Table of Contents Letter from the President………………………………………………………………………………………………….....Page 2 Board of Directors .………………………………………………………………………………………………………….....Page 3 Program Sponsors ……………………………………………………………………………………...…………………….....Page 5 Program Partners ............................................................................................................................................................Page 7 About Us………………………...............................................................................................................................................Page 9 Youth Baseball/Softball Program............................................................................................................................Page 11 Successful Youth Leaders (SYL) Program............................................................................................................Page 19 Fundraising Efforts & Results………………..............................................................................................................Page 21 Program Revenue & Expenses 2014………………….............................................................................................Page 23 Next Steps & Press Highlights ………………............................................................................................................Page 24
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Chairman’s Letter I must first start by commending the compassion and support from the American citizenry for Lost Boyz Inc. Although we are small in stature and size, people from all across the nation answered the call to eradicate youth violence, specifically here in Chicago. From Texas to California to D.C., volunteers and donations poured in to develop 70 youth in our south side neighborhood. By far 2014 was our best year; we expanded the age served down to 4 years old and integrated girls with softball. Furthermore, we grew our budget by 100% since the previous year and doubled the number of youth served as well. Most important, all of the 70 youth we served this year are doing well in school and in life in general, with little to no violence permeating their lives directly. I am very grateful to the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, parents, participants, donors, and general supporters. Your commitment to excellence, equity, equality, and justice made 2014 the most memorable year. I am so elated I cannot even single out the best moment, because...well.... they were all so great! Special thanks to Leo High School President Dan McGrath and Varsity Baseball Manager Coach Anderson, Tobias Blake of Experience Baseball, Martha Jo Black of the Chicago White Sox, Sharon O'Keefe President of University of Chicago Medicine, Dr. Carol Adams, Pemone Rami, and Sydni Inis of the DuSable Museum of African-American History, Billy Dec, Ralph Peterson President of Rosemoor Little League, Tina Sernett at the Sports Shed, David Rhodes at Pitch In For Baseball, Bill Haley President of Jackie Robinson West Little League, and National League MVP Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
I can't wait for 2015 to start as we look to have an even more phenomenal year. May God bless everyone involved with Lost Boyz and continue to lighten our path in the battle against youth violence. Thank you all, we love you Chicago, and remember our mantra.....Educate, Recreate, Cultivate....Go Hard or Go Home!!!
LaVontĂŠ Stewart Sr.
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Board of Directors President & Director - LaVonté Stewart LaVonté Stewart Sr. was born on Chicago’s South Side at Jackson Park Hospital. He graduated in the top 5% from Our Lady of Peace Elementary School, Hirsch Metropolitan High school, and Chicago State University, all on Chicago’s South Side as well. Mr. Stewart Sr. earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 2004, and then worked on his Master’s degree until illness struck his family in 2006. He then started working closely with troubled youth through baseball, and formed Lost Boyz Baseball League, which eventually became known simply as Lost Boyz Inc. Recently, LaVonté began working on his Masters in Public Policy at DePaul University while working in the office for a well-known State Senator. He currently resides on the south side with his fiancée and 3 children.
Secretary & Treasurer - Jocelyn Vana Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Jocelyn now resides in the western suburbs with her husband Chris. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton Undergraduate Business School in 2009, Jocelyn went on to work in the Corporate Development and Finance industries. Currently, she works as a Financial Analyst at a nonprofit firm located in the Loop and is working towards an MBA focused on Social Enterprise from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. In addition to her role as the Secretary for Lost Boyz Inc., Jocelyn also participates in the overall development of the organization, overseeing the organization’s finances, fundraising efforts, and volunteer recruitment.
Board Director, Fundraising and Event Planning - Michael Martinez Michael has spent over twenty five years in the non-profit sector with nearly half of those years with the United Way of Southeastern Michigan where he served as Senior Program Officer and Planning Director. After re-locating to Chicago, he continued his career within the non-profit sector focusing on fundraising/marketing. The majority of his career has been within the development field where he has led teams/departments in raising approximately 17 million dollars. Michael's development experience covers all facets of fund-raising with an emphasis on grant writing (foundations/corporate/government), special events, corporate giving/sponsorships and individual giving. Currently Michael serves as the Chief Development Officer for The Delta Chi Educational Foundation.
