In her personal life, Shakara Thomas spent her childhood in San Diego, CA. Spending her days in and out of the Encanto Boys and Girls Club and the Jackie Robinson YMCA, Thomas experienced first-hand how non-profit organizations can benefit our youth and the communities we live in. During her time at Madison High School in California, Thomas was a student-athlete involved in basketball, volleyball, and track and field. She graduated in 2005, relocated back to Arizona, and started her college career playing for two years on the women’s basketball team for Scottsdale Community College. “After the age where all my kids were eligible to play sports, it started to become a financial burden keeping up with travel expenses, registration fees, club expenses, equipment, uniforms, etc. I could not afford for them to play every season, which led to only one child participating in an activity at a time. The feeling of disappointment in making tough decisions about who was entitled to play was unfair the my children when they all have the potential to be something great. I then decided to create an organization where underprivileged youth would have an opportunity to participate in physical activities without the financial expectation and commitment from their parents, but more from the community. My goal is to optimize the opportunities of youth and help reduce expenses for parents by providing financial scholarships, resources, and programs that teach financial literacy, recruiting requirements, college preparation, and academics before athletics. My goal is to create a foundation where inner-city youth can benefit from a helping hand. My belief is that every child deserves the opportunity to play sports and develop important life skills such as confidence, leadership, and teamwork.” Shakara Thomas