The Foundation for Global Sports Development and Sidewinder Films

Countdown to the Paralympics with BOOST Athletes! ?? Once a police officer with the Dayton Police Department, Byron Branch's life took a dramatic turn in 2016 when a car crash left him severely injured. Despite losing a leg, he returned to full-time duty and was honored as the 2018 Officer of the Year. Having taken up fencing in high school, Byron continued training students even after his injury. In 2018, he decided to try wheelchair fencing and excelled, winning Gold at the Pan American Games that same year, followed by a Silver at the 2019 USA Fencing National Championships and a Bronze at the 2019 January North American Cup. Byron will make his Paralympic debut in the men’s foil at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Best of luck, Byron! #Paralympics #Paralympics2024 #BOOSTAthletes #TeamUSA #Paris2024

Exceptional Youth Scholarship ?? recipient Mary Ling, originally from Myanmar, recently graduated from Hinkley High School, in Aurora, Colorado. She will attend the University of Colorado in Denver on a pre-med track this fall. Mary’s long-term goal is to either become a cardiologist or a surgeon. During her time at Hinkley High School, Mary gravitated towards honors and college-level STEM classes and maintained a perfect GPA over the four years even though English is her second language. Wanting to take full advantage of her school's many opportunities, Mary joined the tennis team, held executive positions on Hinkley’s Student Council and HOSA (Future Health Professionals), and was a member of her school’s National Honors Society and National Arts Honors Society chapters. In addition to being active in her church, highlights of Mary’s community service involvement included volunteering as a lab assistant for biomedical classes at Hinkley, mentoring underclassmen, organizing a stocking giveaway for senior citizens at a local assisted living center, as well as teaching community members about self-exams and cancer screenings. Mary plans to continue volunteering as she pursues her Bachelor of Science degree in Denver. We wish her ongoing success and know that she will excel at whatever she puts her mind to! #Scholarship #ScholarshipOpportunity #ScholarshipSearch #ExceptionalYouthScholarship

Kaitlin Lewis, a 2023 Exceptional Youth Scholarship recipient, will be starting her sophomore year studying Biology and Feminist Studies at UC Santa Barbara this fall. Over the last year, besides taking classes, she’s gotten involved with The Black Women's Health Collaborative, where she’ll now hold a leadership position during the 2024-2025 academic term. Kaitlin also plans to volunteer in either the NICU/Pediatrics or Emergency Department of a local hospital while completing prerequisites for her major, exploring classes that interest her, and getting back into playing rugby like she did throughout high school. We’re thrilled to see that the Exceptional Youth Scholarship helped Kaitlin transition into college life by easing some of the financial burden, giving her time to study, discover new interests and find a community. We look forward to hearing more about her journey and all she goes on to accomplish over the next few years. #Scholarship #ScholarshipOpportunity #ScholarshipSearch #ExceptionalYouthScholarship

Exceptional Youth Scholarship ?? recipient Ryan Downs recently graduated a year ahead of schedule from BASIS Goodyear in Goodyear, Arizona, and is headed to the University of Arizona in Tucson this fall, where he will be on a pre-med track. His goal is to become an orthopedic surgeon and help alleviate healthcare disparities both within the U.S. and abroad. Ryan packed a lot into his three years of high school. Not only did he achieve a top GPA while taking a heavy course load of Advanced Placement and honors classes, but he was named an AP Scholar with Honor and a National Hispanic Scholar by the College Board, and earned the Commended Scholar designation and multiple other accolades from his school, along with the Ronal Reagan Leadership Medal. Beyond the awards, Ryan was elected Class Representative, co-founded and was President of the BASIS Goodyear Red Cross Club, prepared lectures and set up labs as a teaching assistant in chemistry and biology, acted in several school productions, and served as a Student Ambassador for prospective families. Outside of school, Ryan competed successfully at the local, regional, and national level in judo. In addition, he refereed matches in Japanese and helped train athletes of all ages who were new to the sport. Ryan also volunteered and attended classes at a local hospital, tutored students in calculus, biology and physics, and participated in environmental initiatives like river cleanups and tree plantings. Please join us in wishing Ryan all the best as he moves to Tucson and takes the next step toward fulfilling his lifelong dream. We suspect he’ll accomplish everything he has set out to do, and more! #Scholarship #ScholarshipOpportunity #ScholarshipSearch #ExceptionalYouthScholarship

Countdown to the Paralympics with BOOST Athletes! ?? Our 2020 BOOST award supported high-performance athletes whose lives were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. GSD hoped to uplift these athletes and encourage them to continue training through that period of isolation and uncertainty. Desmond Jackson, one of our 2020 BOOST recipients, was born with a congenital condition that led to the loss of a limb, but he never let this hold him back. From an early age, he was active in sports like running, soccer, baseball, basketball, flag football, bowling, and horseback riding. Desmond made history as the first above-knee amputee to run on a high school track team in North Carolina. And at just 16 years old, he qualified to compete for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Now, Desmond is set to compete in the Para Track & Field events at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Join us in cheering him on! #Paralympics #Paralympics2024 #BOOSTAthletes #TeamUSA #Paris2024

