Ravens’ Ray Rice Tells Students To Stay In School

BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―With the help of Ravens player Ray Rice, hundreds of Baltimore students now think school is cool.

Dance contests were just part of the festivities to engage kids from four Baltimore area middle schools to get inspired. It was all organized by City ACES: Athletes Changing Expectations. City ACES travels to middle schools around the country, inspiring kids through the words of athletes and entertainers.

Ravens running back Ray Rice was a speaker who told kids to commit to education.

“Just stay positive and live your dream. You’ll go through obstacles in your life. If you keep your head forward and face adversity, you can do something positive,” Rice said.

And kids listened.

“He grew up in the projects and people told him he wouldn’t be nothing in life, but he stuck to what he wanted to be in life,” said Lindele Carrington, a seventh grader at Northeast Middle School.

Miss Black USA Shayna Rudd shared how her dad was a drug addict.

“Not only have I made it beyond what I thought, I am trying to encourage young people like you to get to the same place,” Rudd said.

Again, kids listened.

“She inspired me to just not stop at ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ not to stop at Miss Universe, but be the best I can be,” said Shanel Hamilton, a sixth grader at Northeast Middle School.

City ACES hopes kids will dream big.

“I was empowering them to know they are curse-breakers. Just because their family has gone through certain things, it doesn’t mean they have to go through the same thing,” Rudd said.

“It made me think if they did what they did to fulfill their dreams, that means I can fulfill my dream, too,” Hamilton said.

City ACES also has a mentoring program. In the last two months, they have found mentors for more than 4,000 kids across the country.

NBC Footage of Ray Rice speaking at City ACES Baltimore event.

NBC Coverage of Ray Rice and City ACES

Why I let Vick speak

By C. FRANK IGWE

A COUPLE of weeks ago, I invited Michael Vick to speak with about 700 Philadelphia inner-city children, as part of the program held by our nonprofit, City ACES (Athletes Changing Expectations).

His response? An emphatic “Yes!” My thoughts at the time centered on the life-changing impact his story would have on these kids as they listened to his message warning of the pitfalls that await them if they make bad choices in their lives.

Some have criticized my decision to use Vick as a spokesman for City ACES because of his well-documented involvement with Bad Newz Kennels dog-fighting ring. I won’t repeat the specifics of the cruelty of Bad Newz, but the aftermath left Vick sentenced to 21 months for animal abuse, relieved of a $100 million contract and the object of profound disappointment from teammates and fans.

Lost in the brouhaha over the City ACES decision, is the fact that ACES stands for “Athletes” (which Vick still is) “Changing” (which he is attempting to do) and “Expectations” (which he can do by delivering a positive message to kids).

Based on the mission of City ACES, I determined that there was no one more suited than Vick to deliver the message of redemption to the children. Whether we turn on a TV or radio, go to the sites we visit online or note the type of people we spend most of our free time with, we often find ourselves sympathizing, and empathizing, more with people who have come from backgrounds similar to our own. This is simply human nature.

The kids that Vick spoke with in Philadelphia can attest that life is hard, and they often face difficult situations. But they will also remember his words:

“Two years ago, I was involved in something I was never supposed to be involved in, we all know what it was about, making the wrong decisions, making the wrong choices, not using the right resources and the people around me who wanted to help me.”When these kids hear a person like Vick speak, they can easily imagine themselves in the same spot, 10 or 15 years down the line. If he can serve as a beacon, a human lifesaver for them, then his ordeal (and subsequent appearances) will be well worth it.

It does society no good to exile Michael Vick. Rather, we should uplift him as a symbol of what is possible when someone chooses the “better angels” of their nature.

Let there be no mistake: I’m not condoning Vick’s decision to train and fight dogs. I love animals, and believe in their rights. But, at some point, we must either trust and believe that our justice system works, or concede that it doesn’t.

IF IT’S THE latter, then no more need be said, and the entire institution should be dismantled before the sun goes down. But if it’s the former, we must examine what kind of society we understand ourselves to be and recognize that Vick has served his time and paid his debt to society.

