Southern University Jagspy Awards - Athletes for Hope

Southern University Jagspy Awards

Athletes For Hope University launched on the campus of Southern University in 2015. Since then, athletes have completed over 800 community service hours at schools and non profits such as FLAIM Elementary, Progress Elementary, The Miracle League, and Hope Ministries Food Bank.

On April 26th, we had the privilege to participate in Southern University’s first annual Jagspy and honor the accomplishments of teams and players for their charitable efforts in the Baton Rouge community during the 2017-2018 school year.

AFH U Southern 2018 student athlete of the year was awarded to Kiara Suttles of Southern Softball. She has led the team as an AFH U team lead since 2016 by managing team availability and coordinating service opportunities with The Special Olympics and The Miracle League. Kiara graduates this semester with a Bachelor’s in Sociology and plans to continue her commitment to service and youth development by working with Youth Academy in New Orleans.

Southern Baseball led by Coach Kerrick Jackson was awarded the AFH U Southern 2018 Team of the year and AFU Southern 2018 Coach of the year. Coach Jackson’s leadership encompasses the value of community service and it is exemplified by his team’s full participation in charitable initiatives in the Baton Rouge community. Their team connection with the Foreign Language Area Immersion Magnet has served as a model to replicate by other teams. Players assisted with physical education classes and encouraged the benefits of being physically active. Following the 2016 historic flood, the team responded by assisting with school clean ups at schools and churches. Most recently, they’ve assisted The Miracle League games serving as buddies to players with disabilities.

 

“It was truly an honor to be recognized as Athletes for Hope University Coach of the Year at Southern. This organization truly embodies everything that our program is about, giving back to our community by helping those in need. I believe that community service gives our young men a true sense of purpose, as well as providing them perspective on just how fortunate they really are. Too often we can become very self-centered, and organizations like Athletes For Hope are a necessity in that they do all the leg work and provide a variety of opportunities for those who are committed to giving back. I look forward to having a long-lasting relationship with Kenya, and Athletes For Hope.” – Coach Kerrick Jackson, Southern Baseball

Congrats to our 2018 AFH U Southern award recipients! We are excited to see what you have in store for the 2018-2019 school year.