In a year when the world of sport will be focusing on London, Beyond Sport has announced the launch of the P&G UK Impact Award, in association with the Daily Telegraph, which will recognise and support organisations across the nation creating positive social change through sport in their communities.

The launch of this new Award by Beyond Sport – whose global annual Awards reach 135 countries and are decided on by an influential judging panel that includes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Dame Kelly Holmes, Lord Sebastian Coe and multi-Olympic Gold Medallist Michael Johnson – aims to highlight and support the lasting impact sport for development projects can have on communities not just in London, but across the UK, long after the Olympics have moved on to a new host city.

“In a time of social and economic unease, Beyond Sport is fascinated by some of the remarkable work that is going on across communities in the UK,” commented Nick Keller, the Founder of Beyond Sport. “We know London will have a significant legacy to talk about once the Olympics are over, but we want to unearth those remarkable projects and leaders that use sport for social good – from health to education to social inclusion and crime reduction – year-round and throughout the nation.”

Two new partnerships with Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the Daily Telegraph will drive the launch of the Award, which is open for entries from 9^th May through 1^st June on www.beyondsport.org.

A Shortlist of entries, deemed the most impactful community sporting projects in the country by a panel of expert judges, will be revealed in early June, all of which will receive funding and support for their initiatives.

The Winner of the P&G UK Impact Award, in association with the Daily Telegraph, will be announced at the Beyond Sport London Reception on the evening of 20^th June at the Thomas Lyte flagship store in Mayfair’s Burlington Arcade, when the stunning Beyond Sport Awards 2012 trophies will also be unveiled by Thomas Lyte, who designed and created the trophies uniquely for Beyond Sport. The reception marks one month before the Beyond Sport Summit, held 23^rd-25^th July, which will see hundreds of leaders in sport, government, development, and business gather to address how sport can make a positive social impact in communities across the globe.

Nathan Homer, Olympics Project Director at Procter & Gamble, said: “At P&G we believe in the power of sport to change lives not just for elite athletes and their families, but for everyone, and particularly, those facing society’s toughest challenges. Our commitment to Beyond Sport and to this Award is down to that one simple belief: that sport can make a difference. We are also delighted that the Daily Telegraph will be supporting the UK Impact Award. As a newspaper which shares our belief in the power of sport, we look forward to working with them to make a difference in people’s lives across the country.”

Keller added: “P&G’s belief in the power of sport to make a difference has been proven time and again throughout its Olympic partnership, and their investment in social change in Britain and beyond is underlined by their support for this Award. Meanwhile, the support of as respected an outlet as the Daily Telegraph will help us take this Award to a new level in terms of profile, awareness and reach.”

Ben Clissitt, Head of Sport at the Daily Telegraph, concluded: “In Olympic year, when the word ‘legacy’ has been at the front of everybody’s minds, the Daily Telegraph is pleased to support an Award which will highlight and support genuine social change through sport within the UK. We look forward to working with P&G and Beyond Sport to unearth the best this country has to offer.”

Beyond Sport is a global initiative that seeks to celebrate and support any organisation or individual with the goal to drive positive social change through sport. Its Global Partners are Barclays Spaces for Sports, TIME and UNICEF.

For more information on Beyond Sport, the Beyond Sport Summit and the Beyond Sport Awards visit www.beyondsport.org.

Tia Norfleet is the daughter of Bobby Norfleet, who made his NASCAR debut at the Portland International Raceway road course in the year 2000

Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — Professional racecar driver Tia Norfleet has visions of giving to a community that supports her. As the first, youngest and only African-American female driver on the NASCAR circuit, Tia Norfleet has set the stage to opening the doors of diversity in a highly controversial and predominately male oriented sport.

With lawsuits that have been filed as well by other minorities, which have accused NASCAR of racial discrimination, many people wonder why and how can Norfleet compete in this division of racing. “It is sheer passion and instinct that drives this youngster to want to compete in this sport, she was born to compete,” says Isaac Hayes, spokesperson/CEO of the online fund raising organization, Tiapower.com.

