Pickup the Ball mentors young men in low-income, high-risk areas to provide them opportunities that will raise their level of expectations for life, increase their chance of success, and improve understanding among all communities. Young men and women are growing up in poverty – poverty that robs them not only of money, but of opportunity, support, and very often dignity. Cultures that surround po
verty are characterized by fatherlessness, crime, drugs, and a disintegrating family core. Many have grown up learning how to navigate the dysfunction of their surroundings instead of fighting to overcome it. Their view of the world is the same as the view of their culture. Someone needs to pick up the ball. Young men and women who play pickup basketball or football have found a healthy outlet for their frustration, and they tend to be accessible in the venues they play in. Our target age range – high school to 25 – are young people who have entered or are entering an exciting time of significant change in their lives. They are graduating, getting cars and jobs, going out on their own, and exploring the world. Very often they are being thrown into the world unprepared. Pickup the Ball has learned how to pick up the ball. Pickup the Ball serves these young men and women to stand in the gap in this tumultuous time on their lives. We expose them to opportunities they have not had before, and people they have not met. We broaden their base of life experience, and enlarge their perspective on the world. We guide them to set themselves up for success, because once they succeed, they want to succeed more. Getting them to believe in themselves is often our greatest challenge. Through community interactions we find that not only are our members affected through finding mentors, learning skills, or just making a personal connection, but the community members are affected by the genuine and earnest nature of the young men and women that make up Pickup the Ball. The community sees them for who they truly are – young men and women hungry for life and an opportunity to grow and succeed.