This also warrants our forgiveness of him, and the granting of a second chance for him to get it right. Denying Vick the right to integrate back into society discredits our entire system of justice in America.

And so, on Sept. 22, as City ACES kicked off its national Dream Makers & Dream Breakers tour, Michael Vick stepped on stage as our keynote speaker. I made the decision with a clear conscience, and with eager anticipation, because I know that the good he can do for our youth greatly outweighs the damage he’s done in his past.

For Vick, this is a journey of redemption, but for some of the kids he spoke with, his journey could mean the difference between jail and freedom, life and death – for them.

Ashley Fox: Like it or not, all eyes on Vick

Vick wouldn’t talk to the reporters who gathered yesterday morning at the George W. Pepper Middle School, where Vick delivered about a 10-minute spiel about the importance of staying in school and of making wise decisions. It was his second such speech to schoolchildren in Philadelphia since the regular season started, and the kids, predictably, were mesmerized.

Seems everyone is watching Vick these days.

Vick Makes Second Philadelphia-Based Community Outreach Appearance

PHILADELPHIA-Inside Michael Vick’s locker at the Philadelphia Eagles’ Nova Care Complex training facility, the controversial quarterback has hung a sticker with the slogan, “WALK THE TALK.”

Tuesday morning, the three-time Pro Bowler, whose career was derailed due to incarceration stemming from his involvement in an interstate dog fighting ring, continued his efforts to abide by that motto, and deliver on the “I want to be part of the solution and not the problem” statement he made Friday, August 14th when he was introduced as an Eagle.

Vick’s second community outreach event since arriving in Philadelphia was held at the George Wharton Pepper Middle School, located in the city’s southern region, just south of Philadelphia International Airport. Appearing on behalf of City A.C.E.S (Athletes Changing Expectations), a non-profit, Vick, along with Royal Ivey of the Philadelphia 76ers, kicked off the group’s national “Dream Makers and Dream Breakers: Why Education is Key!” campaign by addressing roughly 550 fifth through eighth graders at the school.

Neither the Humane Society of the United States nor the Philadelphia Eagles, the two organizations with which Vick partnered for his first Philadelphia-based speaking engagement two weeks ago at the Nueva Esperanza School, were associated with today’s event.

The scene inside the Pepper Middle School’s auditorium where Vick spoke contrasted greatly to that outside it. From the exterior, the school building itself is a bleak, aging structure located in one of Philadelphia’s more blue-collar, less affluent areas. Within the auditorium, though, a lively, excited, and at times rowdy party-like atmosphere built as students waited for Vick to take the stage.

A DJ spun rap tunes on turntables, inciting students (and teachers too) to sing a long and dance. When he introduced Michael Vick at five minutes before 10:00 AM, the place erupted with energy. The quarterback received a standing, screaming ovation.

Vick, dressed in a silver button-down shirt, black jeans, and black high-top sneakers, opened his talk by thanking his star-struck audience, which quickly quieted down, for its enthusiasm, and telling it, “Today was an off day [from Eagles practice], but I got up to come here and share a couple words with you guys.”

Vick’s speech lasted about 10 minutes, and stressed the significance of education, controlling one’s own destiny, and using sound judgement. The theme was similar to Vick’s talk with the students at the Nueva Esperanza School Tuesday, September 8th; however, an important difference was that Vick did not directly discuss animal welfare, nor did he directly advocate against it .

The closest Vick came to referencing the activity that landed him in federal prison was saying, “Two years ago, I was involved in something I was never supposed to be involved in, we all know what it was about, making the wrong decisions, making the wrong choices, not using the right resources and the people around me who wanted to help me.

“I got involved in some things that sent me off into another place, into a totally different world in which I never thought I would go. ”

Vick also overtly acknowledged a weakness in his character that he didn’t bring up in his previous outreach appearance. Midway through his speech, he said, “You have to have the trust in yourself and confidence in yourself to [bounce back], and that was the one thing I lacked growing up, confidence in myself, confidence in the people around me.”

Another topic Vick didn’t touch upon at Nueva Esperanza was the self-teaching process he initiated when he was jailed for 19 months at the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, KS.

