Boston man inspired by brother who died from gun violence brings hope to youth
By Mike Sullivan
August 24, 2024 / 10:49 AM EDT / CBS Boston
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BOSTON – Jamaal Wornum of One Love Sports Academy is giving out hope to youngsters. That’s why he’s BZ’s MVP.
Inspired by his brother
Wornum’s program has become a path to the future for young people. he is the found of One Love Sports Academy in Boston, and organizations that uses sports as an avenue to connect to kids and grow them athletically and academically
“Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, unfortunately, the young people deal with a lot of trauma, so without these outlets that my program and other programs offer, they would just be dealing with their trauma and not knowing how to,” Wornum said.
Wornum can tell you all about trauma. In 2011, his brother, Aaron, was shot and killed. Aaron had just started a youth organization – Rags to Riches – and Wornum wanted to continue it in his honor.
“When we went to go legally get the name, the name was taken,” Wornum said. However, he turned on the radio and heard “One Love,” and it hit him. “At that moment, at that time, it just stuck with me. Now we fast forward 10 years later, everything we do is through love and uniting everybody.”
Helping kids see the future
One Love now has a summer program and a year-long academy that targets athletics as well as wrap-around services like tutoring and peer groups.
“He does a lot. He takes us to different places every year,” said Nasir Farmer, an 11-year-old in the program. He’s an NBA hopeful trying to excel in the classroom and on the court. “When you’re in … class, she helps you develop math and reading and ELA and all that stuff to make you be ahead of the game when you go into that grade.”
“It gives them hope. It gives them a lane because some kids don’t have the opportunity to have these camps,” said Daivon Edwards, the coordinator for the camp and the academy. “Everyone respects him because he is willing to give back. He’s willing to help these kids see the future, see something in themselves they may not have seen prior.”