afh u Archives - Athletes for Hope

AFH University Expands to New Campus

Posted: August 27, 2024 Updated: August 27, 2024 by kReeves

AFH U Expands to American University, Empowering Student-Athletes to Make Community Impact

WASHINGTON, D.C. – [August 27, 2024] Athletes for Hope (AFH) is proud to announce the launch of its AFH University program at American University (AU), set to empower student-athletes to become leaders in community engagement and social impact.

The AFH University program at American will provide student-athletes with valuable tools and opportunities to leverage their platforms for positive change. Through educational workshops, leadership development, and facilitated volunteer opportunities, student-athletes will gain skills that benefit them both in and out of their sport.

The partnership officially kicked off on August 6 with an AFH Empowerment workshop for the American University men’s basketball team, marking the beginning of a transformative journey for the university’s student-athletes. AFH facilitated a second Empowerment Workshop with women’s soccer on August 23 and in addition to these two teams, AFH U will work with women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse and wrestling this upcoming fall semester.

Group photo of American men's basketball after AFH's Empowerment workshop. — American Men’s Basketball after an Empowerment Workshop

Group photo of American women's soccer after AFH's Empowerment workshop. — American Men’s Basketball after an Empowerment Workshop

“We’re thrilled to bring the AFH University program to American,” said AFH CEO Jason Belinkie. “This collaboration will equip American’s student-athletes with the resources and opportunities to make a significant impact in their community while developing crucial leadership skills that will serve them throughout their athletic careers and beyond.”

AFH’s goals for this program is to empower American University student-athletes by connecting them with local community partners and guiding them in discovering the causes they are passionate about. This initiative will provide impactful volunteer opportunities, enabling students to use their skills and passion to meet genuine community needs. AFH is committed to supporting the ongoing community efforts of American student-athletes with partners like DC Central Kitchen and Potomac Conservancy, while also introducing them to new organizations.

“Our student-athletes are passionate about being active in the community around us, and this partnership with Athletes for Hope will help align those opportunities for them to help make a difference,” said AU’s Director of Athletics & Recreation JM Caparro. “As a department, we want to build leaders both on and off the field of play, and I appreciate Jason and his team for playing a pivotal role in the development of our student-athletes.”

The AFH University program at American adds to the organization’s growing presence in the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area, which includes existing programs at Georgetown University, Howard University, and Bowie State University. This expansion creates opportunities for collaborative impact across the region’s universities.

To learn more about the AFH University program, please visit our program page.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Kylie Barlowe at kbarlowe@athletesforhope.org.

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About Athletes for Hope

Founded by Muhammad Ali, Andre Agassi, Mia Hamm, and nine other elite athletes in 2006, Athletes for Hope (AFH) is a national non-profit that educates, encourages, and empowers athletes to find their passions and use their time to positively engage with their communities. Over the past 18 years, AFH has educated more than 12,000 professional, Olympic, Paralympic, and collegiate athletes through its Causeway workshop series, and helped athletes volunteer with hundreds of underserved schools and impactful community organizations. Through their dedication and passion for doing good, AFH athletes have positively impacted the lives of millions around the world.

2023-2024 AFH University Award Winners

Posted: July 17, 2024 Updated: July 17, 2024 by kReeves

After the completion of this year’s AFH U Student-Athlete of the Year and Team of the Year national voting campaign, featuring seven student-athletes and seven teams from AFH University, we are thrilled to announce this year’s winners! We are also proud to announce this year’s AFH University Pass the Passion awardees to one student-athlete and one team, chosen by last year’s winners.

Read about their work below and join us in congratulating them on going above and beyond in service over the past academic year.

AFH University Student-Athlete of the Year

Ckelby Givens, Southern Football

Ckelby was eager to join the mental health panel focused on Black history to discuss his upbringing experiences and the absence of discussions aimed at dismantling stigma within his community. His goal is to alter that narrative on the Southern University campus.

