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AFH Staff Highlight: Suzanne Potts

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AFH Staff Highlight: Suzanne Potts

Posted: by Brooke McMillan

The famous basketball coach Phil Jackson once said, “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.” At Athletes for Hope, our team is strong because of people like our Director of Athletes for Hope University, Suzanne Potts. Suzanne comes to us with extensive nonprofit experience and an intense love for all things data. We sat down with Suzanne to ask her what drives her in her day to day work at AFH and what excites her most about the future of the organization.

What is your role at AFH?

My role at AFH is as the Director for Athletes for Hope University and I also manage all the Measurement and Evaluation (M&E) for the organization.  As AFH U Director, I get to educate and connect with thousands of student-athletes from various university partners across the country. We educate hundreds of new student-athletes each year and have thousands engaged in service in their community. We’ve seen a tremendous increase in service hours, athlete engagement, and positive news stories about student-athletes with more focused evaluation techniques and outreach. I enjoy seeing our AFH team dig deeper into analyzing our impact, looking at how we collect, analyze and share our data with stakeholders.  I truly think we’ve become a data-driven organization that focuses on evidence-based approaches to our work, and it’s exciting to see this evolution as a small nonprofit.

What has been your favorite AFH moment?

My favorite AFH moment has been coming out and visiting with AFH U student-athletes on their campus and facilitating our workshops with them. They have such enthusiasm, optimism and wonderful ideas on how they can best serve their community. I love hearing their discussions when we debate our “Agree/Disagree/Unsure” activity about athlete obligation to serve and am always so inspired by their dedication to academics, their respective sports and then adding service to others in their lives. Student-athletes are the best role models for young kids and communities as they are excelling on and off the field, and they have a huge opportunity to motivate others to lead positive, healthy lifestyles.

What makes AFH unique?

I believe what makes us unique is our ability to connect athletes to service and convene groups of athletes to causes that they may not have previously engaged with. We have such a broad network of partners and communities and paired with our over 5000 athletes who have done educational workshops with us we can really fill a huge gap for communities. I love that we help athletes individually or as teams identify and discover their passions, and then actually connect them with opportunities in those areas. It’s so awesome when you get to see these athletes do a school or hospital visit and see firsthand the impact they had just by spending an hour or so with others in need.

What excites you about the future?

I get excited to see how many more opportunities our student-athletes will have to engage in service both during school and post-graduation. We’re working to establish a really robust program that will support their service needs for more than just during their time on campus. We’re establishing life-long philanthropists with these student-athletes, and I hope to see long term outcomes with them engaged in service well after they step off the playing field. We’re just getting started to see what student-athletes can do in service for others, and our Alumni program and longer-term LinkedIn Group provide some ongoing support for those who want to continue on as AFH Athletes post-graduation. I am excited to do more Alumni Service projects on campus or bring back student-athletes to their universities to share their service experience with a new batch of student-athletes!

 

AFH University: Volunteering in Their Own Words

Posted: by Brooke McMillan

On Saturday, January 26th Athletes for Hope University participated in Louisiana Key Academy’s First Family Health & Sports Day. Four teams along with Baton Rouge Soccer Club came out and lead sports stations for not only kids but the entire family. The event encouraged healthy lifestyles for parents and students through interactive food preparation and various sports skills sessions.

We often share photos from our athlete connections, but this time we wanted to share what the experience meant to the athletes themselves. Here is what the AFH U student athletes had to say about volunteering last week.

