Our 3rd Annual BOSS Weekend (Jan 24-25) was a huge success in terms of fundraising and increasing awareness of our progress and impact. The weekend included our BOSS Showcase, an all-day event from The Pointe at the Walter Pyramid on the Long Beach State campus, that exposed 200 plus area youngsters to BOSS™ (Business Of Success beyond Sport) as well as the STEAM/critical thinking and writing career paths represented by and the success strategies employed by an amazing group of mentors. You can view the program journals for the BOSS Showcase and Awards at this link and this link.

The BOSS™ Awards is a celebration of the power of sport to change lives and create sustainable change in our youngsters centered around the 6 BOSS Pillars. Nearly 300 guests joined us at the beautiful Long Beach Marriott for a celebration of our 2020 BOSS Awards including representatives from AEG, AECOM, Avanath Capital Management, City of Long Beach, DICK’s, Dignity Health, Gumbiner Foundation, HSBC Bank, LA Lakers and Rams, Microsoft, Miller Foundation, Modern Woodmen, Northrop Grumman, TECC Constructors, Turner Construction, UPS and the offices of Congressman Alan Lowenthal, Supervisor Janice Hahn, County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas and State Senator Lena Gonzalez.

This year’s weekend was hosted by BOSS student-athletes Makaih and Darius Williams and Jakob Brannon. They were joined in presenting the 2020 BOSS Awards by Jaylen Baker, Dylan Ballard, Aaron Butler, Tyzer Handy, RJ Jenkins, Adam Michelson, Elijah and Shakar Reid, Christian Rios, Davyn Roberts, Noe’ Santana, Taiven Spurling, Chauncey Sylvester and Jason Tillman. Our 2020 BOSS Award honorees included Dr. Ludlow Creary, Mentally BOSS; Kiesha Nix, Los Angeles Lakers, Socially BOSS; Darick Simpson, Miller Foundation, Emotionally BOSS; Richard Sherman, San Francisco 49ers, Physically BOSS; Michelle Smith-Ballard, Turner Construction, Economically BOSS; and Pastor Wayne Chaney, Jr., Spiritually BOSS. Former Olympian and NFL great Willie Gault received the inaugural BOSS Legends Award.

Please enjoy this photo gallery that captures some of the excitement from our 3 rd Annual BOSS Weekend.

Our BOSS Weekend is the annual fundraising event to support BOSS™ , the year-round and multi-year “process” through which we are taking boys who participate in organized sport, especially those of color, with the goal of helping their leverage the lessons and skills learned through sport to develop the character, discipline, habits and skills to pursue success beyond sport with an emphasis on STEAM, critical thinking/writing and related fields. You can view an overview of BOSS™ at this link and a video that captures some of the excitement of our 2019 camp at this link.