in positive interactions during this last month. L.E.A.D. Ambassadors and Atlanta inner city cops have had fun getting to know each other, and building relationships based on trust. To hit a Grand Slam, we need more partners like these.

Another base hit. Players safe on First, Second and Third.

The third component to L.E.A.D.’s program is development. The program is year round and serves black males grades 6 to12 enrolled in Atlanta Public Schools. The Ambassadors are immersed in activities and learning environments specifically designed for assessment, engagement, empowerment and application. They are also taught six core values twice during the year – excellence, humility, integrity, loyalty, stewardship, and teamwork. Everyone in L.E.A.D.’s organization is held accountable for learning them and incorporating these values into their lives.

L.E.A.D. mentors and coaches never miss a chance to encourage the Ambassadors to strive to become Atlanta’s next generation of leaders.

Another hit. A home run. Bases loaded. L.E.A.D. Hits a Grand Slam!

Commitment, Engagement, Development and a successfully executed methodology is L.E.A.D.’s Grand Slam. As a Pathway2Empowerment organization, it is attracting Atlanta’s inner city young black boys to commit to, engage in, and develop, a sustainable life of significance. Their success is crucial to Atlanta making a name for itself as a world class city. How will you help?

THEN AND NOW – “COUNTED OUT” TO “SAFE AT HOME”

July 28, 2015 by C.J. Stewart

Through L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct), I apply what I’ve learned as a black male growing up in one of Atlanta’s most dangerous housing projects, to empower young inner city black boys to choose a life different than what their environment dictates. Based on statistics*, these kids are counted out and end up living the inevitable cycle of cradle to grave poverty – with the likelihood of incarceration along the way. But, when they commit to L.E.A.D.’s program, they participate in opportunities with positive growth experiences to break the cycle. Safe at Home is one such opportunity that I could argue was years in the making. Here’s how I see it.

C.J. Stewart, the L.E.A.D. Ambassadors, Brad Jubin of APIVEO as well as members of the Atlanta Police Department baseball team were presented at a recent Atlanta Braves game

THEN

When I was coming up, I had a mentor, Officer TJ Wilson. He took me to see my first Georgia Tech baseball game when I was 14. I was hooked, so Officer Wilson made sure I got to see many more. All the while, I became obsessed with becoming a Yellow Jacket. When it came time to apply, the reality hit, I would never make it. Based on test scores, I wasn’t prepared for the academic rigor of Georgia Tech. I had graduated from Westlake High School’s Magnet Program with honors, but it wasn’t enough. In addition, I wouldn’t have been able to handle being the only black player on the team. I didn’t have relatable skills. I lived in a black only world, attended all black inner city schools, and my interaction with white ball players was minimal.

I did not, however, let non-admittance to Georgia Tech’s baseball program deter me from my goal of playing professionally with the Chicago Cubs. My dream was realized, but it was brief. I didn’t have the fortitude to compete at that level. Upon returning to Atlanta, I regrouped and started Diamond Directors, a for-profit baseball player development concern; but, the Chicago Cubs experience, and all that led up to it, tugged at me.

NOW

My wife, Kelli, and I established L.E.A.D., a non-profit organization to create positive outcomes for at-risk, minority and inner city youth by leveraging the relationship between education, athletics and service. The impetus for L.E.A.D. was a culmination of what I learned growing up as a black male in Atlanta’s inner city, which include the frustrations I encountered as well as the support I received from the community.

Through my work with L.E.A.D., I now have strong relationships with Georgia Tech’s athletic department and baseball coach, as well as some of its staff, professors and alumni. I also have solid partnerships with other organizations and corporations who fully understand and support L.E.A.D.’s mission, including the Atlanta Police Department, APIVEO and Zaxby’s.

COMING TOGETHER

The Safe at Home event is a collaborative effort of Georgia Tech, the Atlanta Police Department, APIVEO, Zaxby’s and L.E.A.D. It is made up of a series of “get-togethers”, and its mission is to foster respect between Atlanta’s inner city youth and cops, bolster positive perceptions of each toward the other, and raise the level of favorable nods these groups get from, and within, the community. It concludes with The Safe at Home baseball game between the two groups in their own backyard – where they live and work. The game is self-officiated and will be played at Georgia Tech’s Russ Chandler Baseball Stadium this Saturday, August 1, 2015 at 11am. Fan attendance is free. Come out, sit in the stands, and support L.E.A.D. Ambassadors and the Atlanta Police Department cops for taking a stand and showing what’s possible against all odds.

