Meet Reginald L. Russell of Empowerment Through Sports in Gilbert

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reginald L. Russell.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Reginald. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up in South Phoenix, Arizona, sports was my horizons view of escape from what was normal. Sports was my outlet and after being able to leave South Phoenix to pursue collegiate sports, I vowed to pay it forward to children who share similar backgrounds, circumstances, and influences. After graduating from college and finishing my final NCAA season, the Lord allowed me to start the Empowerment Through Sports program. We started the program with 13 kids and eventually gravitated to 238 solid participants in our football program alone, servicing the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Over the course of our 7 years of sports programming, we were able to establish collaborations and partnerships in other Arizona cities such as Casa Grande, Prescott, Marana, Tucson, Coolidge, and Wickenburg. Today, our efforts are focused on interacting with the South Phoenix Community and providing resources for children and families to be successful in life. We still support sports programming in the community and eagerly seek out opportunities to bridge the gaps of lack.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has not been a smooth one, we have faced the typical challenges associated with any small grassroots organization. We have faced the obstacle of filtering through the selfish agenda of adult human beings all while trying to orchestrate a concerted effort in bringing a diverse group of people together. Our ideal goal is to create a harmonious environment that is conducive to growth and development of the child participant and their families. It becomes very problematic to create this environment and shield the development of the program from toxicity.

Empowerment Through Sports – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our mission is to “EMPOWER” the lives of our participants and their families. Empowerment Through Sports (ETS) desires to be a cornerstone of support in helping shape the lives of our young participants and their families through the medium of sports. We want to make sure that as we strive to “change the face of sports, one kid at a time”, that we are as well building health, confidence, and character into all of the lives we encounter. The focal point is on Faith, Family, and Community (FFC), our behaviors need to cause positive experiences for kids and parents! Winning to us is about much more than the outcome of a sporting event because we care that your family “wins” in their relationship with God through Christ. ETS strives to create lifelong partnerships with our members, hence It is very important to concretely solidify relationships with churches, school districts, and other potential community partners. We pledge to ensure that we provide a safe sports environment for our community and truly show our community that the benefit of recreation is endless! The importance of mentoring, education, training, and personal development are paramount. Our programs help detour young men and women from poor decision making. Our collaborative efforts help to promote growth and development as well as absorb idle time. Our primary effort is to introduce a young person to their endless potential!l.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I personally define success as the accomplishment of an initial goal, mission or purpose.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emtsports.com
• Phone: 602-690-5360
• Email: reginald@emtsports.com
• Instagram: Empowerment Through Sports
• Facebook: Empowerment Through Sports
• Twitter: Empowerment Through Sports
• Yelp: Empowerment Through Sports
• Other: Empowerment Through Sports

Image Credit:
All Image rights reserved by Empowerment Through Sports

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