2025 LFYO Fundraising Luncheon Is Right Around the Corner

The 2025 LFYO Fundraising Luncheon is one month away. We will be celebrating 27 years of service as a nonprofit, having offered empowerment-based initiatives to over 30,000 participants in every inner-city community here in Central Ohio. Our mission is straightforward: To improve the life prospects and legacy pathways of vulnerable populations through targeted programming in the following areas: financial (and nutritional) wellness, physical fitness, personal branding, educational excellence, college and career readiness, mentoring support and life coaching, social and emotional learning (SEL), and brain development exercises for children with developmental disabilities.

In sports, setting the tone for success early in the game improves a team’s chances of achieving a favorable outcome when it ends. That “early start” can segue into sustained, positive momentum throughout the season. What happens when at-risk populations struggle in the first quarter of life? They often scramble to play catch up, swinging for the fences with get-rich-quick schemes to combat poverty’s plight (like playing the lottery), throwing hail Mary bombs down the field when dealing with crash-out meltdowns (to tackle unresolved trauma), or taking long-distance threes, really ill-advised shots, instead of making two-point layups as the opportunity clock winds down (given their limited options at play). As time moves on however, the compounding effects of life quarter mishaps create an even deeper scoring deficit for disadvantaged Americans and their unsuspecting offspring in the process.

At our fundraising event on September 12th, we’ll revisit these sports-based themes by asking a simple question: How can we create a winning game plan that allows every person to succeed on the field of opportunity? In our classrooms. Within our companies. Through our civilities. Keynote speaker and OSU coaching legend, Jim Tressel, will share insights on how those in attendance can make a lasting difference in the lives and legacies of those on the fringes of society. No matter how we vote, where we work, or who we are, the mission is clear. Until the least among us is given the best chance to shine — with a hand-up and not a handout — we can never be satisfied with the current state of affairs. Gaps are getting wider in every area, which means more bridge-builders need to step up. That would be you, me, us.

Take a look at the event details for our fundraising luncheon on September 12th: