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L E a D Essentials

Youth Sports is in crisis and is the solution. 💰Pay to play sports is a $40 BILLION industry that’s taking all the fun out of youth sports.💰 Our co-founder/CEO @kellistewart97 shared remarks on the need for #SBYD and how L.E.A.D. Center For Youth is leading the way. #MVPofSBYD #SportsMatter #HappySBYDDay

Representation matters. 🎾✨ One of L.E.A.D.’s greatest superpowers is our coaches. Through shared experiences, shared heritage and shared promise, our young people see more than coaches—they see a blueprint for success they can follow, build upon and ultimately surpass. From @coach.kenzi’s award-winning collegiate career to the talented lineup of Black American players competing at the @usopen, our Lady Ambassadors are surrounded by inspiring coaches, professionals and athletes who look like them. When young people can see success, they can more easily imagine it for themselves. Representation makes their dreams feel real, their goals feel attainable and their possibilities feel limitless. #MVPofSBYD #SELinSports #GirlsInSports #Confidence #SportsMatter

Coaching is a labor of love. 🫶🏿 For more than 28 years, our co-founders, Kelli and C.J. Stewart, have coached, mentored and poured into young people across Atlanta and around the world. For over 21 of those years, they have served as a proud son and daughter of Atlanta through L.E.A.D. Center For Youth. During the #SBYDDay Proclamation presentation, Atlanta City Council members, colleagues and friends who have labored alongside them in the community, shared powerful words of praise and encouragement in recognition of their coaching journey and community impact. Coaches are essential members of our communities and a vital part of the education and nonprofit workforce. Their influence extends far beyond practices and games—it shapes lives, strengthens families and develops future leaders. Tag, text or call a coach who has made a difference in your life today. Let them know their labor matters. 🫡💯 #Mentors #Coaches #LaborDay #SportsMatter

💰💰Somewhere between the registration fees, the travel tournaments, the showcases and the private trainers, youth sports quietly became a luxury. 💰💰 The Gathering Spot in partnership with L.E.A.D. Center For Youth explores the affordability and access of youth sports, who gets to play, who gets left on the sideline, and what our kids stand to lose when access comes with a price tag. ​Moderated by Rose Scott, host of WABE’s Closer Look. Featuring Taylor Stanley, Program Director of ATL: Advance The Lives, and L.E.A.D. Center for Youth and Diamond Directors Co-Founders Kelli and CJ Stewart. Limited seats available. 🔗 in bio #YouthSports #TravelYouthSports

Coaches are a vital part of #CommunityDevelopment Through our #YouthCoachInitiative, we’re making sure our future coaches are tactically trained to empower the next generation of athletes. #TraumaInformed #SBYDCertified Shout out to @apsathleticsnow @apsmayshigh @aps_fdhsastros for continuing to deepen our partnership- bringing transformative sports based experiences to our students. Thank you @adidas for sponsoring the first round of workshops🫡 #MVPofSBYD 🎥 @ismoooth

🗣️‼️ Sports are co-curricular✅⚾️🎾🏈🏀🥎⚽️🏃🏾‍♀️🏃🏾‍♂️ What #SBYD can do in the lives of youth is not a nice to have- it’s a must have💯 Our co-founder/CEO @kellistewart97 shares why sports are too important to disregard. #MVPofSBYD #SportsMatter #Atlanta #AtlantaSports

Coach Roberts’ connection to the Hollis community is rooted in shared experience, trust, and a deep understanding of the young people he serves. Because he has walked through many of the same realities, challenges, and hopes as the boys, he can meet them with authenticity—and help them see that their circumstances do not define their potential. His presence is a reminder of why relatable mentors and representation matter. When young people see someone who understands where they come from and believes in where they can go, meaningful connection becomes possible. #LEAD2Legacy #LEADCenterForYouth #CoachRoberts #HollisCommunity #MentorshipMatters #RepresentationMatters #YouthLeadership #AtlantaYouth #BlackMaleMentorship #CommunityImpact #WinningAtTheGameOfLife

From Day 1, you’ve been true and committed to helping our youth feel seen, heard, enjoy meaningful experiences and over all #THRIVE. Even when football took you physically away from Atlanta your heart was still here in the bold, necessary mission you started. From your entire L.E.A.D. Center For Youth family- we are so excited for you and your family as you take on the role of President of Football for @atlantafalcons We’re proud of you and cheering you and the team on as we step into this bold new era under your leadership👊🏿 Let’s goooooooo🔥🔥🔥🏆🏆🏆🏈🏈🏈 #MattyIce

We can’t have fun without FUNding🤑 When our Lady Ambassadors’ summer camp experience was in jeopardy, @advancethelives stepped up to the service line and hit an ace💥 Thank you for supporting our Lady Ambassadors! They had so much fun and created some great memories this summer🫶🏿🎾 #SBYD #SportsMatter

⚾ SHOW YOUR SKILLS. BUILD YOUR FUTURE. 💙 The 1st Annual Inner-City Baseball Combine is coming to Center Hill Park — and it’s FREE for Atlanta-area youth! This is more than a combine. It’s an opportunity to get seen, get evaluated, and keep growing alongside your community. Players will be evaluated by professional scouts, receive a scouting report, and have the opportunity to be selected for our Rookie summer team. 🔥 ROOKIE COMBINE | Grades 3rd–5th 📅 Saturday, October 24 ⏰ 12 PM–3 PM 🔥 JR. AMBASSADOR COMBINE | Grades 6th–8th 📅 Sunday, November 1 ⏰ 12 PM–3 PM 📍Booker T. Washington 45 Whitehouse Dr. SW Atl., GA 30314 FREE TO ATTEND. FREE TO PLAY. NO FEES. Spots are limited — register today! ⚾ #LEADCenterForYouth #InnerCityBaseball #BaseballCombine #AtlantaBaseball #AtlantaYouthSports #YouthBaseball #Bankhead #AtlantaYouth #RookieLeague #JrAmbassador #BaseballAtlanta #YouthSports #CommunityFirst #GetSeenGetNoticed #ShowYourSkills #BuildYourFuture #ForTheFuture #AtlantaGA #BaseballLife #FreeYouthSports

We’re proud to share that L.E.A.D. Center for Youth is a 2026 Nike Community Impact Fund #NCIF grantee! Through this funding we'll power the future of youth sports in Atlanta as we continue to advance equity and well-being through sports-based youth development. #LEAD2Legacy #LEADCenterForYouth #NCIF #NikeCommunityImpactFund #NikeGrant #Nike #Atlanta #YouthDevelopment #SportsAndAcademics #ATLYouth #EmpowerYouth #CommunityFirst

🏆Champions Live In Our Communities Every Day🏆 It was an honor to recognize student-athletes and community leaders as champions at our Annual Community Champions Awards Celebration sponsored by @bravesfdn and @georgiasowncu. Thank you to all of our supporters, donors and volunteers who help us make amazing experiences happen for our student-athletes. #Community #SportsMatter

Strong partnerships are the foundation of our work. 💯 Thank you @apsholliscrew for your commitment and support of our Rookie League and Junior Ambassador Programs. Together we made history by bringing elementary and middle school baseball to APS and to Hollis. Looking forward to another great year of providing empowering athletic experiences for our student-athletes. #SportsMatter #Teamwork

On National Coaches Day, we celebrate the L.E.A.D. coaches who do far more than teach the game. They show up with consistency, hold young people accountable, create spaces where student-athletes feel seen, and help them build confidence on the field, in the classroom, and throughout life. Our coaches understand that sports are a vehicle for something bigger: mentorship, leadership, discipline, belonging, and opportunity. Thank you to every L.E.A.D. coach for investing your time, knowledge, and belief in Atlanta’s young people. Your impact reaches far beyond the final score. #NationalCoachesDay #LEAD2Legacy #LEADCenterForYouth #MentorshipMatters #YouthCoaching #AtlantaYouth #YouthLeadership #SportsForGood #CoachesMatter #WinningAtTheGameOfLife

