Local students, educators, volunteers and partners making a difference in youth social-emotional wellness will soon take center stage.
The Fight for Life Foundation (FFLF) hosts its third annual Building Dreams Champions Breakfast on June 13.
The event runs from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at The Skyline Club downtown.
It celebrates individuals supporting Indianapolis youth throughout a challenging 2024-25 school year.
Moreover, this year introduces the “Voices from the Classroom” educator panel.
Moderated by Pacers and Fever in-game host Olivia West, the discussion features frontline educators.
Panelists include Tihesha Henderson (Sankofa School of Success), Daria Parham (IPS), William Pate (Phalen Leadership Academy), Omega Robinson (Sankofa) and Alesia Thomas (Frederick Douglass School 19).
“This event celebrates those working to engage students in bold, new ways,” FFLF founder and former Indianapolis Colt Marlin Jackson said. “We’re also amplifying voices. Educators will share what’s working and what’s needed.”
Founded by Jackson in 2007, Fight for Life Foundation helps youth develop crucial social and emotional qualities.
The breakfast directly salutes those championing FFLF’s Building Dreams platform. This digital tool aids social-emotional wellness and positive behavior in schools.
Building Dreams saw remarkable use during the past school year. Platform users logged over 1 million engagements and recorded more than 212,000 positive behavior entries.
Thirteen partner schools serving over 6,200 Indianapolis students utilized the platform.
“It takes a comprehensive approach,” Jackson said. “We must understand factors keeping students from learning. It also takes many people invested in student success. This event expresses our gratitude for all involved.”
FFLF’s data-driven approach yields real insights. Notably, a 2022 machine learning study used 20,000 recorded behaviors. Researchers trained a classifier with 90.2% accuracy. They uncovered peer relationships as a significant factor directly affecting absenteeism.
Honorees for the 2024-25 school year include:
- Educator Champions: Shalicia Brandy (Frederick Douglass School 19), Holly Clark (PLA @48), Kareen Seawood (PLA Promise Prep).
- School Champion: George and Veronica Phalen Leadership Academy (GVPLA).
- Student Champions: Joshua Lopez-Martinez and Natalie Lentz, both 5th graders at Frederick Douglass School 19.
- Volunteer Champions: Vanessa Harris and Isaiah Holmes.
- Partner Champion: Orange Theory Fitness.
Tickets for the breakfast cost $50 and are first-come, first-served. All guests receive a free one-year subscription to the Indianapolis Recorder.
Visit shorturl.at/AM2P2 for details. Learn more about FFLF at fightforlifefoundation.org.
Contact Multi-Media & Senior Sports Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more education news, click here
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Parham has worked with various leagues to provide a diverse perspective in sports, including the Big Ten, Big East, IHSAA, IndyCar, MLB, NHRA, NFL, NBA, WNBA, WWE and the Olympics. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
