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Local Sports Legends and Executives Gather to Inspire and Encourage More Than 500 Students at MBK: Sports Box Dialogue

PHOENIX, Arizona. – On September 12, a panel of former professional athletes will convene at the My Brother’s Keeper: Sports Box Dialogue to share personal stories and insights and encourage middle school and high school students to pursue opportunities beyond the field, race track and court. The free event, presented by the Checkered Flag Foundation, is one of several local initiatives aligned with President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge.The event will feature an esteemed panel moderated by the Honorable Art Hamilton and will include:

 ·         Simeon Rice, former Arizona Cardinal, Three-Time Pro-Bowl Selection, Four-Time All Pro Selection and 2003 Super Bowl Champion

·         Cedric Ceballos, former Phoenix Sun, 1992 NBA Slam Dunk Champion, NBA 1995 All-Star Selection

·         Adrian Williams, former Phoenix Mercury, 2003 WNBA All-Star Selection

·         Augie Ojeda, former Arizona Diamondback

 T.J. Millington, former NASCAR Truck Series Driver will also attend the event, along with several local executives, including De Jon Watson, senior vice president of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Bryan R. Sperber, president of Phoenix International Raceway and Robert Sarver, owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury.

 The Checkered Flag Run Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides educational and enrichment resources for students designed to help prepare and motivate them to seek education beyond a high school diploma.

 “As the school year commences, we want to begin planting seeds in the minds of youth that will sprout ideas, goals and dreams that will position them for success in the near and distant future,” said Alan Powell, founder of the Checkered Flag Foundation. “Our panel’s unique experiences will provide great insight for local youth and help them to begin putting their future in perspective. We want our youth to see the big picture, and the opportunities that education can afford them.”

 “While the likelihood of a young athlete pursuing a career in professional sports in slim, the graduation success rate of college athletes is over 80 percent,” Powell continued.”

 MBK: Sports Dialogue Box is co-presented by the Black Chamber of Arizona, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Arizona Informant. Sponsors include Superstition Springs, MESA Airlines and Rose+Moser+Allyn. Vendors will be onsite to provide information about internships as well as job and volunteer opportunities.

The first 500 youth in attendance at the event will receive complimentary tickets and transportation to Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers that evening at 5:10 p.m. at Chase Field.

 For more information and to register for MBK: Sports Box Dialogue, visit http://checkeredflagrunfoundation.org/ The event will be held at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church from 12:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

 About Checkered Flag Run Foundation

The Checkered Flag Run Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization that makes available school readiness tools for elementary and middle school students, career educational resources such as career inventory assessment/workshops for high school students to close the gap, and serves to increase educational attainment beyond a high school diploma.