AFH University Team of the Year

Clark Atlanta Women’s Basketball

The Clark Atlanta Women’s Basketball team hosted 15 children from the Harland Boys and Girls Club along with three chaperones and gave them a “day in the life” experience. Women’s Basketball along with the Spirit Booster Club showed the kids what a day in the life of a CAU student-athlete is like. The kids from the club were able to spend time with the student-athletes and get to know them and ask questions about what being a collegiate athlete is like. They also spent the game with the Spirit Boosters who showed them different cheers and encouraged them to engage with fans and have fun!

AFH University Pass the Passion Student-Athlete of the Year

Zion Walters standing outside and smiling

Zion Walters, Clark Atlanta Women’s Basketball

For the entire first semester of the school year, Zion attended the Harland Boys and Girls Club weekly to hang out with the kids. In the month of December, she worked tirelessly to help the kids choreograph a dance to perform at their Holiday Party. She worked with the kids for over a month to get the dance perfect to perform in front of all of the staff, kids, and families at the club.

AFH University Pass the Passion Team of the Year

Howard Women’s Lacrosse

Throughout the spring semester, Howard Women’s Lacrosse visited DCPCS – Brightwood campus to conduct CHAMPS sessions. They helped with four sessions with 2nd and 4th graders to discuss the words of month: Courage and Honesty. The consistent visits were invaluable to the children at the school and the women on the team have attended with such excitement and commitment.

April AFH University Monthly Awards

Posted: May 15, 2024 Updated: May 15, 2024 by kReeves

AFH U April Student-Athlete & Team of the Month

Please join us in congratulating our April 2024 Team and Student-Athlete of the Month winners!

AFH U April Student-Athlete of the Month

Rosie Deegan, Davidson Women’s Basketball

Rosie has been extremely active in the Davidson community this semester. Not only did she participate in March’s Mental Health U Panel series that focused on mental health in female athletes but she has been going twice a week to the Ada Jenkins Center. Each week, since March, Rosie has gone into the center twice a week to tutor and mentor two students at the club. Her time and commitment to mentoring the youth in Davidson, NC has been instrumental in the development of the children at Ada Jenkins!

AFH U April Team of the Month

Southern Volleyball

Southern Volleyball volunteered at Jags on the Bluff, a community-wide field day held on their campus. Student-athletes actively engaged with youth by facilitating stations, sharing their college experience, and leading them through a game of volleyball!

2024 AFH University End of Year Recognition

Posted: April 30, 2024 Updated: April 30, 2024 by kReeves

AFH University Campuses in Baton Rouge & the Greater Washington D.C. Area Celebrate the End of the Academic Year

For AFH University, the culmination of the academic year isn’t just marked by final exams and graduation ceremonies. It’s a time to honor the dedication, skill, and spirit of our student-athletes, coaches, and valued community partners who have consistently come together to make their communities stronger over the last year.

In April, we were proud to host two events to recognize these groups in the Baton Rouge and the Greater Washington, D.C. Area communities! Check out the recaps below and join us in congratulating each campus in all of their amazing work this year.

Keep an eye out for our AFH University National Student-Athlete & Team of the Year Awards voting campaign in early June!

Teams of the Year

LSU Men’s Tennis
Southern Bowling
Georgetown Women’s Rowing
Howard Women’s Lacrosse
Bowie State Track & Field

Student Athlete of the Year

Madison Martin, LSU Volleyball
Cailan Gatlin, Southern Soccer

Coach of the Year

Kerry Mulligan, Georgetown Women’s Rowing
Alexis Joseph, Howard Women’s Lacrosse
Amandji Goito, Bowie St. Track & Field

Community Partners of the Year

The Walls Project, LSU & Southern
Grassroots Health, Georgetown University
Bowie St. Nutrition Lounge, Bowie State
DCPS Brightwood Elementary, Howard University

AFH University Baton Rouge | LSU & Southern University

On Thursday, April 11^th the Athletes for Hope University team in Baton Rouge gathered to celebrate the remarkable achievements in service of student athletes from Southern University and LSU. We used the evening to shine a light on those who not only excelled on the field or court but have also demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving the Baton Rouge community. The celebratory event was a testament to the power of sport to unite us, inspire us, and drive positive change. According to AFH Southern intern, Ashante Gatlin “Our role and impact in the community are beacons of light for fans and young aspiring athletes.”