"Playing to Survive: von Cramm vs. Hitler" is a captivating documentary that combines sleek animation with high-quality archival footage to tell the story of international tennis champion Gottfried von Cramm. The film serves as a heartfelt tribute to one of tennis' forgotten heroes and his remarkable courage in the face of oppression. The 26th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival will be screening "Playing to Survive: von Cramm vs. Hitler" on August 25, 2024, at 8:00 pm at Sidewalk Cinema – Theater B as the closing film. Tickets to the festival can be purchased at https://lnkd.in/grwb6ykY and the full festival schedule can be found at https://lnkd.in/gMsNFttP. #FoundationforGlobalSportsDevelopment #SidewinderFilms #SidewalkFilmFestival #GottfriedVonCramm

We’re counting down to the Paralympics at the end of the month with Positive All The Way, a film we released in 2020. The documentary short explores the story of Sir Philip Craven, former president of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), who grew the IPC into the world’s largest adaptive sports organization and became a driving force of the Paralympic movement. Positive All The Way celebrates Sir Philip’s tenure at the helm of the IPC, the Paralympics, and how together, they transformed perceptions of disabled athletes and increased accessibility to sports for all. ?? Watch Positive All The Way on PBS #FoundationforGlobalSportsDevelopment #GlobalSportsDevelopment #GSD #SidewinderFilms #Sport #Teamwork #Sportsmanship #Education #Paralympics #PositiveAllTheWay

Exceptional Youth Scholarship ?? recipient Morgan Berry is a 2024 graduate of The Clinton School, in New York City. This fall she will be attending Syracuse University where she plans to major in Psychology. Her long-term goals are to become a physician and work to close the gap in healthcare outcomes for women of color. During her time at The Clinton School, Morgan completed the academically rigorous International Baccalaureate all while serving as co-leader of her school’s Black Latin Student Union Club and performing as First Violinist for the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s and ISO at Third Street — New York City’s largest youth orchestra program. A seasoned violinist who began playing in second grade, she has the rare distinction of having performed at both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, something which all musicians dream of, but few achieve. Morgan has chosen to honor the people and organizations that helped her along the way by teaching violin and sharing her love of music with elementary school students through Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s every week, as well as mentoring a student in a lower orchestra at ISO at Third Street. Her efforts to improve access to the arts have paid off as the youth orchestra has seen an increase in its enrollment numbers. Morgan has also been committed to volunteering at her elementary school library since the sixth grade. In addition to assisting with organizing and cataloguing, she tutors children in the afterschool program and encourages them to explore the world of books, helping the next generation discover their own strengths and interests. Morgan hopes they will someday be inspired to share their unique talents with others. With everything she’s already accomplished, we’re confident Morgan will meet her goals for the next four years and beyond. Please join us in wishing her all the best as she embarks on her new chapter at Syracuse! #Scholarship #ScholarshipOpportunity #ScholarshipSearch #ExceptionalYouthScholarship #ScholarshipSearch #ExceptionalYouthScholarship

Countdown to the Paralympics with Athletes in Excellence ?? Joe Delagrave was one of our first Athletes in Excellence recipients in 2014. After a life-changing boating accident in 2004 left him paralyzed, Joe, who was once passionate about multiple sports, had to rediscover his identity. While learning how to navigate life in a wheelchair, Joe became a husband and a father, and found independence and confidence in wheelchair rugby. He has since become a counselor and speaker, inspiring others to live with passion and purpose. Joe competed in the London Paralympic Games in 2012 and the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020. This year, he’s stepping into a new role as the Paralympic Head Coach for the US Wheelchair Rugby team in Paris. Congratulations, Joe Delagrave, PLY! #Paris2024 #Paris2024Olympics #Paris2024OlympicGames #Paralympics #Paralympics2024

Exceptional Youth Scholarship ?? recipient Estefani Orozco is a 2024 graduate of MacArthur High School in Houston, Texas, and will be attending the University of Rochester this fall on a pre-med track. She plans to major in Clinical and Translational Laboratories or Microbiology and minor in Creative Writing. She intends to eventually become a forensic pathologist working to give back to the community who supported her up to now. Estefani leaves MacArthur High having made her mark on the school. An academic powerhouse who finished in the 99th percentile of her class, she managed a challenging course load of AP and honors classes, tutored peers in Calculus, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, English, and Foreign Language, and competed in the Academic Decathlon at the regional level. She was a member of Mu Alpha Theta, the National Technical Honor Society, and served as Historian for the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica. Estefani also held leadership positions as Captain of her basketball and soccer teams and founder and President of the MacArthur Book Club. As a bilingual student, she helped translate for and serve patrons of the MacArthur HS School Market, a joint venture with the Houston Food Bank that provides food to students, staff, and the community. Her interest in healthcare extended beyond her membership in HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) and participation in its leadership conference and blood drives; Estefani took the initiative and became a certified clinical medical assistant, allowing her to intern and work in the field as she goes through college. Please join us in wishing Estefani continued success as she moves into the next phase of her journey in Rochester. Given her enthusiasm and commitment to learning, we expect she will go on to achieve great things. #Scholarship #ScholarshipOpportunity #ScholarshipSearch #ExceptionalYouthScholarship