Norfleet comes from a family with a history in racing. Her father Bobby Norfleet made his NASCAR debut at the Portland International Raceway road course on March 26, 2000, where he competed against NASCAR driver Bill Lester making that race historical. It was the only time in NASCAR history that two African-Americans drivers have competed at the same time.

With many accolades of her own including being spokesperson for the Safe America Diving program, and appearing in commercials such as the Verizon wireless, numerous magazine ads and radio and television interviews. Tia Norfleet has given Black women everywhere new hope in following their dreams.

The million dollar question that many people ask is, will the NASCAR community accept Tia for who she is, and that is according to Hayes, a true competitor. “Our goal is to raise funds needed for everyone to find out,” says Edward Williams, founder of the medium sized marketing company Team Tia.

Taking a page out of the country’s 44th President Barack Obama’s playbook, going grassroots to make history. Williams said “If President Obama can raise $700 million, surely we can raise $5 million to get Tia on the track. We have a good team and I think with the public’s help we can get Tia on the track and testing in two weeks.

“To ensure the success of this effort to fundraise,” says Hayes, CEO of Tiapower.com, “we have inked a lucrative deal with Alvin Kline, the social media guru and wed success agency team to head this unique grassroots online crown funding campaign.”

Hayes continues, “I am confident that Alvin Kline along with Team Tia and the additional benefits and memorabilia we are offering the donors at Tiapower.com should allow us the chance to find out.” As Tia prepares to take the wheel, the world holds on and wonders if the community that she supports will support her. The answer awaits at the finish line.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Issac Hayes at (877) 239-4924 or email contact@tiapower.com or visit www.tiapower.com

Photo Caption: Tia Norfleet 

Harvey resident wins, too

By Chinta Strausberg

With a made up mind and focusing on one goal at a time, Shawn Simpson, an 18-year-old Chicago Vocational Academy senior, recently won the National Golden Gloves tournament held at the CasaBlanca Resort in Mesquite, NV, but he’s not stopping there.

Reached at home, Simpson, who is the reigning National Police Athletic League 114 pound National Champion, said, “I felt I had to win.”  An amateur boxer since the age of 10, he won the coveted 114 pound championship. “I have won so many matches you get used to it,” he said. Simpson said he felt in his heart he would be victorious.

In winning the National Golden Gloves title, Simpson defeated Hector Valdez of Texas, Jesus Cerda of Wisconsin and Ja’Rico O’Quinn of Detroit to advance to the final. He’s anxious for the next championship game and is determined to keep his mind and body in shape for the showdown.

Simpson is trained by 1996 Olympic Heavyweight Bronze Medalist Nate Jones who is part of pound-for-pound champion and former Olympic teammate Floyd Mayweather’s training team. He won the Chicago Golden Gloves 114 pound championship last year and in 2012. He was named the Chicago Golden Gloves “Best Boxer” in 2012 and in 2009 he was the Junior Olympic National Flyweight Champion.

Having won more than 100 boxing matches beginning at age 10 when he fought in Kansas City, Mo. and including this recent tournament, Simpson has set yet another goal—to go the USA Boxing Training Camp in Colorado Springs after he graduates on June 9, 2012.

In four-years, he wants to win the Olympics, but in the interim Simpson said, “I will be training and staying in shape,” and his father, Tony Simpson, will be right by his side.

Young Simpson is hoping to win the National Police Athletic Leagues tournament in Toledo, Ohio in October. There are only a select number of tournaments recognized by the USA Boxing as being elite. This tournament is one where all of the top boxers will participate.  Simpson plans to be there and to win.

Also winning the National Golden Gloves title was Alex Martin, 21, a graduate from the Joliet Township High School who currently lives in Harvey, Illinois, who defeated David Grayton, Washington, D.C., 165-pounds. He is the most highly decorated amateur boxer in the Chicago area. Martin’s goal is to turn professional sometime this year.

