Empowering youth through baseball!
According to former professional baseball player C.J. Stewart, “If you’re born into poverty, you have a 4% chance of making it out. I did—and baseball was my way out.”
Raised in Atlanta’s Bankhead neighborhood, Stewart beat the odds to play for the Chicago Cubs as an outfielder. In 2007, he was challenged by real estate developer Stan Conway to do something about the declining number of Black boys in baseball. So Stewart and his wife, Kelli, launched the L.E.A.D. Center for Youth that provides year-round direct service programming to 300 boys in third through 12th grades. Over the years, L.E.A.D. (Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct) has grown to serve Bankhead, Buckhead, Bartow and beyond, using baseball to provide valuable life lessons and show Black youth that they are entitled to success. The organization also encourages student-athletes to serve their communities.
Recently, the organization finalized the acquisition of land in the Center Hill community in northwest Atlanta to build a world-class baseball and tennis complex. “Our sports-based youth development model is a lifeline for children living in poverty and facing systemic barriers,” Stewart says. “L.E.A.D. isn’t a charity; it’s a calling.”
L.E.A.D. CENTER FOR YOUTH
leadcenterforyouth.org
@lead2legacy_atl