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General Board Member – Jordan Hadelman Named in The New Career Makers as one of America’s top executive recruiters, Jordan includes among his clients some of the nation’s most respected leaders in health care. His pivotal role in an executive search includes advising CEOs, governing boards, search committees and executive and medical leaders on strategy, organizational assessment, leadership transition and succession planning. He formerly served as a hospital executive and is currently a board member at a metropolitan Chicago academic medical center. Earlier in his career, Jordan served as a U.S. Navy lieutenant. He earned his Bachelors of Science from Georgetown University and his M.H.A. from George Washington University.
General Board Member - Robert Williams A graduate of Hampton University in 1996, Rob went on to work for the Chicago Police Department. There, he continues to fight violence on the streets of the city as an officer. When not patrolling the neighborhoods of the city, Rob tends to the buildings he owns and its residents. He currently resides on the south side of the city.
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Program Sponsors
The University of Chicago Medicine has been at the forefront of medical care since 1927, when they opened their doors to the first patients. Located in historic Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, the medical campus includes the Center for Care and Discovery, Comer Children’s Hospital, Bernard A. Mitchell Hospital for adult inpatient care, and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine. The University of Chicago Medicine also has outpatient locations throughout the Chicago area.
As your local utility and an energy delivery company with more than a century of experience, ComEd’s commitment to customer service, security, and satisfaction is guided by the progress of the past and the promise of the future. Driving an industry that is entrepreneurial in nature, they have always remained focused on benefiting the people, environment, and economies of the communities they serve. ComEd continues to enhance their services and the workforce that helps them generate smart ideas.
The Sports Shed is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides sports equipment to under-resourced kids. They collect new and gently used sports equipment and distribute these items to organizations that provide sports programs for kids in need. The Sports Shed provides kids with equipment so that these kids have the opportunity to participate in sports without having to worry about the cost.
Pitch In For Baseball spreads America's favorite pastime to kids all over the world. From getting out and having fun, to learning about sportsmanship and teamwork, baseball is a great activity for all kids. To share our beloved sport, Pitch In For Baseball collects and redistributes new and gently-used youth baseball and softball equipment to underserved communities here in the United States and around the globe. "We're grateful that Pitch In For Baseball will fill this significant need." - Steve Keener, CEO and President, Little League Baseball and Softball
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The team members at Experience Baseball are baseball fans, educators, and community volunteers. They believe baseball has the power to transform communities. Founded and led by Tobias Blake, Experience Baseball’s Mission is to improve the quality of life in urban neighborhoods home to professional baseball. Their goal is to provide safe, fun, and educational baseball experiences for all baseball fans and to connect resources with the needs of community development organizations that work to improve access to health, education, and a vibrant economy in urban baseball communities.
South Shore Hospital is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the highest quality of Healthcare possible to the South Shore community. They are committed to providing appropriate care to each individual patient, regardless of race, color, creed, and financial status. Known for delivering high-quality care since its founding in 1912, South Shore Hospital’s reputation is based on the dedication of its physicians and caring professional and support staff members. They believe that it is their commitment to excellence that enables them to deliver extraordinary care to their patients.
Athletic Specialties, Inc. has provided Sporting Good Dealers with team athletic products and accessories for more than 30 years. With over $2 Million in inventory, count on ASI for immediate fulfillment of your stocking needs.
Masterpiece Framing is Chicagoland's premier custom frame gallery and design boutique. They frame pictures, restore photos, print images and place art. In other words, they transform your memories into a Masterpiece!
The Welles Park Parents Association (WPPA) is a parent volunteer organization that operates in cooperation with the Chicago Park District to provide baseball instruction to neighborhood children. The goal of the program is to teach baseball fundamentals and good sportsmanship to kids in a positive and enjoyable atmosphere. The association has obtained both Federal and State tax exempt charitable organization status. The program has expanded and now uses the fields and facilities at Welles Park, Winnemac Park, Legion Park, River Park, and Rogers Park.
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Program Partners Rosemoor Little League is comprised of 6 Divisions of co-ed baseball ranging from ages 3 through 16. T-Ball Division (Ages 3 - 6); Minor League (Ages 7 - 9); Girls Softball Minor League (Ages 7 - 10); Major League (Ages 10 - 12); Junior League (Ages 13 - 14); Senior League (Ages 15 - 16). Big League (Ages 17 - 18) is offered through the district. Over 200 boys and girls participate in Rosemoor Little League Baseball.
