Olympian, Former Basketball Star Tamika Catchings Shares Journey with Greenville students10/17/2017  October 17, 2017
Tamika Catchings was 3 years old when her family found out she had a hearing problem. Then, when Catchings was in second grade, her family moved to Abilene, Texas, and she endured “the worst year” of her life. Students made fun of her looks, speech impediment and hearing aid. But on Tuesday night, Catchings spoke at the quarterly Coaches 4 Character program at Greenville’s Redemption World Outreach Center as an NCAA, WNBA and Olympic champion. Now retired from the WNBA, Catchings owns a tea shop in Indianapolis, works for Pacers Sports & Entertainment and travels for speaking engagements and basketball camps. Throughout her speech, Catchings’ pushed the students to believe in themselves and their dreams, take advantage of the opportunities life presents and fight to overcome challenges. “We all have an opportunity to decide how we’ll handle the struggle you go through," Catchings told the crowd. “You determine the type of box that’s around you.” Prior to Catchings’ speech, Bailey Betsill and Jackson Duncan, both eighth-graders at Sevier Middle and National Beta Club members, were presented with The Greenville News Coaches 4 Character Award. Both were recognized as well-respected students and were presented with a plaque by Catchings and The News. Betsill plays softball and volunteers with Paris Elementary, Mountain Creek Baptist Church and the Feed the Need Program. Duncan plays golf and basketball and volunteers his time to Sevier Middle and others. Throughout the night, Catchings discussed her journey, which included moving at least five times from her third-grade to 11th-grade school years. She also recalled defining moments: deciding in seventh grade she wanted to play in the NBA, deciding in eighth grade she wanted to play for Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols and deciding during freshman year of college she wanted to play in the WNBA. Catchings also opened up about her setbacks, including tearing an ACL during her senior year at The University of Tennessee, and shared dark moments, like when she wanted to give up or didn't feel as if she were good enough. Bria Felicien with the Greenville News and Tamika Catchings present the Greenville News award to Sevier Middle School eighth graders Bailey Betsill and Jackson Duncan during Coaches 4 Character at Redemption Church on Tueday, October 17, 2017. “For (young people), sometimes they look at basketball stars or professional athletes like we grew up, were born straight in like gold and never had an issue,” Catchings said a few days prior to her speech. “And like everything was perfect our whole life until we got to be a professional athlete.” Catchings said she wanted to share her natural competitive spirit -- which she has cultivated throughout her upbringing and at Tennessee and in Indiana -- with the children in Greenville, so they can apply it however they choose. She emphasized throughout the night that her belief in herself and faith got her where she is today. “I’ve been told that if you plant a mustard seed, what it ends up growing to, is huge,” Catchings told the students. “Well, that’s my faith, too.” Mike Dunleavy is slated as the next Coaches 4 Character speaker on Dec. 13. Visit coaches4character.com for more information. By: Bria Felicien -- Greenville Online
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 April 25, 2017
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott will be the keynote speaker for the 10th annual ACE (Advocates for Character and Education) Awards, honoring 70 young unsung heroes from Greenville County Schools. “We’re honoring kids who have overcome personal struggles and sometimes personal tragedies,” said Greg Blatt, executive director of Coaches 4 Character, which sponsors the awards. “They’ve overcome the odds and achieved amazing things in their schools, churches, homes and communities,” he said. The annual ACE Awards banquet takes place at 7 p.m. May 12, at Redemption Church in Greenville. Tickets are $5 for adults and free to students in 12th grade and under. As someone who faced challenges growing up in a working-class family, Scott, a Republican from Charleston, is the perfect speaker for the ACE awards, Blatt said. “His personal story is all about overcoming odds and achieving,” Blatt said. “His personal story offers a phenomenal connection with these deserving students. We’re honored that he accepted our invitation to speak.” One boy and one girl from each of Greenville County’s 35 middle and high schools will be presented an ACE Award. Winners will receive a medallion, commemorative program/video and a gift