Myron Rolle Wellness & Leadership Academy
Ask a child in foster care what they want people to know about them and time and time again you'll hear this answer. "we're just regular kids".
The Academy’s objective is to teach the fundamentals of athletics, health & wellness, teamwork, character building, self-esteem and leadership. Held in conjunction with the Florida National Guard and the Florida Division of Children and Families at Camp Blanding Florida, over 400 Florida Foster Kids (ages 12-16) attended the 3-4 day sessions over the past few years.
Thanks to the numerous volunteers and counselors, the kids had a rewarding experience. The attendees were treated to lectures from local leaders and well known celebrities, such as Dominique Dawes, Rebecca Lobo, Lil’ Bow Wow and Greg Louganis. Despite his medical school or NFL obligations, Myron was always present and made every effort to ensure the children were learning, were well served and had a fun-filled experience. Let’s do it Again!
“My passion is to deliver good quality health care to underserved people,” Rolle told The Press in May of 2009 before the first leadership academy. “I feel that a lot of the medical issues today stem from obesity by being out of shape, not eating correctly and having a sedentary lifestyle. A lot of neurological problems stem from being overweight. If we could address that with foster children, who are being brushed to the side, I want to bring them back to the focus.”
Testimonial
Myron you are an outstanding inspiration for all Foster Children. I had a blast getting to know you and all your friends. You definitely made one of my dreams come true, by allowing me to meet very touching and great people. I will always wish to come back and try to inspire more children like myself to move on and continue to get better. As I said, the Myron Rolle Wellness and Leadership Academy is here to show us to be aware of all of the valuable resources surrounding us like all of the encouraging people that truly care for us, to be a leader throughout all of our struggles and to always try to improve using our hard times to make us stronger and overall a better person…. . Hopefully, i'll see you next year!!!
Testimonial
Like most of the youth there, 13-year-old Paxton Zancker had never been to sleep-away summer camp. But her nervousness melted when she arrived and sat down at a table. Instantly, she was friends with the girl sitting next to her…. and her Northeast Florida-based group, Team Ponce de Leon, has grown close over games of flag football. “Normally I would be like, ‘When are we going to go home?’ ” Paxton said. “Here, I made friends on the first day.”
Former NFL player, Rhodes Scholar and Bahamian-American, Myron Rolle and his Myron L. Rolle Foundation successfully ran the 1st Annual Bahamian Myron Rolle Wellness and Leadership Academy for foster youth. The Academy took place in Nassau, Bahamas and was supported by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture along with the Ministry of Social Services.
Hello, World!