Trained by Mark Chears of Team Chears Boxing/Boxing For Boxers, Martin defeated Montrel Wade of California, Tony Losey of the 
Kansas-Oklahoma franchise and Wesley Tucker of Toledo, OH to advance to 
the championship. 

Martin was the 2011 National Golden Gloves 152 pound runner-up, 
the 2011 and 2012 Chicago Golden Gloves 152 pound Champion and he received 
the 2011 Chicago Golden Gloves “Best Boxer Award.”

Martin was the USA 
Boxing Welterweight Silver Medalist in 2010 and 2012. In 2009, he won the National Police Athletic League 152 pound National Championship. 
 Martin has international experience and has represented the U.S. in dual 
competitions vs. Mexico in April 2011, China in October 2010 (in New York) and in March in Assisi and Rome, Italy and in September of 2010.

Martin did not return calls prior to deadline.

Chinta Strausberg is a Journalist of more than 33-years, a former political reporter and a current PCC Network talk show host. You can e-mail Strausberg at: Chintabernie@aol.com.

A public display of the card is scheduled for April 18th to kickoff an online auction at www.managemyauction.com and a possible conclusion of a 10-year struggle

Cincinnati, OH (BlackNews.com) – Manage My Auction, LLC, is a professional auction listing services company and is managing the launch of the Cobb / Edwards T206 Honus Wagner baseball card. The card will be listed online April 18th for a 10 day auction. The Honus Wagner card will be on display and open to the public (free) in Glendale, Ohio at Heirloom Framing Company on 9 West Sharon Road from 11:00am – 7:00pm on April 18th to kickoff the online auction.

The card has never been displayed publicly until now. Chris Felix, a Cincinnati sports artist who was commissioned by the Topps Trading Card Company 2 years ago, will be featuring an original painting that illustrates the cousins’ 10 year journey.

“The Card” features a Piedmont back, which few are known to exist. The Cobb / Edwards card is perhaps the most controversial baseball card in the hobby. Race and class division, questions about the authenticity of the card, and scientific forensic testing conducted on the card make this Wagner one of a kind.

Hank J. Reed, President, of Manage My Auction, LLC, reached out to the cousins nearly 4 years ago when he saw their story on ESPN, Outside the Lines. Hank states, “I just wanted to meet Cobb and Edwards and learn more about their story since we were all in the Cincinnati area. I am also a collector and was curious about their story. They asked for my help since I was in the sports business industry and I tried, but there wasn’t much I could do since the card had not been graded.”

The Cobb / Edwards card has been tested by forensic experts… the first baseball card to be under so much scrutiny. In 2003, Walter Rantanen, Fiber Science Group Leader at Integrated Paper Services (IPS) in Appleton, WI, and 4 other notable experts who examined the card concluded that the card is consistent with other T206 cards in the 1900’s. However, Cobb and Edwards could not sell the card because collectors didn’t accept the scientific evidence since that is not the standard in the hobby. However, in June of last year, Martin Brouillard, senior grader at ACA Grading conducted over 4 hours of scientific testing on the card and made his own evaluations as a recognized grader in the hobby. Martin concluded that their card was authentic and was graded an unreleased version of the Honus Wagner T206.

The two Cincinnatians who own Manage My Auction, LLC, will be working with collectors and interested bidders to share all the information about the Cobb / Edwards Honus Wagner T206 card. There will be a video posted of the cousins answering tough questions about their card, scheduled chat sessions and even a chance for interested bidders to talk directly with Ray. Ray Edwards, states, “Hank and his business partner, Andy Stuckert, have been with us every step of the way to help us however they can with the auction. The timing of all of this and how it came together is amazing. We are excited about the auction starting on the 18th and hope this 10 year struggle comes to a reasonable conclusion. We want everyone to have the facts.”