package. Thanks to recent donations, six 12th-grade students also will receive $2,500 college scholarships. Two students will be able to donate $500 each from Coaches 4 Character to the students’ favorite charity. “What an incredible honor to participate in an event designed to celebrate young leaders across the Upstate,” Scott said in a statement. “Whether it was in their church, school or home, these inspiring students have risen to the challenge, left a lasting impression, and have set the example for their peers to follow." Extensive process The ACE Award-winning students, in eighth or 12 grades, are selected after extensive consideration, Blatt said. “There’s a nine-month nomination and selection process,” Blatt said. They are chosen based on "character, community service and academic effort.” Coaches 4 Character particularly seeks to applaud students who work outside the spotlight and have not been honored in the past. “It’s all about unsung heroes,” Blatt said. “It’s what makes this program special. I think that’s really why the community has gotten behind this program. We work hard to find these unsung heroes and make them feel appreciated.” The ACE Awards are a partnership of The Greenville News, WYFF 4, Greenville County Schools, iHeartMEDIA and the Greenville Health System. Beginning today, The News will be running profiles on each of the ACE winners leading up to the event. “We owe a huge thank-you to our caring and generous partners,” Blatt said. “Without their generosity and their giving spirit, we wouldn’t be able to honor these deserving kids.” Coaches 4 Character hosts speakers throughout the year to provide a motivational message to students, but the annual ACE Awards is the group’s signature event. Paul Hyde covers education and everything else under the South Carolina sun. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7. By: Paul Hyde -- Greenville Online  March 27, 2017
Ben Boulware is quick to offer a critical self-assessment, particularly for a football player about to embark on a professional career. “I’m not the biggest or the fastest or the strongest guy around,” Boulware said. But he possesses perhaps an even more important ingredient in abundance. “I’ve been blessed with the attitude and mentality to work,” Boulware said. Boulware did just that during his four seasons at Clemson, and his diligence paid off in January when the Tigers won their first national championship since 1981. That work ethic was the crux of his message Monday night during a Coaches 4 Character program at the Redemption Center in Greenville. Boulware was joined by former teammate Mike Williams for the presentation titled “Two Tigers: One Message,” which attracted a crowd of more than 1,200 elementary, middle and high school students from the Upstate. The night also belonged to two Greer Middle School students who were named recipients of The Greenville News’ Coaches 4 Character Awards – Vincent Bush and Dominique Harris. According to Greer Middle School Principal Dan Bruce, Bush is a seventh-grader who aspires “to become a highly successful engineer who shares his ideas with the world,” while Harris, an eighth-grader, “is a very good, well-rounded student who is determined to make education her ticket to success.” Williams, a wide receiver who is expected to be a Top 10 selection in next month’s NFL Draft, emphasized the message that he was similarly determined while in school. “I always felt like I was a student first and an athlete second,” Williams said. Boulware, a linebacker, and Williams both graduated at Clemson in three and a half years, and both urged the young people in attendance Monday to follow a similar path, regardless of how long it takes. “I think a college degree is something to build upon, not fall back on,” Boulware said. “An NFL career could be 15 years or 15 months. “A lot of things are possible. The phrase I’ve been living by is ‘control everything that’s in my power, and the outcome will take care of itself.’” By: Scott Keepfer -- Greenville Online  December 7, 2016 WNBA star inspires by describing journey As Maya Moore entered The Kroc Center's gymnasium Tuesday for the Coaches 4 Character speaker series, hundreds of young people stood, cheered and chanted her name. Moore, the WNBA star, two time Olympic gold medalist and former standout at the University of Conneticut, showed up to speak about her journey and encourage the audience to partner their passion with their gifts -- in basketball or other area they choose, Moore admits basketball players may relate to her more than others, but says her story can translate to anyone "I'm not that old... yet," she said as she started her speech, and went on to talk about the way she grew up, bouncing