Thrive League and Rising Stars Academy

Thrive League was established in 2018 with the mission to support Education, Soccer, and Character (ESC) African Academies. ESC academies exist to support underserved children in Africa using soccer and academics to develop character and educational growth. In 2022, Thrive League is still committed to working with different potential ESC academies in Africa. However, Thrive League is proud to announce its official partnership with The Rising Stars of Africa (RSA) in Ghana. This decision is the result of an accumulation of factors including the successful placement of pilot student athletes, and a strong connection between the administration of both programs. The struggle of the pandemic has united Thrive League and RSA to become dedicated partners. The strategic partnership will last a lifetime, and RSA will be our official partner academy in Africa.

In addition to solidifying our partnership with RSA, Thrive League is now in position to identify and help student athletes from around the globe. Thrive League has partnered with Global Education & Sports Partners. GESP is an educational consulting company that helps students from all over the world facilitate the application process to attend boarding schools in the USA. GESP has established partnerships in Bermuda, Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Dubai, Guatemala, Italy, Mexico, Portugal and Spain. In the last three years GESP has placed over 500 students at US boarding schools with many of them matriculating to study and play soccer in college.

While traveling to these countries I met young players that possessed all the talent, character, and the academic acumen to thrive in the boarding school environment. However, they lacked the financial resources to take advantage of the opportunity that boarding schools provide. Thrive League’s goal has broadened to help disadvantaged students from our network of partners. I am proud to say that in the last three years I have worked with my partners to place five players from my GESP network. For the fall of 2022 we have four more students who will be attending boarding school, one girl from South Africa, one girl from Guatemala, and two more boys from RSA.

This spring, Thrive League is launching a capital campaign to accomplish three goals.

Hire a Full-Time Director of Operations

Support all the current and incoming Thrive League players with financial costs of travel, health insurance, academic supplies, clothing, athletic equipment, and spending money while studying in the USA.

Donate to The Rising Stars of Africa to assist with operational costs

We need to raise enough money to hire a full-time director of operations and fundraising to move Thrive League forward. Their responsibilities will entail running daily operations in the USA by supporting each of our student athletes’ needs on an individual basis with their academics, applications, travel requests, host families, vacation plans, and any other needs. The director will travel to Ghana this year for a month to learn about specific RSA needs and to create a long-term plan. They will be responsible for procuring funds for Thrive League. Finally, they will work with myself and Noah Giovanelli, who has also been acting as an interim director for Thrive League this year.

Thrive League has already changed the lives of many students, and we hope to turn the corner and make Thrive League a sustainable nonprofit for years to come. The annual cost per player at RSA is $5,000 to cover the basic costs of food, housing, staffing, and schooling. For all students part of Thrive League in the US, it costs anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 per student. This includes financing one trip home per year, spending money, new clothes and athletic equipment, school supplies, and health insurance. Please note, not all schools provide full financial aid, and in these cases Thrive League must cover tuition costs on top of the aforementioned associated costs.

Today, our goal is to raise $150,000 by the end of 2022. If we accomplish this goal the money will be divided into three sectors. Each of the three sectors will be allotted $50,000 for the 2022/2023 year:

Full-time director salary and operational costs (travel, hotels, staff expenses)

Support all the current and incoming Thrive League players

Donate directly to RSA for operational costs on ground in Accra Ghana

In closing, I am blessed to have an opportunity to work with such amazing kids that have had such a positive impact on my life. I want this journey to continue because I know there are so many more lives we can impact and I want to help as many students as I can, but I need your help. Any donation amount helps, and each is important. If everyone on this email chain donated $25 and got five more people to donate the same amount, then we will reach our goal. Please take time to make a difference and change lives. Post on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and call friends and family to help support a life-changing cause. Finally, if anyone has additional questions about Thrive League, please feel free to contact me anytime. My details are below. Thank you for your time and consideration.

~Talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not.~