OUR STORY
How We Began
In the early 1990s, a boy met a girl in Orlando, Florida. The boy had just seen his life of hopelessness, violence and pain dramatically changed after meeting an amazing man who mentored him and drew him into a community of people who were willing to walk with him into seeing his life transformed.
The girl had latched onto the boy because she wanted to see her life changed. Just a few years earlier she was living in the ball pit of a McDonalds playland and in jail. The two began a journey together to try not only to survive but to thrive. They faced predators, drug dealers, their own horrific habits and much more.
Miraculously, after an epic struggle, they made it.
Along the way they learned to help other young people face their own journeys and find the way to their dreams coming true.
Their journey took them from Orlando, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia and then to San Antonio, Texas. All along the way they continued working to help young people overcome their struggles and emerge as leaders, just as they had.
Before long, they were no longer alone. They were surrounded by dozens of other young leaders across the U.S. who had joined them in the work of helping young people.
In 2001, the original Boy With a Ball team formed and incorporated themselves as a non-profit organization. In the years since, the work has grown dramatically including expanding into Latin America in 2004.
Mission Statement
Boy With a Ball is a unique grassroots organization whose mission is to build and send out teams to reach young people and their families, drawing them into mentoring relationships and small group communities from which they can be equipped not only to thrive, but then turn and reach others