“I got into a routine of doing things I never did in my life. I read a lot of books, and tried to educate my mind, and learn as much as I could, so when I came back out, I could make the most rational decisions that I could make.”

Vick then recited, almost word for word, a quote by Martin Luther King that he discovered in his readings, and thought was instructive for the students to hear. He said, “The ultimate measure of a person is not where you stand during comfort and convenience, you’re measured when you’re facing controversy.”

Being surrounded in such a climate since his NFL reinstatement in July and signing with the Eagles in August, Vick will face even more scrutiny this week, as he prepares for his first post-suspension regular-season professional football game.

Eagles head coach Andy Reid said yesterday he hadn’t started scheming how to incorporate Michael Vick into the game plan for Sunday’s 1:00 PM meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field. Although he indicated Vick’s decision-making at the quarterback position has returned to an acceptable level, Reid also implied that Vick is likely not yet ready to assume a substantial role.

“Is he 100 percent back and ready to play a whole game? I can’t tell you that, I don’t think so, and I don’t plan on putting him in that position right now.”

Vick declined to speak with reporters at Pepper Middle School, but in his closing remarks told students, “Use me as an example of what not to do.” Shortly thereafter, he reiterated the advice he introduced in his first address to students at the Nueva Esperanza School, imparting, “It’s easy to do the wrong things, hard to do the right things. Make sure you do the right things.”

Vick encourages ‘Dream Makers’ at middle-school assembly

Students at Pepper Middle School erupted in cheers when Eagles quarterback Michael Vick sauntered on stage to impart words of wisdom during a special assembly yesterday.
“You control your own destiny,” he told the room full of rambunctious middle-schoolers, who jumped, screamed and high-fived each other.
But Vick’s message was more sobering and reflective as he cautioned students to stay on the straight and narrow.
He was just one of several speakers to address kids at the Southwest Philly school as part of the national campaign called “Dream Makers and Dream Breakers,” which is organized by a Virginia-based group targeting middle-school students in distressed communities across the United States.
C. Frank Igwe, president of the nonprofit CITY ACES, or Athletes Changing Expectations, said he couldn’t think of a better person to emphasize to youth the importance of making good decisions.
“He has a story, a similar background,” he said. “They may not listen to a teacher. They may be more prone to listen to him about what they should or should not do.”
Instead of hitting the books, Vick said he preferred playing football and running around. He said he didn’t straighten up until his junior year in high school.
“I buckled down and did all the right things,” he said.
But 2 years ago, he was sentenced to 18 months for operating a dogfighting ring.
The decision to participate in dogfighting brought him “to another place, to a whole different world I never thought I would go,” he said.
“It’s easy to do the wrong things and hard to do the right thing,” he said. “Think about the decisions you’re going to make.”
After he left, students danced to popular Michael Jackson songs, then a performance by the George Washington High School drum corps followed.
Afterward, Democratic candidate Seth Williams delivered his own encouraging note, while Carlisha Williams, a Miss Black America contestant, appealed to the girls in the audience to value themselves.
A palpable hush fell over the crowd as former New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Leonce Crump quietly scanned the crowd before speaking.
“There are two people you will encounter in your life, dream breakers and dream makers,” said Crump, who also played alongside Vick with the Atlanta Falcons.
He petitioned the students to be greater than their surroundings and to nurture the seeds of greatness that reside inside each of them.
The students were plied with rewards and prizes – several students won cash in an essay contest; others were handed pennants autographed by Vick.
Before dismissing the group of 500 fifth- to eighth-graders, Pepper’s principal Yolanda Armstrong asked her kids: “Are we going to make AYP [Adequate Yearly Progress]?”
“Yes!” they shouted before being escorted out.
“I thought that this was very inspirational to my children,” she said afterward. “It turned out better than I expected. People spoke from the heart.”
The school of about 660 students holds monthly assemblies as a way to not only reward students for their academic feats, but to break through the shell of the crude, urban world out of which many of them come, she said.
Eighth-grader Muhammad Ware, 13, who won the dance contest, took Vick’s words to heart.
“It was important for us to hear that,” he said. “It felt good.”

