Our Partnership with Hopkins-Henderson

Henderson Hopkins School is a Johns Hopkins University Partnership School and is an integral part of East Baltimore’s community. Johns Hopkins athletes have volunteered at the Henderson Hopkins Food Pantry for many years, and we have formed a special relationship with the Henderson Hopkins community. Our commitment to Henderson Hopkins expanded to our goal of funding youth teams at Henderson Hopkins. We accomplished this goal through the money we raised from our 2023 Blue Jays for Baltimore Golf Tournament. The Henderson Hopkins youth teams and sports program has been coached by Hopkins athletes all of last spring and will continue to do so in the future. The Henderson Hopkins sports program now participates in interscholastic competitions with middle schools across the city.

What we Do

Working with the kids every week in the spring has helped us better understand the kids on a personal level and mentor them in a manner that most benefits them. Before we hit the field to coach the kids we sit and hangout with the kids while they eat their lunches and they fill us in on their weeks and their lives.

This mentorship of coaching the kids to excel on the field has blossomed into their everyday lives and in the classroom. They understand that we are going straight from the classroom to coach them and they respect that, so they understand that they have to be studious in the classroom prior to hitting the field. Being a student-athlete is complicated, but we show up every week to be role models in how to handle the rigorous schedule of balancing both athletics and academics.

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Long Term Effect

We have built great relationships with the kids and our mutual love for sports has sparked a competitive nature in our drills, attitudes, and soccer/football games. This aspect of competition has helped the kids grow and learn how to be humble and respectful when they win by showing good sportsmanship. In contrast, it has also taught the kids how to handle defeat and learn from mistakes.