Like everyone, to get to where I am, I stood on the shoulders of giants. My life was built on a foundation of parents, coaches, and teachers. To accept that mantle of being self-made discounts every person and every piece of advice that got me here. And it gives the wrong impression — that you can do it alone. I couldn’t. And odds are, you can’t either.

Everyone needs someone to lift them up, so I founded After-School All-Stars over 20 years ago in order that we can give kids an essential foundation: of mentors and opportunity to form a vision for themselves. And – let’s admit it, I have fun. Whether it’s inviting an exceptional young man Ni’Quille to share his story with my friends at a fundraiser I host every year, or taking kids skiing for the first time in their lives, advocating on the Hill to protect afterschool funding, or driving donors around in my tank for a good cause, giving back can be exciting and impactful.