Atlanta youth and law enforcement build bridges through baseball
On Saturday, August 5, 2023, L.E.A.D. Ambassadors and officers of the Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta Public Schools Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia Tech Police Department will compete in the 9th Annual Safe At Home Game at Russ Chandler Stadium, on the campus of Georgia Tech. Gates will open at 10:00am with the first pitch by former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, Matt Ryan at 11:00am.
The 2023 coaches are Atlanta City Councilman Byron Amos for the L.E.A.D. Ambassador team and Atlanta City Councilman Dustin Hillis for the Law Enforcement team.
This year, the Safe At Home Game presents Courage Awards to Josh Burr, Executive Director of Northside Youth Organization, and Jay Witherspoon, a coach with Cascade Youth Organization. Courage Award recipients are honored for their dedication to youth development through sports.
Safe At Home(™) aims to create an environment of competition, trust, and respect between two communities who often struggle to find common ground–Black youth and law enforcement. Each year the relationship between L.E.A.D.’s student-athletes, called Ambassadors, and local law enforcement has grown stronger due to their participation in this initiative.
“It’s good to have games such as the Safe At Home Game because it brings two groups of people together that normally never converse” says L.E.A.D. Ambassador Alum Charles Brooks, Douglass High School class of 2020. “The no umpire rule lets us come closer because we’re making our own calls so we have to trust each other. Nobody in Atlanta gets this kind of exposure with police officers. Playing baseball against them and seeing the community together like this is powerful.”
The Safe At Home Game is a free community event presented by L.E.A.D. Center For Youth (L.E.A.D.) and APIVEO (Always Play IV Each Other™), in partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation, Atlanta Police Department, Atlanta Public Schools Police Department, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia Tech Police Department.
For more information visit LEADCenterForYouth.org or contact Kelli Stewart at kelli.stewart@leadcenterforyouth.org.