Southern Soccer

“We had the privilege of playing games with and getting to know such amazing children at a youth field day for kids with dyslexia! It was a fantastic experience and I’m so glad that I got to share this experience with my teammates and other athletes of the Baton Rouge community!” -Amya Webb

“It was so fun working with the kids and seeing them put so much energy into what we taught. It feels good to be able to help and give back especially to my own community.”- Skylar Randall

“Today was an amazing experience. It was very fun watching the kids play against each other. They all kept great attitudes the entire time and really made our volunteering experience easy and enjoyable.” -Tempest Shepherd

LSU Soccer

“It’s so fulfilling to come out on a beautiful Saturday morning and work with kids. We showed them how playing soccer and getting active outside is so important and beneficial to mental & physical health” – Marlena Cutura

‘It was nice to get out and help BRSC and LKA with their health and sport camp today. Helping the kids develop their soccer and health understanding was great to be a part of.’ – Lucy Parker

LSU Volleyball

“I loved interacting with both the kids and the parents at field day today. It’s so fun to see the joy that volleyball and other sports bring them.”- Anna Zwiebel

“The LA Key Academy Field Day was a great way to start the morning! I had a blast teaching volleyball to the kids and parents.”-Sydney Mukes

“It was awesome to share our sport with children at the LA Key Academy on a beautiful day. We were even impressed by their parents’ participation and are excited to see our sport grow in the community.”- Katie Kampen

LSU Football

“Today was a lot of fun! We got to play soccer and volleyball with a great group of kids. Encouraging them and being open to talk to them about their dyslexia will go a long way in building their confidence and belief that they can do anything!”- Josh Growden

“It was such a fun experience to get out in the Baton Rouge community and connect with the kids. Being able to be active with them and for them to see what is possible if they set goals is incredible. We are so appreciative of Athletes for Hope for setting up events like this because often times the kids can have more of an impact on us than we do on them!”- Blake Ferguson

Thanks to all the AFH University student athletes who took time out of their busy schedules to give back to the kids. We’d also like to thank our funders The Pennington Family Foundation and Nike for allowing us to continue this valuable program in the Baton Rouge area.

AFH University Baton Rouge Student Athletes Honor Dr. King Through Service

Posted: Updated: by Brooke McMillan

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., AFH U teams in Baton Rouge participated in The Walls Project 5th annual MLK Festival of Service. Projects such as MLK Day of Service is an initiative of The Walls Project with the purpose of revitalizing and reactivating neighborhoods through artistic engagement.

Student athletes from Southern University and Louisiana State University were excited to engage in various beautification projects over the course of the four day event. AFH U teams activated on Winbourne Avenue, from N. Acadian Thwy to BREC’s Howell Park. From painting houses, removing debris, to gardening, student athletes were eager to serve. Teams shared their experience as a great way to empower their community, meet local leaders, and bond with their teammates.

Southern Soccer

“Today we celebrated MLK Day by decorating the city of Baton Rouge with our artistic creations. We also helped distribute garden supplies to various project sites. It was a fun day spent with my team and other members of the community.”- Jessica Gutierrez

Southern Track & Field

“Engaging in community service not only makes a difference to the community, but it also gives students and others opportunities to meet new people. It’s always a good feeling to come together and help someone for a good cause without being asked.”-Dominique Dorsey

Southern Volleyball

“On MLK Day, we painted houses and businesses as well as gardened along Winbourne Avenue. We were happy to serve by beautifying our community and giving back to the citizens of Baton Rouge. ” -Arabella Hall

LSU Track & Field

“I helped with the MLK mural project, priming buildings for artists to paint their murals. Giving back always feels great, especially on a day dedicated to a man who did so much for this country!” -Erika Lewis

LSU Volleyball

“The LSU Volleyball team got together to help paint houses in the Howell Park community. During this time we were able to serve and connect with others in the Baton Rouge community in honor of Dr. King. We had an awesome time painting houses and serving the community! We even made friends with a couple of Southern University track athletes while working. It was great seeing everyone come together for a great cause.” -Sydney Mukes

LSU Beach Volleyball

“Well this is a funny story…a guy drove past us while we were out and said, ‘We love y’all!’ And it’s great to see so many people beautifying the city and joining together in this project!” – Katie Berowski

Thank you to all of the AFH U teams that came out to volunteer. Keep up the amazing work in your community!

AFH University Celebrates Most Impactful Year Ever

Posted: by Brooke McMillan

During the 2017-2018 school year, we saw tremendous progress in our AFH University (AFH U) program due to a significant investment of time and resources in measurement and evaluation, leveraging technology more efficiently, expanding our curriculum, working closely with on-the-ground program managers, and hiring an AFH U National Director to lead this program. While we initiated the process of developing and establishing AFH communities in new markets, we simultaneously worked to deepen relationships with existing universities, community partners and student leaders.