Our Student-Athlete of the Year awardees have engaged in several initiatives throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. Cailan played a pivotal role in our inclusive 9/11 Arc events, assisting with ensuring emergency preparedness activities were informative yet fun for youth.

She dedicated numerous hours volunteering at institutions like OLOL Children’s Hospital, BR Food Bank, St. Vincent De Paul, and The Walls Project.

“Doing service in the community is super important because we should take every chance, we can to better the environment that we all live in. Receiving this reward today means a lot to me because it tells me that all of the work, I’ve put into volunteering has not gone unnoticed.”
– Cailan Gatlin, Southern Soccer

Madison Martin, LSU Volleyball team, has also been at the forefront of community service initiatives in Baton Rouge. She participated in on-campus service socials, MLK Day of Service, and A Night to Shine, among others.

“Receiving Athletes for Hope Student Athlete of the Year is such an incredible honor, as service means so much to me. Baton Rouge has become my second home, and being able to serve this wonderful community has made my time at LSU so much more meaningful. Being recognized by Athletes for Hope for what I love to do off the court is an amazing honor.”
-Madison Martin, LSU Volleyball

Our partnership with this year’s recipient of the Partner of the Year award, The Walls Project has been our most enduring collaboration to date, spanning several years of engagement with student athletes actively participating in local initiatives such as MLK Day since 2015. In 2021, we dedicated a mural in remembrance of September 11th, a tribute now displayed at Fire Station 11 on Highland Road.

AFH University Washington, D.C.-Area | Bowie State, Howard & Georgetown

On Thursday, April 25 the Athletes for Hope University team in Washington DC gathered to celebrate all the wonderful work that was done during the 2023-2024 school year. Not only were the student-athletes of our DC schools actively involved, but the coaches also played a large role in getting involved as well. This event was meant to celebrate the passion and commitment of the student-athletes and coaches in the DC community.

Our Teams and Coaches of the Year at each of the schools consistently engaged in service within the community. Georgetown Women’s Rowing focused on park clean-ups in Washington DC and the surrounding area. Their coach, Kerry Mulligan, was integral in leading the team and encouraging them to get out and volunteer. Howard Women’s Lacrosse spent the entire spring semester putting on CHAMPS sessions at DCPCS Brightwood Campus. The team and their coach, Alexis Joseph, went twice a week for the entire semester to spend time with the kids and team them our CHAMPS curriculum. Bowie State Track & Field was the school’s most active team, participating in panels, workshops, and volunteer opportunities throughout the Bowie community. They actively worked on projects supporting food insecurity by attending an MLK Day event with the Bowie State Nutrition Lounge where they packed over 1,300 meals for families in the community.

This year’s Washington DC Community Partners of the Year showed why the work we do matters. Grassroots Health, Bowie St. Nutrition Lounge, and DCPCS Brightwood were all steadfast partners to AFH U. Each organization welcomed our student-athletes and encouraged them to continue coming into their programs. We look forward to our continued work with all of them.

AFH University Service Recognition

Posted: January 12, 2023 Updated: February 9, 2023 by jbelinkie

November & December Student-Athlete & Team of the Month

Each month we ask our AFH University campus liaisons for nominations of student-athletes and teams who excelled in service. Through our monthly nominations, we are able to acknowledge all of the good our student-athletes and teams are doing in their communities.