around from city to city early on and having extended family to pitch in and help raise her. "My story is their story as far as humble beginnings." Moore said "(I had) people to help me and support me. I worked hard and I'm able to live out my dream now." Prior to Moore's speech, two Southside High School students, junior Brinton Gambrell and senior Ashley Oliver, were honored with The Greenville News Coaches 4 Character Executive Director Greg Blatt and Southside principal Brad Griffith for their leadership, work ethic and commitment to their community. Oliver serves as a Tiger Mentor, facilitating character education classes for freshman. She also is a cheerleader, as well as a member of the school's track-and-field and soccer teams. Gambrell is the top-enlisted cadet in the school's ROTC program and Griffith spoke about Gambrell's leadership role in many areas in school. Moore's last professional game was Oct. 20, a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA Finals. Normally at this time of the year she'd be playing overseas, as many WNBA players do during the offseason, but she took this international season off to rest. Moore said she's been looking forward to the time off. So far, she has enjoyed time with family and finds every change to give back to kids and share her experiences. "That itch for basketball I'm sure will come as as the season gets closer, but I've been enjoying the holiday for now, " she said. This is the first speaking engagement for Moore since her season ended, and though Blatt has been trying for years to get her to the Upstate, she said his passion for the program and the kids in the Greenville area solidified her decision to come to South Carolina once she had time. "This is definitely one of the most unique recruiting experiences I've had, with a six year process," Moore said. "This program has over the last 10 years had so many kids, (tonight there's) hundreds of kids. To have this many young people in the room is really a unique experience that I wanted to be a part of." By: Bria N. Felicien -- Greenville Online  October 7, 2016
When he took the stage in front of hundreds of students from the Upstate Monday night as the speaker at the Coaches 4 Character event., Tubby Smith had plenty of experiences from which he could share insight and encouragement Smith is just weeks away from his first season at the helm of men's basketball at the University of Memphis. The Tigers are the sixth program for a coach who has taken each of the previous five to the NCAA tournament. He won a national title as the head coach at Kentucky. In more than 25 years of coaching, Smith has worked with a lot of young people. He said little has really changed about young people. "They all want to be successful,: he said before the program at Redemption Church. "They all want to play. They all want to be cared for. They want to be led the right way. I don't know that there's much of a change. The only thing I see are the distractions and the things they have to live with today in our society." Those distractions include social networks, media scrutiny, and sometimes even family. As he spoke to the students Smith drew as much from his life growing up as he did from his career. He particularly spoke of what his parents taught him and his 16 siblings. May of those things deal with the basics. "When you have a vision and a passion for something, great things can happen." Smith said. "And dreams are based on opportunities, and opportunities are based on relationships." He encouraged the students to set goals and "to focus in on the things that are important." Smith joined a long line of major college coaches to participate in the Coaches 4 Character program. Monday, that program recognized two middle school students - Aydin Virga and Dylan Swain -- for their efforts at school and in their community. "These gutys were chosen out of 300 eighth graders for their servant leadership attitude," said Kellie Farma, Virga's and Swain's principal at Hillcrest Middle School. "They're collaborative. They're cooperative. They stand up for what is right. They're always looking for opportunities to serve others." By: Myron Hosea -- Greenville Online  May 17, 2016