CYC Rebecca K. Crown Youth Center in South Shore offers well-trained youth-development specialists giving individual attention to children and teens to help them with academic achievement and social and life skills development. Each year, the center serves more than 500 children and teens. The center’s goal is to give members the tools, support and guidance they need to reach their full potential through age-specific programs. Through this Center, Lost Boyz is able to host its Winter Clinic Program using donated space from January until March every year.
Working with the highest caliber non-profit organizations, WyzAid connects deserving students with volunteer tutors to foster educational growth. WyzAid seeks to even the playing field for students who lack the resources required for quality supplemental education. They aspire to mobilize passionate volunteers who can transform the lives of students throughout the country.
Zealous Good connects people with excess goods to local charities in need. By matching specific donations to specific needs, this organization helps reduce the cost and effort of getting goods to charities.
One Summer Chicago brings together government institutions, community-based organizations and companies to offer over 22,000 employment and internship opportunities to youth and young adults. During this summer, Lost Boyz partnered with St. Sabina Church to be a work -site. As a work-site, we hosted 1 intern who worked in Graphics Design and Marketing.
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Program Partners (continued) The Illinois Community Violence Prevention Program is a collaborative effort of public and private agencies that provides pro-social opportunities to youth and parents in underserved communities. CVPP program components work to empower youth with job training, strengthen social skills, and increase parent leadership within communities. Through this program and by partnering with ABJ, Lost Boyz hosted 4 youth interns in the roles of Youth Assistant Baseball Coaches and Social Media Analysts.
Perkle’s mission is twofold. This company wants to make giving back to communities a part of everyday living. They want to empower people to support causes important to them without spending an extra dollar. Second, Perkle wants to create social good by connecting nonprofit organizations with corporate sponsors and enable them to benefit from one another. They want brands to be able to engage customers around causes important to them, while providing support to the organizations that help our community. By shopping through their website, customers are offered “perks” for some of their favorite stores (Macy’s, Amazon, Nordstrom, and more). When a purchase is made, the customer simultaneously contributes to a nonprofit.
Force for Good is a two-year, Chicago Police Department Program that provides 25 community and faithbased organizations with skill development classes, technical assistance and mentorship to increase their capacity to identify, obtain and manage grants and resources. Through this program, Lost Boyz staff was able to gain much needed knowledge about Board Development, applying for grants, partnering with other organizations, and other important topics.
Via Zealous Good, Lost Boyz was connected to Artizone, an online food delivery service. For Thanksgiving last year, Artizone donated 20 dinners to families that we serve.
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About Lost Boyz Inc. Founded in September of 2008 by LaVonté Stewart Sr., Lost Boyz Inc. is a non-for-profit, grass-roots organization engaged in community development within Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood. Our organization services youth ages 4 to 17 through our various programs from February until August of every year. Our target population is focused primarily on ultra high-risk youth, incarcerated youth, alienated youth, low income youth, and abused youth. As a result of our efforts since 2008, over 220 children from the South Shore community and 32 children detained in the Illinois Youth Center (IYC) have stayed trouble free for a range of four to nine months while occupied with our athletic and youth leadership activities. Our organization originated in the South Shore neighborhood as a direct response to the need for the revitalization of organized youth baseball in the community. However, an organizational vision and mission greater than providing baseball developed as a result of the spike in adolescent violence, CPS student murders, increased criminal activity, police harassment, and other astonishing deteriorating social conditions of the youth in the community.
Our Mission Our mission is to decrease violence and improve the social conditions among the youth in the South Shore community. Our mission is achieved by providing quality athletic and leadership training, reentry assistance, and innovative ideas geared for at-risk youth to align income and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Our Vision for Growth Our long-term vision is seeing youth driven economic redevelopment dominate in poor communities. Violent youth would display improved social conditions, scholastic aptitude, and trade skill development as a result of an “earn as you learn” approach. This approach promotes economic reconstitution among younger generations of poor communities by establishing several community-vested, youth-driven venues to attract new external revenue and revive non-residential consumer activity by providing quality service and product.
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What programs does Lost Boyz offer? Youth Baseball and Softball Winter Clinic Description & Summary
The first phase of the Youth Baseball program, Winter Clinic, is conducted indoors, from January until early April. Participants are taught appropriate behavior and safety on and off the field, the history of baseball, and physical conditioning.
Game skills enhancement is the goal, but academic improvement and giving back to the community are both important as well; this is accomplished through Tutoring and Service Learning activities. Past Service Learning activities have included Earth Day and Worm Composting.