Andy states, “After meeting Ray and hearing their story, I was hooked. It’s hard to overlook scientific evidence, five respected experts, and 10 years of paperwork. Since it has been graded authentic our company is looking forward to list the item on behalf of John and Ray.”

For more information on Manage My Auction, LLC, visit www.managemyauction.com

For more information on the Honus Wagner Auction, visit www.honuswagnerauction.com

Photo Caption: Cousins Ray Edwards and John Cobb pose with their rare Honus Wagner Baseball Card

Barclays Spaces for Sports, a community-based sports programme which uses sport as a platform to help young people develop life skills and revitalise disadvantaged communities in a sustainable way,   has extended its partnership with Beyond Sport, the organisation which works to unearth, celebrate and support inspirational sports projects, people and organisations that drive positive change.

Barclays Spaces for Sports will continue in its role as Global Partner of Beyond Sport, extending an association that began in 2009 with the aim of furthering the use of sport as a tool for social development.

The cooperation between Barclays Spaces for Sports and Beyond Sport has centred around the Beyond Sport Summit and Awards – previously held in London, Chicago and Cape Town and returning to London this summer in the week before the Olympic Games – and the Beyond Sport Foundation, which supports outstanding projects all around the world.

Nick Keller, Founder of Beyond Sport, said: “Beyond Sport’s belief that the corporate world can bring about positive social change through sport is embodied nowhere better than by Barclays Spaces for Sports. For almost a decade the programme has provided a standout model of what true investment in this area can bring about. We are delighted to be continuing this partnership and look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the years to come.”

David Wheldon, Head of Brand, Reputation and Citizenship, Barclays, added: “Barclays aims to play a broader role in the communities in which we live and work beyond what we deliver through our core business activities. Our community investment programmes, such as Barclays Spaces for Sports, help empower young people with the appropriate skills to become more employable and financially independent.  Our partnership with Beyond Sport is born of our joint recognition that sport can have a social impact at a local and global level. We are delighted to continue our partnership and increase the opportunities to celebrate, promote and drive forward sport-led social change.”

The renewal of the partnership comes with entries to the Beyond Sport Awards 2012 currently open. Designed to recognise and reward those individuals and organisations using sport to drive forward social change, the Beyond Sport Awards are made up of 12 categories covering the entire sporting spectrum of health, social inclusion, corporate and social responsibility, and team and federation community engagement. Entries to the Beyond Sport Awards close on April 6^th.

For more information, visit www.beyondsport.org

Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — America’s favorite pastime and a dream come true for Black men, once Jackie Robinson broke the color line. Brooks Lawrence was one of the early contingent of African American athletes who made it to the major leagues.

Pitching The Dream tells the story of former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, Brooks Lawrence and his eventful journey to capture his dream. It recounts humorous and poignant episodes of his family life and chronicles his enduring love of baseball from his youth through the major leagues. It tells the many adversities confronting him in both the minor and major leagues, and how he overcame them. The 13 straight wins he pitched (beginning of season) in 1956 is still a Reds’ ball club record. His achievements won him membership in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, and the Ohio Baseball Hall of Fame.

Author Cheryl D. Lyons, also an educator, is the maternal niece of Brooks Lawrence and currently resides in Florida. For more information, please contact lyonswriter@aol.com or 305-710-1470.
About The Book:
Pitching The Dream
By Cheryl D. Lyons
Publication Date: April 6, 2005; October 2011
Pages 109
ISBN: 1-4134-7751-8 (Hardback)
ISBN: 1-4134-7750-X (Trade Paperback)

Available in Print and eBook format at Xlibris.com, Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, www.Amazon.com/kindle, www.nook.com, and www.ebookstore.sony.com

Photo Caption: Bookcover

As “21st Century Hebrew Boys”, OU men’s basketball team upholds Bible’s Seventh-Day Sabbath Observance: Wins national championship

By Dawnette Chambers, Oakwood University Student Writer

Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — The Ambassadors men’s basketball team of Oakwood University, a Seventh-day Adventist and United Negro College Fund institution, won the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) 2012 Division 1 Championship after defeating Rochester College 54-51, on Saturday night, March 10, 2012.

