Last month, we invited NBA / Team USA Coach Ty Ellis to come share with our Junior High program for “Guest Speaker Wednesday”. He trained Steph Curry, Devin Booker, and some current top prospects.

He talked about his current coaching career and the importance of having mental fortitude.

He stuttered as a kid. He would ask his grandmother “Why me?”. His grandmother told him about Moses and said that he was special. She said that he would travel the world one day to speak and help others. He currently does all of that and more!

Coach Ty exited out more boxes of excuses for our young men to not be successful.

They are special. They are valuable. They will impact the world one day in their own unique way.

Coach Ty also spoke at THRIVE — our High School program for Lake Highlands High School. He articulated on how to have a growth mindset. He communicated about overthinking, having the right perspective on failure, and how to tackle a lack of focus.

The talk was so powerful that even our mentors asked for Ty’s email to communicate more on his subject matters. We needed to be out of the Rec Center by 7:50pm that nightand students were still coming up to Ty asking questions about how to overcome mental strongholds that hold them back.

“The Dojo Business is booming. Adding tremendous value to the economy. Thinking about buying a few stocks and becoming a shareholder.”

— Darius Person, 9-12th Program Coordinator

Every week, the boys in our after-school program get to make a trip to the Dojo Store — a booming business here at Forerunner.

All jokes aside, the Dojo Store is a system where the boys can buy snacks, candy, supplies, books, knick-knacks, etc. in exchange for points they earn throughout the week. The point system and value is based on what is earned by how they embody the character of a man of God. This can be showing respect to their brothers and coaches, taking responsibility for their actions, stepping out in leadership, and more. One of the biggest ways to earn points is by reading an entire book! Our hope is that this system is fun, and challenges our boys to live out the character traits we teach them while learning how to allocate their resources and what they have — a reflection of learning how to save or learning how to spend their money and be resourceful in their futures.

“I think it was a couple weeks ago but one of the boys made a mistake and I was really discouraged. I sat down with him and was trying to figure out what to say. I finally opened my mouth and, shocking to myself, I said “you aren’t a bad kid you’ve just done a bad thing”. We talked about it for a minute using that phrase, which I learned from Forerunner. Then I grabbed his hand and I said “repeat after me: I’m not what I’ve done” and we said it over and over again and every time the light and sweetness of his smile returned! I love this place, I love these guys and I love our values!”

— Ryan Raleigh, K-6 Program Coach

“Wednesdays in program are always SEL (Social-Emotional-Learning) days and this Wednesday we were going to create magazine envelope decorations for End of Year gifts, but God had another plan. I got to tell the boys about and implement what we do as a staff every Wednesday upstairs — pray. We had a prayer time where the boys got to pray out loud over people and situations. They prayed for all of Forerunner, they prayed for each other, for their families, and for themselves. I’m super proud of how extremely vulnerable they were. That’s not an easy thing to do. I’m 23 and it’s still hard for me at times, but they did it with boldness and God heard them. They made an impact that will change everything.”

— Caitlyn Moudy, K-6 Teaching Coach

“Throughout the week I’ve been playing a lot of football with the boys, even though I usually play basketball. I would occasionally play quarterback or just be a ref and I know a lot of the kids know who are the best kids on the field and who tends to get the ball a lot. Some of the boys are scared to guard some of the other ones, but one of them is always one of the first to put his hand up to guard someone, no matter who it is. His named is “J”. One day, since they all tear each other down, I jokingly told the guys when they drop a pass, they have to drop down and do 10 push ups; hoping they just are nicer to one another. Most of the kids ignored it, but every time J dropped a pass or lost a 1v1, he dropped down and did 10 push ups on his own. I told him that him doing the extra will be what takes him a long way in life. J is always the first in line, leading the way. He truly leads by example and is always kind to others. He is a great leader, he just doesn’t know it yet.”

— Trae Johnson, K-6 Program Coach

At the start of our winter break and end of the fall semester, we got to take some of our young men in our programs along with their mentors and our coaches to see the Dallas Mavericks in action against the Trailblazers! It was an awesome night just getting away with people in our community and organization, and do something fun and refreshing. For some of these young men, it was their first time attending an NBA game and seeing some of the basketball players who inspire them play for the first time. We’re so thankful for opportunities like these. They are never overlooked.