During Winter Clinic 2014, 22 youth boys were served by Lost Boyz. Internal evaluations found that through the tutoring services available,
the average GPA increased by .62 points! This represents a half letter grade improvement (i.e. B increases to a B+).
Furthermore, 92% of parents agreed with the statement, “Being involved in Lost Boyz helped prevent my child from being influenced by street gangs, violence, or any other negative activities as this program provided a safe indoors option and motivational guidance.”
For the program’s Service Learning program, 15 of our youth each spent 3 hours at the forest preserve learning about evasive species removal, wolf tracking, and identifying and understanding urban wildlife.
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Spring Training/Summer Baseball Description & Summary
The second phase of the program is Spring Training & Summer League, which moves from indoors to outdoors for 12 weeks of training and competitive play. Here, all players are assessed by a series of measures; new players are drafted by an interested team or lottery, and returning players are either traded or returned to their previous team. From April until August, each team plays approximately 30 games in competitive play and faces teams from the Chicagoland area. All teams will make the playoffs, which is a three round, best-of, round-robin tournament. Also, players will again participate in Service Learning activities, but will also participate in fun outings, such as a trip to a White Sox game.
Did You Know? Lost Boyz hosted its first Girls Softball team this summer! The number of youth athletic teams expanded from 2 to 5 during 2014.
66 Children were served through the Spring Training/ Summer Program!
Over 21 volunteers work to make Lost Boyz possible!
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Royals (ages 4-7) End of Season Statistics # of Youth Served 7 kids served Royals Win/Loss/Tie Record Everyone Wins!! # of Hours Spent Practicing per Youth 12 Hours Game Participation per Royal 5 Games/10 Hours
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Reds (ages 8-10) End of Season Statistics # of Youth Served 10 kids served Reds Win/Loss/Tie Record 25/10, Playoffs 4-2 # of Hours Spent Practicing per Youth 60 Hours Game Participation per Red 20 Games/40 Hours
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Patriots (ages 8-12) End of Season Statistics # of Youth Served 14 kids served Patriots Win/Loss/Tie Record 1/11/0, No Playoffs # of Hours Spent Practicing per Youth 100 Hours Game Participation per Patriot 12 Games/24 Hours
Coach Cooper, “Improvement, not growth. We want to get better, not bigger.�
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Yankees (ages 13-17) End of Season Statistics # of Youth Served 15 youth served Yankees Win/Loss/Tie Record 7/7/1, No playoffs # of Hours Spent Practicing per Youth
90 Hours
Game Participation per Yankee
15 Games/30 Hours
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Lady Thunder (ages 10-14) End of Season Statistics # of Youth Served
15 Youth served
Lady Thunder Win/Loss/Tie Record
3/3/0, Playoffs 0/4
# of Hours Spent Practicing per Youth
20 Hours
Game Participation per Yankee
10 Games/20 Hours
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Other activities the kids participated in this year include:
PwC Day Northwestern Game DuSable Museum 2nd Annual Civil War Day DuSable for Movie Night Kayaking Chi*Talk with Nike Learn Your Game with Nike
Benefits for the youth participating in the program include: Improved grades Decrease in behavioral issues at school Decrease in peer-to-peer conflict Improvement at home with personal responsibility and discipline (according to parents) Exposure to neighborhoods, activities, and cultures outside those represented in the South Shore area College Visits Opportunities to volunteer both within and outside of the South Shore Community The opportunity to be a kid!!
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Successful Youth Leaders (SYL) Service Learning: The Service Learning aspect of the SYL Program combines service objectives with learning objectives, with the intent that the activity changes both the recipient and the provider of the service. This is accomplished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the task to selfreflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content.
MLK Day of Service - During the Winter Clinic Program, our youth visited a local forest preserve to learn about urban wildlife and evasive plant removal techniques. They also learned various ways to maintain and beautify the area in the forest preserve. Earth Day – In April, our youth gathered at Ashe Park, located on Chicago’s far south side, to help clean the park and plant trees in celebration of Earth Day. Buddy Baseball – Buddy Baseball is a program where children with different disabilities have a chance to play baseball with a person helping them, also known as a buddy. As a major part of the core initiatives of Lost Boyz is to volunteer and help others as you would want to be helped, our players took a Sunday to go and be buddies! Before the Buddy Baseball outing, three employees from Access Living visited our program to perform a sensitivity training with our youth.
