The Starting Block graduates its first cohort of the innovative Fielkow-Chase Youth Education initiative
Group brings together high school students from New Orleans’ African American, Latino and Jewish communities
NEW ORLEANS – The Starting Block will host its first graduation ceremony and celebration of the innovative Fielkow-Chase Youth Education Initiative May 24, 2023 at 6:15 p.m. at Dooky Chase Restaurant located at 2301 Orleans Avenue.
The Starting Block created this first cohort in late Aug. 2021 with more than 40 high school students primarily reflecting the New Orleans African American, Latino and Jewish communities.
Last month, the class completed an 18-month educational curriculum designed by the Tulane University Center for Sport to introduce students to the sports industry, with the goal of preparing them for a potential professional career in the field after college.
The Starting Block also highlights African American and Latino history and challenges, as well as Jewish history and tradition. During the summer of 2022, students gained hands-on shadowing experience at sports-related organizations throughout the Greater New Orleans area.
“Our family foundation exists to honor Leah Chase and her lifetime commitment to social equity and positive change,” says Edgar “Dooky” Chase III of the Edgar "Dooky" Jr. & Leah Chase Family Foundation. “By offering students in a majority minority city a program like this, we are leveling the playing field by lowering barriers to positions of influence within the sports industry. This is something Leah would have loved to see.”
Below is the list of students who are celebrating the completion of the program:
Jonathan Ashford | Joseph Bain | Bryce Bridges | Ty'Lia Brooks
Jacob Chapital | Paul Collins | Ke'wan Cooks | Valiant Cuiellette III
Mats Dolese | Gabriel Ebilane | Michaela Gray | Akai Green
Kaleb Gross | Bradlee Gross | Jacob Guichet | Samuel Haber | Diego Hallner
Jared Hollins | Canin Jefferson | Demi Johnson | Logan Katz | Gavin Kennedy
Rodney LaVigne | Madison Levy | Andre' Lewis | Christian Maniger
Payton McDonald | Derek Mercadal, II | Jayla Montgomery | Travis Norton
Brice O'Quin | Jaden Prevost | Alaney Reed | Collin Reid
Jadon Russell | Dustin Sorapuru | Jacoby Soraparu | Malcolm Venable
Tye Williams | Taylor Williams | Savannah Williams
“We couldn’t be prouder of each of these individuals,” says Arnie Fielkow, board director of The Starting Block. “A few years ago, this program was just an idea. Now, these children are proving to themselves and their peers that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.”
The Starting Block is operated in partnership with St. Augustine High School, Touro Synagogue, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, ADL, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana.
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About The Staring Block: Launching in 2021, The Starting Block: A Fielkow-Chase Youth Education Initiative is designed to build impactful relationships between multicultural and multifaith communities in Greater New Orleans through the lens of practical learning and career building for high school students interested in pursuing professions within the sports industry.
This innovative program was jointly created by the Arnie D. Fielkow Family and the Edgar "Dooky" Jr. & Leah Chase Family Foundation. Those in New Orleans know these names well. This initiative combines the primary passions of Arnie Fielkow's nearly 30-year professional career: sports, Judaism and fostering relationship building among the diverse subsets of diverse communities. The iconic Leah Chase devoted her entire life to social justice and change, and education, and utilized her unprecedented culinary talents to bring diverse New Orleanians together.