University of South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin has developed an expertise on toughness. Not from his background as a nightclub bouncer in Miami, Florida. Not from the comeback victories he has directed from the bench. Martin asserted that he has learned toughness from his commitment as a husband and father. “We can’t call in sick to those jobs. You can’t take a two-week vacation,” Martin said with laugh Tuesday evening, to a crowd filled with some of the toughest students in Greenville County. Martin affirmed the importance of consistent and persistent toughness as the guest speaker at the Coaches 4 Character Ace Awards. Sixty-eight students, from eighth graders to high school seniors, were honored as “Unsung Heroes” during a ceremony at Redemption. The students were recognized for their positive impact on classmates, teachers and counselors while overcoming personal challenges. “When I was your age, I thought toughness was who could go out back and knock each other out. That’s got nothing to do with toughness,” Martin told the students. “Toughness is who’s willing to do their job, who’s willing to make those around them better, who’s willing to put their personal feelings aside so they can help the group. That’s what toughness is. And do it every single day regardless of how you feel.” Martin encouraged students to remain accountable to their dreams and to inhibit any detractor from persuading them to discount those dreams, regardless of how many mistakes they make or how many hardships they face. “Tonight’s a celebration for their achievements,” Martin said, “to let them understand as they continue to get older, they’re going to have more challenges, not less challenges. Life gets more complicated the older you get, not simpler. Dealing with the initial challenges they’ve been hit with, them being able to overcome those to continue to strive and be great is going to help them deal with problems as they move forward. “The important thing is we continue to celebrate their accomplishments to this moment and to let them know that our greatest duty as we get older is that we learn to give, not take. If we learn to give, we start impacting the world in a positive way.” By: Mandrallius Robinson -- Greenville Online  March 22, 2016
Ten years ago, Shaq Lawson was in middle school and about as far from an exemplary student as a seventh-grader can get. “I was the class clown,” Lawson said. “I went to school to crack jokes. I never thought I’d be standing here talking to kids.” But there Lawson stood Tuesday night, with mother beaming proudly from the second row and a throng of young students hanging on his every word at the quarterly Coaches 4 Character program at Greenville’s Redemption World Outreach Center. Lawson, an All-America defensive end for the Clemson football team last season, was joined by former teammate Charone Peake for the program, titled “Two Tigers, One Cause.” The players, who are both preparing for the NFL Draft, shared messages of perseverance while stressing the importance of education and character development. “If you want to be in sports, you’ve got to start off with the grades first,” said Lawson, a Central native who played at Daniel High School. “That’s the most important thing.” Lawson should know; he had to attend Virginia’s Hargrave Military Academy to shore up his academics before he could launch his academic and athletic careers at Clemson. “I wish I could take it back and start over and get off to a better start,” Lawson said. Apparently, Taylor Branham-King and Brandon Belue already have heeded Lawson’s advice. The two Woodmont High School seniors, both set to graduate on June 2, have been active athletically while maintaining solid if not spectacular academic standing, and were rewarded for their efforts by receiving The Greenville News’ Character Awards at the outset of the program. Branham-King has maintained a 3.576 GPA while playing four years of basketball and participating in the recent Greenville County All-Star Game. She also has been a member of the National Beta Club, National Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America. An active member and children church staff member at Water of Life Christian Church in Greenville, Branham-King plans to attend the College of Charleston and major in physical therapy. Belue played four years of baseball for the Wildcats and one year of football. He managed to maintain a 3.4 GPA despite having to overcome surgery to remove a brain tumor his senior year. Active in the community and his church – Unity Baptist in Simpsonville – Belue will attend Winthrop University, where he plans to major in education and become a history teacher. Peake, a wide receiver out of Dorman High, overcame multiple knee injuries to post the most productive season of his career with 50 receptions for 716 yards and five touchdowns last season. But more importantly he has a degree in his back pocket. “Football can be taken away from me at any moment,” Peake told the attentive crowd. “But not my degree.” By: Scott Keepfer -- Greenville Online  Coach and Kathleen Swinney hosted an awards luncheon for Dabo’s All In Team Foundation’s 2015 grant winners on Wednesday, November 11th.