Academic Arm: Through SYL Academic Arm, Lost Boyz hopes the participants will either become entrepreneurs or obtain a paid position in their field of choice. Partnering with the Chicago One Summer Plus program and the Community Violence Prevention Program (CVPP), Lost Boyz hosted 5 youth summer workers this year. Through our SYL program, these youth workers held positions such as Youth Assistant Baseball Coach, Social Media Analyst, and Graphics Designer. These are all skills that we hope the summer youth will take with them as they go off to college and continue advancing professionally. Aligned with our program’s goals, the Graphics Design youth worker was offered a paid position at the company with which Lost Boyz connected him. His starting pay will be $10.00 per hour, an increase of 17.6% compared to his previous position.
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Fundraising Efforts & Results This year, Lost Boyz continued hosting fundraiser events in order to help relieve any financial barriers parents faced when deciding whether or not to sign their child up for our program. Because we want every willing family to be able to participate in our programs, we thought selling candy and tickets to events would be a fun way to not only afford the program fee, but also to meet other parents, participants, staff, and donors. Continue reading to learn more about the fundraisers we held this year.
COSMO for a CAUSE
Our first fundraiser of 2014, COSMO for a CAUSE, was a great success. Not only did Lost Boyz raise $530 in ticket and raffle sales, but we also raised awareness! We met some really great supporters and potential volunteers that evening, while also seeing some familiar faces. Proceeds from the COSMO for a CAUSE event will either go towards summer baseball league fees or uniform accessories purchases for one of our teams.
Family & Friends Night – In May, Lost Boyz hosted its Second Annual Family and Friends Night at the Dr. Martin Luther King Drive Family Entertainment Center. Our players, parents, and guests really enjoyed themselves. Guests were able to both bowl and skate!
Spring Benefit Concert - Our spring fundraiser
this year was titled The Art of Music. Held at the Chaturanga Fitness Studio, this event involved artists from varying backgrounds performing for our guests. We had a poet perform, along with a youth rock band, a gospel singer, and a Christian rap group. Over 45 people attended The Art of Music fundraiser and we raised $1,100 that night. All proceeds directly benefit the youth we serve.
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White Sox Game – Courtesy of the White Sox, tickets were donated to Lost Boyz so that we could raise money to further fund our 2014 summer season. The Take Me Out to the Ball Game fundraiser was a great success! We can’t thank the White Sox and our players who sold tickets to their family and friends enough!
Experience Baseball White Sox Fundraiser –Experience Baseball hosted 2 events for Lost Boyz this year. Each events included tailgating, attending a game, and a discussion geared towards raising awareness about a social issue and the efforts of Lost Boyz Inc. Proceeds raised from these events directly benefited our organization and help furthered the baseball and softball programs for our youth.
Candy Sales – In order to help offset costs for families, the participants and their parents were able to sell boxes of candy this year. Each box sold helped contribute to their child’s program fee and reduce their out-of-pocket contribution. This method was very successful and thus, Lost Boyz will be offering this option again during the 2015 season.
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Financial Results for FY 2014 Revenue……..$23,053 Operating Expenses……..$18,635 Year-End Surplus $4,418
FY 2014 REVENUE Miscellaneous, 2.0%
Board Dues, 7.4%
Fundraisers, 12.3% Donations, 37.0%
In-Kind Items, 34.4%
Program Service Revenue, 6.9%
FY 2014 EXPENSES Fundraiser Costs, 6.4%
Administration, 3.4%
Travel, 7.9%
Winter Clinic Athletic Insurance, 2.0% Equipment Purchases, 48.3% League & Tournament Fees, 21.2%
Uniforms, 10.8%
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Growth Opportunities For 2015 we have some very lofty goals. This year coming we are hoping to increase our budget by 100% once again so that we begin to secure our own facility for programming and administration and bring on one full-time staff.
Press Highlights Windy City Live: http://windycitylive.com/episodes/Whats-on-Dec-with-Billy-Dec--February-20/9437886 KISS 103.5: http://www.1035kissfm.com/onair/the-weekly-show-w-jordan-50662/the-weekly-show-w-jordanwhats-good-w-billy-dec-21514-12069508/ IL Voices from Kids: http://www.voices4kids.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/VOICES_2014KC_report_FINAL-hires.pdf Shopping Spree with Pittsburgh Pirates Player, Andrew McCutchen: http://www.lostboyzinc.org/news/niketownwithandrewmccutchen
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LOST BOYZ INC. ANNUAL REPORT FY 2014