This past year, AFH U facilitated 20 workshops and had over 223 connections with over 1191 college athletes. We saw nearly a 100% increase in the amount of volunteer hours (4,456) that AFH U athletes put towards their charitable involvement, which signifies an increased commitment from AFH U athletes to the community causes they care about.

We also continue to deepen relationships with team leads and liaisons to better understand program needs. We met with various Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) groups to seek input and develop a more robust strategic plan for AFH U. We are excited to build momentum in the 2018-2019 school year as we expand and deepen our program impact at existing universities while we strategically grow AFH U in new communities. For more information on program impact, see infographic below.

LSU and Southern University Soccer teams Join Forces

Posted: by bsanchez

Athletes for Hope University teams continue to show their passion by getting involved in their local communities. This past week, LSU and Southern Soccer teams participated in TopSoccer’s annual jamboree on March 10th, at Burbank Soccer Complex in Baton Rouge, LA. TOPSoccer is a community based training and team placement program for athletes with disabilities organized by the Baton Rouge Soccer Club.
Soccer players from LSU and Southern had the opportunity to assist TopSoccer participants throughout the jamboree including leading drills and cheering them on after plays. Along with our AFH U teams, this event was supported by BREC, The Louisiana Marathon, Raising Cane’s, St. Lillian Academy, Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge, and The Arc.

Back to School and Giving Back for AFH U Teams

Posted: by bsanchez

We are excited to kick off another great school year with our AFH U teams all across various universities. Teams from University of Virginia, University of Southern California, Michigan State University, Southern University, Tulane and Louisiana State University are back in school and ready to have another year of incredible impact in their local communities.

During the 2016-2017 school year, we made significant progress in streamlining AFH U. This progress is due to a significant investment of time and resources in measurement and evaluation, leveraging technology more efficiently, expanding our curriculum, working closely with on-the-ground program managers, and most recently, hiring an AFH U National Director to lead this program. We believe that we will continue to build momentum in the 2017-2018 school year as we expand and deepen our program impact at existing universities while we strategically grow AFH U in new communities.

Last year, we had 1,028 athletes involved in community events from 29 various sports teams. They volunteered a remarkable 2,283 volunteer hours in communities, which was a 2000% increase from our 2015-2016 year!

With over 29 different community partners in multiple states, we are proud to see the difference that our teams are having with such a variety of programs in local communities.

We are focused on impact and continuous improvement, and hear from athletes that their time with AFH U has an impact on them as well as the kids and communities that they serve.

From last year, student athletes reported:

• 88% increased their knowledge about community involvement.
• 92% reported being more likely to give back after their AFH U experience.
• 92% felt inspired after giving back to their community.
• 94% enjoyed volunteering this year.
• 95% felt a connection to the kids they volunteered with this year.
• 95% felt their experience was meaningful.
• 93% felt empowered to do more after volunteering with AFH U.
• 94% felt they had an impact on the children they volunteered with this year.

What we hear from student athletes and students has an impact on our work and helps us determine how best to proceed with the program.

“I thought that the program was terrific and I look forward to doing more activities through Athletes for Hope in the future.” –AFH U student athlete

“By having a student athlete volunteer with us, I learned to do different exercises and stretches to be healthy and physically active that will help in different sports.”-Student in program with AFH U athlete

Now, more than ever, we know the importance of getting student athletes involved in our communities. After the recent Hurricanes in Texas and now Florida, we’ve seen our professional athletes such as Houston Texans player JJ Watts and the Houston Dash give back time, talent and energy to elevate awareness and raise critical dollars for their communities. As we saw last year when horrific floods hit Baton Rouge and our LSU and Southern teams stepped up and lent a hand to support their communities, we are proud to say that our AFH U teams are poised and ready to help where needed. We hope all of our student athletes have a remarkable year ahead and we can’t wait to see all that you do!