The Braves Youth Clinic and Summit has come and gone.  We had an amazing time.  The Atlanta Braves entrusted L.E.A.D. to provide a unique clinic experience to youth in the metro Atlanta area during the MLB Civil Rights Game Weekend.  Click here to check out some of the action.

We invited 350 middle school students and we got 350 students!  L.E.A.D. stepped up to the plate and hit a home run for Atlanta!  Special thanks to Delta, KIA, MasterCard, and Atlanta Public Schools.

They received great baseball instruction from our L.E.A.D. Ambassadors as well as Atlanta Braves alum such as Greg McMichael, Rick Camp, Charlie Liebrandt and Otis Nixon as well as the Morehouse College Baseball Team.

L.E.A.D. Ambassador Max Hyde with the Thomas boys

Morehouse Baseball in the House!

The students were also inspired by our panelist during the Braves Youth Baseball Summit.  There are so many careers in baseball and today was a great way at a great venue to expose it.  Special thanks to Zach Klein (WSB-TV), Leron Rogers, Minister Tim Sims, Othello Renfroe Jr., Jasha Balcom and Ronnie Richardson (Atlanta Braves).

Minister Tim Sims and Othello Renfroe Jr.

Even though it was the first baseball experience for many of these Atlanta Public School students, they can still remain connected to baseball through L.E.A.D.

L.E.A.D.’s Fall Legacy League starts August 25, 2012

L.E.A.D. is an Atlanta based non-profit organization that provides inner city middle and high school age males with access to higher education and civic engagement through baseball.  We are more than bats and balls.  Our impact is measured by young men graduating from high school and enrolling into college.  Click here to check our impact stats.

Baseball isn’t dead in the inner city.  It is alive and well because of supporters like you.  Click here to find ways to support our mission.

You can’t consider the success of the Civil Rights Movement without giving credit to baseball.  Jackie Robinson being accepted into the major leagues prepared our country for the reality of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s DREAM.

In 2007, Major League Baseball created the Civil Rights Game to honor the history of civil rights and the role that baseball played.  To date, the games have been played in Memphis, Cincinnati, and Atlanta.

Last year, our L.E.A.D. Ambassadors had the honor of throwing out the first pitch prior to the 5th Annual Civil Rights Game.  Talk about emotional.  I sat adjacent to the dugout looking at Ambassadors Mendez Elder and Wesley Clement talking to Ambassador Andrew Young and Reverend Joseph Lowery.  Ironically, our Ambassadors name was inspired by Ambassador Young.  So there they are walking to the pitchers mound together. Ambassador Young gave Mendez and baseball to throw to Jason Heyward and Reverend Lowery gave a ball to Wesley to throw to Ryan Howard.  Jason and Ryan returned the ball to them.  To me, it was symbolic of passing the torch.

Needless to say that both Ambassador Young and Reverend Lowery have set the bar really high with their public service.  L.E.A.D. is positioning our Ambassadors each day to serve others and represent the promising future of Atlanta.  L.E.A.D.’s mission is to provide inner city middle and high school age Atlanta males with access to higher education and civic engagement through baseball.  We are so serious about achieving our mission, that we measure our impact.  Check our stats!

This year, L.E.A.D. has the honor of providing a clinic and summit experience for over 300 youth during the Braves Youth Clinic and Summit.  Our Ambassadors provide clinics throughout the year so this will be another great opportunity for them to share their knowledge with younger students.  Special thanks to the Braves for entrusting us with this opportunity.  There will be hundreds of boys and girls throughout metro Atlanta that will receive amazing instruction from our Ambassadors as well as former/current MLB players.

After the clinic, the students will meet Zach Klein (WSB-TV/Channel 2) who will serve as the events moderator.  Our guest speakers include Jasha Balcom, Tim Sims and Leron Rogers.

Contrary to popular belief, African-American youth love to play baseball.  The numbers of African-American competing at the NCAA (less than 6%) and MLB (less than 9%) level is so low because the cost to play is so high.  Every problem creates an opportunity thus the need for L.E.A.D.

I’m pleased that L.E.A.D. is able to continue to serve the Atlanta community with year round programming.  So after the clinic, inner city Atlanta youth will plug right into L.E.A.D. Fall Legacy League program.

Atlanta is full of legends and I’m proud that L.E.A.D. is a part of the city’s rich legacy.  So much has been done in the name of baseball and so much more will be done.  Join us as we continue to Transform Communities Through Baseball.

