Nonprofit welcomes celebrities, athletes to Aug. 19 event at Seattle University

Rise Above, a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering Native youth, is hosting an Aug. 19 sports and wellness clinic for local youth with the support of sports hall-of-famers and celebrities.

The clinic, known as SportsFest, will begin at 10 am and will feature basketball, floor hockey, baseball, and track and field training clinics for local youth through several local community organizations. The clinics will be followed by an educational session where kids will hear from celebrity athletes and coaches about the importance of wellness and mentorship.

“We always look forward to our sports clinics, and watching the kids getting one-on-one time with sports legends is genuinely inspiring,” says Rise Above founder Jaci McCormack. “It’s a testament to Rise Above’s mission of strengthening the wellbeing of Native kids through mentorship and wellness.”

VIP guests include Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Vin Baker; actor and Academy Award honoree Danny Glover; NBA Hall of Famer Lenny Wilkens; former NBA coach George Karl; L.A. Lakers head coach Darvin Ham; Seattle Mariners broadcaster Bill Krueger; Olympic gold medalist Carla McGhee; former NBA players Craig Ehlo, Dale Ellis, Spencer Hawes and Detlef Schrempf; former Seattle University basketball coach Joy Hollingsworth; and Rise Above Ambassador Freddy Brown III.

Vin Baker will serve as a keynote speaker for the day, marking his first return to the city since his five-year stint as a Seattle SuperSonic. A 6-time NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, Baker will share his story of recovery as he celebrates his 13th year of sobriety. Darvin Ham will also be speaking about his own recovery from an accidental gunshot wound at 14 and about his experience connecting kids with sports through his nonprofit Urban Youth Development.

Saturday’s clinic will be followed by an invitation-only event on Sunday the 20th, and a VIP golf classic at the Club at Snoqualmie Ridge on Aug. 21.

Leading the clinics at SportsFest include Tony Monroe (Yakama), a longtime coach and athletic director and currently an assistant coach for Seattle U track and field; Rise Above Ambassador Freddy Brown III (Makah), who graduated with his Bachelor’s from the University of Montana, where he also played basketball; and Analyss Benally (Navajo), who played basketball for San Jose State University and recently finished her first year of pro basketball in Alexandria, Romania. Other coaches include Zac Townsend, DJ Alook (floor hockey), Spencer Shelton (baseball and softball), and Steven Gray (basketball).

“I could not be more thankful to have these incredible partners come together in support of empowering Native youth,” says McCormack.

McCormack’s life story is set to be turned into a narrative feature, also titled “Rise Above.” The screenplay is by Erica Tremblay, a writer for the hit series “Reservation Dogs” and writer-director of the recent Sundance hit “Fancy Dance.” Actor and Rise Above supporter Danny Glover’s Louverture Films will produce the “Rise Above” feature.

About Rise Above:

Native American communities have some of the highest rates of unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and mental illness in the country. Native girls and women complete suicide at three times the rate of the general population. For Native boys and men, it’s at twice that rate. Native youth are 35% less likely to enroll in higher education, 46% more likely to experience homelessness, and they face higher rates of diabetes, alcohol, drug use and obesity. Rise Above, founded by Native sports legend and Nez Perce tribal member Jaci McCormack, was created to address these realities and change the course of history, one life at a time, through education, prevention skills, sports clinics, mentorship with tribal leaders and other resources. See more at nativeyouthriseabove.org.