They returned to their Huntsville, Alabama campus on Sunday, welcomed enthusiastically by boosters chanting, “O-U, O-U!”

Similarly the men’s basketball team from Andrews University, also a Seventh-day Adventist institution, won its USCAA Division 2 championship contest, during the same tournament.

More than just winning the championship, these men stood up for their Bible-based faith, according to Cedric Francois, producer and play-by-play announcer for Ambassador Radio Network. “This is the first time in the USCAA’s history, the championship games for both Men’s Division 1 and 2 were re-scheduled to respect the religious convictions of Oakwood and Andrews Universities, respectively.”

OU Athletic Director James Roddy explained that, of all the athletic associations he met with when seeking a league for Oakwood – including the NCAA, NAIA and NCCAA – the USCAA was the only organization that would respect Bible-based, seventh-day Sabbath observance.

Team members got off the bus at OU’s Ashby Gym, adorned with yellow and blue leis, symbols of welcome and congratulations. Senior Nardo Bryant thanked the crowd, declaring, “Let the record reflect that this is the first year in Oakwood’s history that the Ambassadors won (with a season record of) 20-12… in the year 2012, coincidentally.”

Senior Austin Doggette, All-American and Tournament MVP, has followed in footsteps of his brother (now Pastor) James Doggette, Jr., who was 2008 Tournament MVP when the Ambassadors won their first national championship.

For more details about Oakwood University, visit www.oakwood.edu

*Hebrew Boys reference from the Bible, Daniel 1:8-20.

The Beyond Sport Summit and Awards, the premier global gathering in the field of sport and development, will return to London this summer from 23^rd to 25^th July. Online registration for the event, which brings together the most influential and forward-thinking global figures from the worlds of sport, business, politics and philanthropy to drive the use of sport as a tool for social change, is open now at www.beyondsport.org.

London hosted the inaugural edition of the Beyond Sport Summit and Awards in 2009. Since then the Beyond Sport Summit has been staged in Chicago, USA, in 2010 and Cape Town, South Africa, in 2011, and has developed into the largest and most significant gathering in its field.

More than 1,000 delegates gathered across four days in Cape Town in December, with executives from some of the world’s top companies – Sony, Standard Chartered, Virgin Atlantic, TIME Inc, Deloitte, Canterbury, PricewaterhouseCoopers, StubHub, adidas and Barclays – joining the likes of FIFA, the NBA, the NHL, NASCAR, the Australian Football League, the Qatar Foundation, Populous, SportAccord, UNICEF and many more leading organisations to explore, develop and drive the use of sport for development.

Throughout the week, the likes of Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; ‘Bladerunner’ Oscar Pistorius; and Lord Paddy Ashdown, the former UN High Commissioner of Bosnia and Herzegovina, played key roles in the Summit, while the world’s leading community programmes, corporate initiatives and sports federations were rewarded in the Beyond Sport Awards.

The Beyond Sport Summit in London will once again feature a stellar cast of speakers and facilitators, while the Beyond Sport Awards will continue to identify, highlight and support the best projects in 12 categories covering the entire sporting spectrum of health, social inclusion, corporate and social responsibility, and philanthropy.

The Awards winners are selected by the Beyond Sport Ambassadors – a group of high-profile individuals chaired by former British Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, and including London 2012 Chairman Seb Coe, HRH Prince Faisal Al Hussein of Jordan, former South African football captain Lucas Radebe; and multi-Olympic gold medallists Michael Johnson and Sergey Bubka.

Projects can enter the Beyond Sport Awards and delegates can BUY TICKETS NOW for the Beyond Sport Summit at www.beyondsport.org.

Beyond Sport is partnered with Barclays Spaces for Sports, TIME International and UNICEF.

For further information visit www.beyondsport.org or contact