espys Archives - Athletes for Hope

This is what AFH U produces.

When Kelis Armstrong walked onto the ESPY stage on July 15, 2026, she wasn’t just accepting an award. She was representing every student-athlete who ever chose to show up for their community when no one required them to.

The Howard University graduate and former Division I track and field athlete received the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award — one of the most prestigious sports humanitarian honors in the country — for using sport to advance youth health, safety, and community equity across Washington, D.C. She is an AFH U student-athlete. And this is exactly what AFH U was built for.

Beyond the Track

Kelis Armstrong grew up in Dallas, Texas, as an athlete through and through. She played every sport she could find before track claimed her and carried her all the way to Howard University, one of the nation’s most celebrated HBCUs. But somewhere along the way, Kelis realized that being a great athlete wasn’t enough.

“I knew just being a track athlete wasn’t it,” Armstrong said. “I was definitely made for more.”

Through organizations including Grassroots Health and Run Your City, Kelis built after-school safe spaces, taught health literacy, and engaged student-athletes in service throughout the D.C. community. She didn’t wait until after her athletic career to give back. She did it while competing, while studying, while building a life in a city she adopted as her own.

“Being at an HBCU really does mean a lot,” Armstrong said. “Being able to talk about that while also talking about community service and being out with the D.C. community — being with the kids especially — has made a really big impact on my life.”

What AFH U Is Built For

Athletes for Hope launched AFH U to recognize, support, and celebrate exactly this kind of student-athlete. Not just the ones with the best stats or the biggest scholarships — but the ones who understand that sport gives you a platform, and that platform carries a responsibility.

AFH U connects college athletes to the resources, community, and recognition they need to turn their values into action. It celebrates student-athletes who lead beyond their sport — in their schools, their communities, and the world around them.

Kelis Armstrong is proof of what that investment looks like when it takes root.

“I’ve always told myself every day — I was given this platform for a reason,” Armstrong said. “I want to continue this, reaching out to as many as I can to help.”

A New Chapter

This fall, Kelis heads to Columbia University to pursue a Master of Public Health — taking the same drive that powered her on the track and in the D.C. community to one of the world’s leading public health programs. The work doesn’t stop. It scales.

At Athletes for Hope, we couldn’t be prouder to call Kelis one of our own. Her ESPY win is a celebration of her journey — and a reminder of why AFH U exists.

The platform sport gives you is meant for something bigger than trophies. Kelis Armstrong has always known that.

Celebrate Kelis and share in the moment — congratulate her on social media and let her know her work is being seen.

Read the full story as featured on WJLA 7News →

Learn more about AFH U and how to get involved at athletesforhope.org.

On July 14, 2026, at the ESPY Awards, Lonnie Ali walked onto the stage and placed the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award into the hands of Stephen Curry. For Athletes for Hope, that moment was more than a highlight reel. It was a full circle.

Muhammad Ali co-founded Athletes for Hope in 2006 alongside Mia Hamm, Andre Agassi, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and eight other legendary athletes. He believed — before it was common practice — that the platform sport gives you is meant for something bigger than trophies. Twenty years later, the award bearing his name went to the man leading the organization he helped build.

That’s not a coincidence. That’s a legacy.

What Steph Built in Oakland

Stephen Curry has led the AFH Athlete Leadership Council since the organization’s next generation of leadership took shape. And off the court, he and his wife Ayesha have spent seven years building the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation into one of the most impactful athlete-led philanthropic organizations in the country.

The numbers tell part of the story: 35 million meals provided, 1 million books distributed, and schools, gyms, and playgrounds transformed across Oakland. But Steph has always been clear that the work is about more than numbers.

“We’re only seven years in and the impact that we’ve had in Oakland has been real,” Curry said.

Real is the right word. Eat. Learn. Play. doesn’t write checks and walk away. It builds infrastructure — addressing food insecurity, educational access, and physical activity in a community that Steph has chosen to show up for, season after season.

Why This Award Hits Different

The Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award is the most prestigious sports humanitarian honor in the world. It recognizes athletes who have used their platforms to make extraordinary contributions to their communities. Past recipients represent the best of what sport can produce when athletes choose to lead beyond the game.

That Lonnie Ali personally presented this award to Steph — the leader of the organization Muhammad Ali co-founded — is a moment that speaks for itself.

At Athletes for Hope, we don’t just celebrate this win. We feel it. It represents everything our founders believed when they built this organization twenty years ago, and everything our Athlete Leadership Council carries forward today.

The Spirit We Celebrate Every Year

Every November, Athletes for Hope gathers at the Play for Good Gala to honor athletes who embody this same spirit — leaders who understand that the greatest play you will ever make is the one that outlasts the game.

This year, as AFH marks its 20th anniversary, Stephen Curry’s ESPY moment will be part of the story we tell. Because this is exactly what AFH was built for.

Congratulations, Steph. Muhammad Ali would be proud.

Learn more about the AFH Athlete Leadership Council and the Play for Good Gala at athletesforhope.org.

AFH U Student-Athlete Kelis Armstrong Wins Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the 2026 ESPYs

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AFH U Student-Athlete Kelis Armstrong Wins Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award at the 2026 ESPYs

Stephen Curry Wins the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award — And the Moment Meant Everything to AFH