🎾Tennis + Community 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 = Fellowship, Food & Fun 🙃 Our 2nd Community Red Ball 🔴Mixer was a huge success! Our Lady Ambassadors continue to grow in their tennis and leadership skills as they shared the game they’ve grown to love with the community. So many community members came out to mix it up with us and we even had a special guest: NFL Pro Bowler Ovie Mughelli🏈 He spoke to the Lady Ambassadors about how sports has helped him become a leader in life, and he even shared a really cool fun fact: When he was in middle school, he and a good friend won their middle school tennis championship🏆 Shout out to @advancethelives for making this connection🫡 Thank you to our friends at @groveparkfoundation for partnering with us. Be on the lookout for our next mixer coming up soon🗓️ #Community #SportsMatter 🎥 @glennabrowniii

At first, there may be hesitation. A new field, a new sport, a new opportunity can feel unfamiliar. But once the students at Scott Elementary @scottramsaps stepped onto the field, Coach Moran saw something start to shift. Curiosity became confidence. Hesitation became enthusiasm. And teammates began to find their place, not just in the game, but within a community that believes in them. Through baseball, L.E.A.D. creates space for students to grow, build relationships, practice resilience, and discover that they belong. Because the goal is never just to teach the sport, it’s to win at the game of life. #MVPofSBYD #SelfConfidence #Teamwork #SELinSports

⚾️And we’re back!!!⚾️ We play baseball in #TheA💯 We kicked off CVT (Core Value Training) this week and it was so good to see our Rookies from @centennialatl_athletics and @scottramsaps Coach Johnson, Coach Whitfield and CoachMoran are locked in and ready to lead their teams on a journey to becoming champions in the classroom and on the diamond.💎 Our LEAD Coach-mentors @tylrlamar and @glennabrowniii are excited to partner with our Rookie Teams and see how they rise to the challenge this year. Let’s go🔥🔥🔥 #Community #Teamwork #InnerCityBaseball

We’re proud to accept a Community Grant from the @TacoBell Foundation to ensure the next generation of Atlanta youth has the tools needed to succeed on and off the field! Every time you Round Up your total at a Taco Bell Restaurant, funds go to support youth scholarships and organizations like L.E.A.D. Center for Youth! #tacobellfoundation #communitygrants #nextgeneration #youtheducation #careerready #highereducation #financialliteracy #chasedreams

Community Champions was a powerful reminder of what is possible when a community chooses to invest in young people. We are grateful to our honorees, Fireside Chat Guest Derrick Stafford, sponsors, supporters, volunteers, student-athletes, and every guest who joined us to celebrate leadership in action. Thank you for affirming that Atlanta’s young people deserve opportunity, meaningful relationships, and a community that believes in their future. #CommunityChampions #LEAD2Legacy #LEADCenterForYouth #AtlantaCommunity #YouthLeadership #CommunityImpact #ThankYouAtlanta

L.E.A.D. Hosted its first training session in collaboration with Laureus Sport For Good Atlanta entitled How To G.I.V.E. A. D.A.M.N. Participants were guided through an interactive and reflective experience that challenged how they viewed their capacity to care or be concerned and how they get other colleagues to uphold standards of excellence in their organization. We focus on the tactical aspects of coaching, not the technical. This makes our trainings perfect for coaches of all sports.⚾️🎾⚽️🏀🏈🥎🏐🏓🎳🏒🥊🚴‍♀️🏊🏾‍♂️🏃🏾‍♀️ #MVPofSBYD #CoachTraining #SBYD 🎥 @glennabrowniii

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