The Foundation’s mission is “to raise awareness of critical education and health issues in order to change lives of people across the state of South Carolina”. Since the Foundation’s inception more than $1.7 Million dollars has been awarded to organizations in the Upstate in support of the Foundation’s mission. Kathleen Swinney, “The Board received many requests this year. There are many fine and deserving organizations doing great work. We are very proud of our award winners as their staff and volunteers work every day to make a difference right in the area we live in.”  September 22, 2015
In his first meeting recently with the 2015-2016 edition of the Wofford men's basketball team, coach Mike Young had something he wanted to tell them. "We have to make sure that everybody understands how special they are," said Young as he talked to an audience of elementary, middle, and high school students during the Coaches 4 Character program at Redemption World Outreach Center on Tuesday night. Young, who is entering his 14th season as head coach of the Terriers, was the featured speaker at the event that kicked off the 2015-2016 series for Coaches 4 Character. He told the students that just as all 16 players on his team are special, so are they. "Everybody in this room has something special to give to your community, to your school, to your church group, to whatever organization you're involved in," he said. Young's comments come after he participated in presenting The Greenville News Coaches 4 Character Awards to Riverside Middle School students Audrey Ballew and Shubham Mahajan. The information shared about how Ballew and Mahajan help others fit right in with Young's message. "The words that were used to describe Audrey and Shubham -- kind, nice, smart, responsible, friendly, leader, determines -- if you posess any of those qualities you've got a shot to make your school, your community, your church better," said the coach who has led Wofford to the NCAA Tournament four of the last six seasons. Both Ballew, who has volunteered with numerous organizations to help with a wide range of projects, and Mahajan, who not only participates in a variety of activities but also reaches out to help students who are struggling, found connection in Young's comments. "He was talking about seeing (Wofford) fans and using them for hope and determination, and feel like my friends, my family, my church, everyone else in my life is doing that for me," said Ballew. Mahajan noted Young's comments on leadership "and you should always help other people. I feel like I haven't helped the community that much yet, so I want to help the community a little more." By: Myron Hosea-- Greenville News  May 20, 2015
The video is easy to find on the Internet, and not flattering in any way, which is exactly why Tim Worley advertises its existence. The video, dated April 13, 2008, shows Worley – the former University of Georgia and pro football star – being shot with a Taser and arrested by police in Smyrna, Georgia, following a daylong binge of drug and alcohol consumption. "Promise me y'all will look at it," Worley told an attentive audience at the 2015 ACE Awards celebration Tuesday night at Greenville's Redemption World Outreach Center. The incident was a watershed moment in Worley's life. He has since cleaned up his act and travels the country as a motivational speaker and life skills consultant. Worley also serves as a chaplain at a rescue mission in Huntsville, Alabama, and host of his own radio show, "Beyond the Locker Room with Tim Worley: Where Sports Meets Life." When sharing his story of recovery and fulfillment, Worley points to "unsung heroes" in his life, which was appropriate for Tuesday night's gathering, which honored 68 local high school students deemed "unsung heroes" by counselors at their respective Greenville County schools. "The unsung heroes in my life were my mother and other people you don't hear about much," Worley said. "They kept pulling on my potential, they saw the things that God put in me." Worley was a high school football and track standout at Lumberton High School in North Carolina before playing at Georgia and becoming the seventh overall selection of the 1989 NFL Draft. He played six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, but derailed his career with drug and alcohol abuse. "I went from the penthouse to the outhouse with some of the decisions and choices I made," Worley said. He wants others to avoid those pitfalls. "I got favoritism, I got things I didn't really earn," Worley said. Worley received "A" grades in school when he actually earned "Ds," he said, which only encouraged him to remain comfortably wrapped in his security blanket of the playing field. "I took on an athletic identity," Worley said. "But when the cheering stopped, that was my only identity. I felt like I couldn't do anything else." That, Worley eventually discovered, was a misconception that only he could correct. His arrest and subsequent 23 days in jail seven years ago helped open his eyes, providing the impetus for a rebirth that has altered his life's course. Suddenly, he felt capable of much more, he said, and that "more" included being a good husband, having a positive impact on the lives of others, and spreading an inspirational message based on first-hand knowledge. By: Scott Keepfer -- Greenville Online |
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