Click here to see L.E.A.D.’s Mid Year Highlight Video.

I am proud that L.E.A.D. is a partner of an uplifting event such as Safe at Home, and is able to offer it to its Ambassadors. Their participation in Safe at Home will expose them to the positive experiences necessary to continue to empower them to lead fulfilling lives.

Pastor Dave Pridemore, founder of The Camp Grace will be joining us for the Safe at Home game

*Statistics still show that:

· Youth from inner city Atlanta zip codes 30310, 30315 and 30318 grow up to represent 80% of the Georgia Prison population.

· Georgia ranks number one in incarceration in America while America ranks number one in the world.

· Astoundingly, 60% of black males from Atlanta Public Schools will not graduate from high school on time or at all. Meanwhile, the state ranks at the bottom in education in America

Click here to check out L.E.A.D.’s 2nd Quarter eMagazine.

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SAFE AT HOME – AN OPPORTUNITY AND NEW EXPERIENCES FOR A NEW NORMAL

July 23, 2015 by C.J. Stewart

L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) has a tried and true formula or methodology to empower Atlanta’s inner city poor black males to prosper. We provide opportunities that move these young men out of the never ending daily life cycle of poverty and exposure to crime, into life experiences that create a foundation for a significant sustainable life, one of their own choosing.
We have found over the years that to be successful, we must work with Atlanta’s inner city at risk young black males to help them find a new normal. How do we do that? A number of ways, but one of them is that we provide opportunities for life affirming experiences, or activities that emphasize the positive aspects of life. We also engage the community and encourage them to participate in our mission.

Specifically, some of the work we do involves changing perceptions around those who live and work in Atlanta’s inner city communities. This is a big job because we are talking about changing how people think about things. For example, it is not uncommon for the phrase “Atlanta’s inner city youth” to be used interchangeably with “Atlanta’s at risk inner city poor blacks”. Additionally, many think of Atlanta inner city cops as policing and not protecting. Further, television will have many believe, rightly or wrongly, that friction between inner city black males and white cops is the norm. Even if you don’t see it on television, you see it in social media. All of these combined present a negative image of both young black men and cops who live and work in Atlanta’s inner city. We are committed to leading change in support of our youth and cops.

Safe at Home is our most recent effort in collaboration with APIVEO the Atlanta Police Department to foster respect between Atlanta’s inner city youth and cops. This event is made up of a series of “get-togethers” that result in numerous and varied experiences for both our L.E.A.D. Ambassadors and Atlanta inner city cops that bolster positive perceptions of each toward the other, and raises the level of favorable nods these groups get from, and within, the community.

Lt. Hodges and L.E.A.D. Ambassador Cameron Giles (B.E. Mays High School)

I know what it is like to be an Atlanta inner city poor black male. I was born and raised in one of the most dangerous and poorest black neighborhoods in Atlanta. My family, school and community lacked the resources that were available to kids growing up in wealthier white neighborhoods. I also know that my perception has changed somewhat over the years, but even so, statistics still show that:

Youth from inner city Atlanta zip codes 30310, 30315 and 30318 grow up to represent 80% of the Georgia Prison population.
Georgia ranks number one in incarceration in America while America ranks number one in the world.
Astoundingly, 60% of black males from Atlanta Public Schools will not graduate from high school on time or at all. Meanwhile, the state ranks at the bottom in education in America.

We work with unwavering commitment and urgency to meet our goals to help these kids. Failure is not an option. We cannot erase from the minds of our young Ambassadors the negative influences of the past but we know we can positively influence their future and the Safe at Home experience is one way we do it. I invite you to come out Saturday, August 1, to Georgia Tech’s Russ Chandler Baseball Stadium and try on a new normal. Sit in the stands and cheer for the respect I know you will see happening between L.E.A.D. Ambassadors and the Atlanta Police Department.

When the Safe at Home game is over, I challenge you:
if you have been counted out by the Atlanta Public School system, then apply to become a L.E.A.D. Ambassador, or
if you are an adult who is aching to see a change in our inner city communities, then tell black boys in the inner of Atlanta “you should become a L.E.A.D. Ambassador”.

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