Paying Kids to go to school: Do the ends justify the means?

By C. FRANK IGWE

I am sure you have heard some variation of it by now: Black children do worse in school than white children. The reasons for this disparity in academic achievement are both ostensible and percussive, but as esteemed Harvard economist Roland Fryer states, “in today’s world, it is not enough to simply say: ‘Go to school and get a good job’”. Or at least it’s not without some form of tangible incentive attached.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I must acknowledge and admit that I was initially one of the enthusiastic (if not misguided) cheerleaders of the tough love approach. A strong proponent of leaving K-12 children to their own devices, teaching them long-term life lessons, such as working hard for the “A”, and delaying tangible gratification of a “job well done” at school, while working feverishly hard for future success. That was until I had my “Saul on the Road to Damascus” experience.

Context matters, and truthful assessment of any situation has value for its own sake. And the truth is, the old and dated academic intervention strategies are not helping us close this achievement gap, whether it is existing programs such as Head Start, bussing children to better schools, or even the promise of a free college education, such as presented by “The I Have a Dream” program in New York City. The achievement gap remains audacious.

The unflinching reality is that it is time for a comeuppance and a naked assessment of why these programs are yielding marginal results, and how we can realign our misguided notions and definitions of workable strategies moving forward.

“At risk” and “underperforming” children have an intelligence quota that we have not yet been able to fathom, much less measure, using our antiquated and truncated methods of capture. Each day, these children perform a complex mental calculus, balancing the cost of putting forth academic effort against the perceived benefit that it could provide, both in the concrete near term, and in the abstract long. Their result? Education is but a vapid waste of time, because nobody they know has successfully utilized it to escape the torpor of day to day existence.

Armed with this knowledge, hopes and dreams begin the rapid transformation into apathy and frustration, within the walls of a building we expect imagination and dreams to flourish. Through it all, we as adults are expecting these young children to be so courageous and forward-thinking to venture down an unproven track of education, with no readily apparent rewards, based simply on our own lofty ideals of what works and what does not.

With that as a back drop, it becomes laughable when critics of academic incentives say “The ‘A’ itself at the end of the semester should be motivation enough for the student, and should be the student’s ultimate reward”. That works in theory, but so does communism. In theory.

In fact, these critics are missing the point that we need to fundamentally overhaul the way we look at education, from the way we fund it, to the types of teachers and principals that staff our schools, to the discovery of innovative ways to change mindsets of students. While it sounds both simple and intuitive, it is this changing of student mindsets that I feel is the most fertile ground for significant change.

Having said that, at long last, after exhausting every other possibility, place me squarely as an advocate for tangible incentives, bribes, bait, blackmail, payoffs, or any other abstruse verb or noun that your mind can conjure up. As long as it works..

Companies use raises, bonuses and stock options as incentives to get workers to excel, and preliminary results suggest that it is also working to motivate children perform better in school. Incentive programs of up to $100 for each passing grade have been funded by Exxon/Mobil in Arkansas, Alabama, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington. Baltimore schools have dedicated more than $935,000 to pay high school students up to $110 each to improve their state graduation exam scores. Similar programs have also been implemented in Atlanta, Chicago, Washington DC, and New York City.

When such a program was implemented in Dallas, Texas, AP course-taking jumped significantly, and there was a 30% rise in the number of students with high SAT and ACT scores, and an 8% rise in college-going students. And that’s not all. In New York City, about two-thirds of the 59 high-poverty schools in Roland Fryers incentive based program, improved their scores by margins above the citywide average. Teachers report seeing indisputable academic benefits, including more motivation, better focus, and an increase in healthy competition for good grades among students3.

In a lot of ways, paying kids to learn is like engaging them in “Jedi mind tricks”, slyly rewarding them in the short term, while we, as fiduciary adults, keep a keen eye on the long term horizon. This tactic only makes sense, because as ambassadors and stakeholders of the future, it is imperative that the youth engage and understand, at an early age, the importance that education plays in whatever future paths they may take.