“Community service to me is all about creating meaningful connections. Giving back is a great way to strengthen ties with an amazing community that has given my team and I so much. It brings me a great deal of happiness to be able to make the slightest difference in someone’s day. I hope to continue to stay involved with the community through all of the connections that I have been able to make playing at Southern University“
Londyn Lau, Southern Softball ’22

November 2022

Student-Athlete of the Month

Our November student-athlete of the month is Helen Feldmeth from Georgetown University. This AFH intern has gone above and beyond to connect her rowing team and other athletes to service.

“Helen has been consistently involved with service on and off of campus. She single-handedly started a letter-writing campaign for elderly people across the country, collecting over 170 letters written by student-athletes on Georgetown’s campus. Not only has she been a leader in service she is also still in training with the women’s rowing program. Her attitude and determination towards AFH U and service in her community have not gone unnoticed!”

Team of the Month

Our November team of the month was none other than Bowie State University’s women’s basketball team. During the holiday season, this team set new standards for service and also rose to the challenge during the Bowie State athletics canned food drive.

“This team stood out, having the most canned goods for the November food drive amongst all the other sports teams and donating to the local food bank. They were a huge factor in collecting over 50 lbs. of food for the local food bank. Their willingness to participate and their enthusiasm for the cause was incredibly inspirational!”

December 2022

Student-Athlete of the Month

Our December student-athlete of the month is Londyn Lau from Southern University. She has been an integral part of service in the Baton Rouge community and has been a leader alongside her softball team since she was a freshman.

“Londyn Lau has been an active community service leader alongside her team Southern Softball for the last 4 years. She has been involved in several initiatives such as our 9/11 Emergency Preparedness events, MLK Day of Service, Miracle League, OLOL hospital visits, and Progress Elementary school visits. In honor of Thanksgiving, this year we served at a series of events happening in Baton Rouge. Londyn helped with set up for the Council on Aging’s Thanksgiving Luncheon. While her team traveled home for the holiday, she insisted on serving alone and assisting with meal prep for St.Vincent De Paul’s annual holiday dinner.”

Team of the Month

The December team of the month was none other than Georgetown Track & Field. Aside from making time to do team community service, they have given the gift of gear to young athletes around the D.C. area- and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon!

“The Georgetown Track and Field Team sat down for a letter-writing activity and wrote 65 letters to be delivered to senior citizens in need of love from the community. The team has also maintained a gear collection box in their locker, mainly donating shoes and other gently used items.”

We are so proud of all of our student-athletes and teams as they continue to pour into their communities through meaningful philanthropic work.

Athletes in Action

Posted: April 26, 2022 Updated: April 26, 2022 by kReeves

MSU Spartans Celebrated March’s National Reading Month

by Meredith Norris

Looking back at a recent service opportunity, AFH University member, Michigan State created a virtual March is Reading Month library that reached more kids than they could imagine.

In previous years, Spartan student-athletes would go into local elementary schools and read children’s books to numerous classrooms. Conscientious of the current climate, MSU decided to create a virtual library in the hopes to reach more children. Michigan State student-athletes recorded themselves reading children’s books and uploaded their video to a virtual library that was sent to various elementary classrooms.

This virtual library was shared with over 400 teachers, Speech Language Pathologists, librarians, literacy coaches, etc., reaching 47 schools in 19 school districts around the state of Michigan. The addition of this virtual library, allowed videos of MSU student-athletes encouraging and promoting the importance of reading to affect over 8,000 young children!

We are so proud of the continual drive to conduct service opportunities, despite the circumstances. Great job Spartans!

“I participated in March is Reading Month because I remember how much I loved being read to as a kid, and I remember how it made me feel loved and cared about. It felt good to be able to let other kids experience that too, and I’m sure it was extra special for them get read to by Michigan State Athletes.”
Parker Jamieson, Men’s Golf

“I participated in the March as a reading month because giving back to kids is one of my favorite things to do. I remember when I was in middle school I idolized MSU athletes, and to give back just a little bit of my time to make some kids days was totally worth it for me.”
Rebecka Poljan, Women’s Volleyball & AFH U March Student-Athlete of the Month