If you want to know the strength of sports throughout the world, search no further than the Olympic Games.  Every four years, we get the opportunity to see the world’s greatest athletes compete in the summer.  The long list of sports include luge, badminton, curling, archery, sailing, gymnastics and many more.

It never crossed my mind to strive to become an Olympian.  I was fortunate to play professional baseball for the Chicago Cubs and that required hours of physical and mental training.  However, Olympians take their training up 10 notches.

As an Olympian, you are representing your country hoping to receive the gold medal.  You are making sacrifices every minute of the day and you are aren’t getting paid a dime.  I love the Olympics.  It is pure competition for something larger than individual accomplishments.

Now that I think about it, I have heard several kids say that they want to play in the MLB, NBA and NFL but never have I heard one single kid say that I want to be an Olympian.  Maybe it is from a lack of exposure. Or maybe because it requires too much of a sacrifice.

I read the story of Gabby Douglas moving from her families home in Virginia while in middle school to train in Iowa in order to become an Olympian.  Was it worth it? Heck yeah it was.  She is the first African-American female to win a gold medal in the gymnastics all-around.  More importantly, she’s did it under the American flag.  That is something that we all can be proud of.

How amazing are her parents for believing in Gabby so much that she would be allowed to achieve her dream of becoming an Olympian.  Nights away from your loved ones.  Gaining new friendships hundreds of miles away.  Learning a new culture.  When God speaks, you better move.

Hundreds of millions of eye balls are glued to television and social media every day viewing the Olympics.  I would love to experience the feeling of holding the American flag with a medal around my neck.  It makes all the hours of training worth it.

I look forward to continuing action of the Olympics admiring the sacrifice of its athletes and learning more about their journeys.  They are Americans and their journey is our journey.  They are winning for us all.

Go USA!

I commonly hear people refer to some low performing schools in the inner city of Atlanta as a zoo. I took the Jr. Ambassadors to the Atlanta City Zoo today and there was nothing negative about that environment.

L.E.A.D. Jr. Ambassadors D’Anthony Morrow (left) and Ryan Martin (right) pet the goats at the Atlanta Zoo

The animals are well trained. I observed a staff that was very patient despite dealing with some of the most ferocious animals and reptiles in the world.  My favorite animal at the zoo was the giraffe. Giraffes haven’t always had long necks. Through time, their necks stretched and became elongated in order to eat their food from the trees. The lesson to be learned for students is if you don’t evolve, you lose out on experiencing the necessities of life.

The Atlanta Zoo is a jewel in our city because it is the home of many animals from across the world. It’s less than 15 miles from several of our partner schools within the Atlanta Public Schools System.  Today was more than a field trip. This was a tour of an Atlanta major attraction  that provides another opportunity for our L.E.A.D. Jr. Ambassadors to develop a sense of belonging and investment to this great city.

Click here to find a convenient way to support L.E.A.D.

The world’s largest aquarium is located in Atlanta. Of course it would be along with the world’s busiest airport, the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and on and on.  And yes I am bragging because I love my city! The world can enjoy the Georgia Aquarium because of the generosity of Bernie and Billi Marcus.

There is so much to see in several rooms within the aquarium including huge whale sharks, a diversity of of animals found in rivers in South Africa, South America and Georgia. My youngest daughter Mackenna loved the beluga whales in Coldwater Quest.  My favorite was Dolphin Tales.

Today was another day of exposure that L.E.A.D. was able to provide our Jr. Ambassadors by visiting the Georgia Aquarium.  I am personally amazed at how so many different types of fish can live together in the same environment in peace. You have massive sharks in the same tank with otters and smaller fish and it’s not a threatening environment.  And how about the divers that share the tank space. You either have to be crazy or knowledgable about the fish and their behaviors.  He moves around casually as I would be at a Braves game.

I am encouraging our Jr. Ambassadors to strive to create and maintain a positive environment within their school. One without bullying. An environment that also allows the teacher to have control.  When I was in school, teachers were able to spend a lot of time teaching because they didn’t have to worry too much about disciplining us.  We can get Atlanta Public Schools back to excellence. Their are several social issues that students encounter that will make it difficult but it can be done.  A new culture will soon come that will influence excellence among students in the Atlanta Public School System and our Ambassadors will help lead the way.