Often this lesson is learned too late, after coursework has been neglected, and G.P.A.’s have suffered. Paying children instills within them a spirit of self reliance, rather than subjecting them to the fancies and whims of teachers, mentors, or parents, that may, regrettably, not have an interest in seeing the child progress academically. Again, the notion of hard work must be matched with a commensurate reward that is tangible, rather than one that is ethereal, out in the cosmos somewhere.

The battle lines have been drawn, and the stakes are so high that nobody can afford to just sit on the sidelines. I have talked to countless teachers from New York City to Los Angeles and everywhere in-between. I am yet to meet one who is not in favor of at least giving the incentive program an opportunity to prove itself, if not in all-out favor of its nationwide implementation. Their plea is simple: DO SOMETHING!

Via Habla News

The Brinjac Classic, City-Wide Hope in Handball Tournament

The local Harrisburg Handball community has collaborated once again to display its feats of energy, sportsmanship, and camaraderie in yet another heated battle at Kohl Park’s concrete courts. Top players from Allentown, Philly, Reading, Harrisburg, NYC, and NJ will be bringing their A Game, on an endeavor to try n’ take our cash & trophies.

The Brinjac Classic is proud to support city aces (Athletes Changing Expectations), a non-profit organization committed to instilling a sense of purpose and esteem in our future leaders by helping them realize their full potential through education & mentorship. The Harrisburg Handball community and our supportive family/players from outside of the region, thrive to promote handball as a fun, healthy, and positive alternative for our youths’ development.

Via Patriot News

Pro-education assembly focuses on youths in Harrisburg
Friday April 17, 2009

New Orleans native Leonce Crump played less than two years in the NFL before an injury sidelined him permanently. Fortunately, he had a college education to fall back on.

But many of Crump’s fellow athletes were not quite so forward-thinking. Like Crump they were from urban neighborhoods where it seemed like being athletic was the only way to achieve, he said.

Crump calls that idea an urban legend, and it’s what brought him to Camp Curtin Elementary School in Harrisburg Friday. He’s kicking off a tour of urban schools across the country to promote the importance of a good education to back up athletic talent.

Crump and friend Frank Igwe piloted the program with an event at the Nativity School of Harrisburg two years ago, and the city seemed like the perfect first stop for its first tour, he said.

“In reality you can be bigger than your block and your city,” he said. “This is a great place for that message. Look at the poverty levels and the timbre of the students.”

The City Athletics Changing Expectations, or ACES, program, founded by Igwe, sponsored Crump’s visit. More than 1,500 students from five Harrisburg elementary schools packed a standing room only auditorium to watch the City ACES program.

Crump took the stage in the middle of the program and quieted the noisy crowd. Everyone has the opportunity to shine, despite their individual circumstances, he said.

“Inside of you, you have everything you need,” he told the crowd. “If you can step back from the lens, the way you see the world, you can be that.”

A group of Penn State football players,, including Cumberland Valley alumnus Dan Lawlor, later joined Crump to field questions from students. The college athletes told the crowd about their majors and their future plans other than football.

Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed and a representative from Governor Ed Rendell’s office also addressed students.

City ACES will visit 10 major cities this year, Crump said. He hopes to return to the midstate next fall.

Via Fox Sports

TRAIN YOUR BRAIN
Athletes tout importance of education in Harrisburg

New Orleans native Leonce Crump played less than two years in the NFL before an injury sidelined him permanently. Fortunately, he had a college education to fall back on.

But many of Crump’s fellow athletes were not so forward-thinking. Like Crump, they were from urban neighborhoods and had bought into the idea that being athletic was the only way to achieve, he said.

Crump calls that idea an urban legend, one that brought him to Camp Curtin Elementary School in Harrisburg on Friday. He’s kicking off a national tour of urban schools to promote the importance of a good education to back up athletic talent.
Crump and friend Frank Igwe piloted the program two years ago with an event at the Nativity School of Harrisburg, and the city seemed the perfect first stop for the first tour, he said.

“In reality you can be bigger than your block and your city,” he said. “This is a great place for that message. Look at the poverty levels and the timbre of the students.”

The City Athletes Changing Expectations, or ACES, program, founded by Igwe, sponsored Crump’s visit. More than 1,500 students from five Harrisburg elementary schools packed an auditorium to watch the program.

Performances by Harrisburg elementary and high school step teams and music from local DJ Godfather brought the lively group of sixth- through eighth-graders to their feet.

Crump took the stage in the middle of the program and quieted his noisy audience. Everyone has the opportunity to shine, despite their individual circumstances, he said.

“Inside of you, you have everything you need,” he told the crowd. “If you can step back from the lens, the way you see the world, you can be that.”

A group of Penn State football players, including Cumberland Valley alumnus Dan Lawlor, joined Crump to field questions from students. The college athletes talked about their majors and their future plans other than football.

Harrisburg Mayor Stephen Reed and a representative from Gov. Ed Rendell’s office also addressed the students. Crump said he was excited to have local support for the program.

“When we leave someone has to help,” he said.

City ACES will visit 10 major cities this year, Crump said. He hopes to return to the midstate next fall.

Via Blacknews.com
April 17, 2009

City A.C.E.S. (Athletes Changing Expectations) Launches National Program to Promote the “Coolness” of Education by Partnering with Top Athletes

Harrisburg, PA (BlackNews.com) – As the saying goes, “To whom much is given, much is expected,” those words resonate loud each day for C. Frank Igwe, PhD, Executive Director and founder of CITY A.C.E.S. (Athletes Changing Expectations). Dr. C. Frank Igwe, is a 2008 Fellow of Harvard University, highly requested speaker and published writer. His work regarding the African American community on health and information technology has appeared in national publications such as: The Christian Science Monitor, Yahoo! News and the prestigious Chronicle of Higher Education.

CITY ACES is scheduled to launch its national campaign, “Dream Makers and Dream Breakers: Why Education is Key!” on April 17th, 9:30AM-10:45AM, at Camp Curtain School in Harrisburg, PA. Expected at the kickoff will be 1,500 middle-school students. Special guests include: Mayor Stephen Reed of Harrisburg, Hank Poteat of the Cleveland Browns; Leonce Crump (formerly of the New Orleans Saints); Several members of Penn State’s football team; Peter Speaks (Special Counsel to Governor Ed Rendell) representing the Governor’s office; Harrisburg High School’s popular “Drumline” Marching Band; acclaimed DJ Godfather; the popular Blue and White Step team; and, Kristal Turner-Childs, popular motivational speaker. Local sponsors have donated raffle items such as movie tickets and sports memorabilia. Autographs will be provided to each participant and, most importantly, there will be a question and answer session for the students.

CITY ACES is a non-profit organization committed to working with Middle School aged youth residing in challenged school districts and distressed communities across the United States. The purpose of the program is to engage students to aim higher, commit to education, and step outside their comfort zones to dream bigger. Realizing the powerful cachet of sports figures, entertainers, and public policy holders, Dr. Igwe called upon his friends to assist him in getting the message out to the students. According to Dr. Igwe, “athletes and entertainers are seen as mini-gods in the Black community, and if their presence can inspire and encourage a child to pursue an education, well it’s all worth it.”

The event is expected to motivate, inspire, and encourage students often forgotten based upon their circumstances. CITY ACES seeks to instill a sense of purpose and esteem within these children, and influence them to realize their full potential through education. CITY ACES approach is to “harvest” recognizable professional athletic figures (NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, etc.) to engage in short term commitments at schools within their communities, and speak on the role education played in their life journey.

CITY ACES is loosely based on events that transpired early in Dr. C. Frank Igwe’s life. Many told him he would not amount to anything–it was being in the right place at the divine time and hearing powerful words, which sparked his educational flame. Dr. Igwe says, “Everyone told me I could not make it academically. In the Black community education is not often placed at a premium. These experiences foster the belief that words can change the trajectory of a young child’s life, especially at the middle school age where children’s psyches are malleable. It’s my purpose and mission to make everyone accountable — from the parents, teachers, administrators, to the students.”

For additional information about CITY ACES, their kickoff event on April 17th, and how to become involved with the organization, please visit www.cityaces.org, or call 814-883-2116.