MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRESIDENTTwo years ago, I was invited by friends in Jefferson, GA to see their child compete in the high school track and field state championships. As normal, I was running late by "man and earth" time, but seemingly right on time in HIS way. Subsequently, when I arrived, I looked for my friends and found them in a quarry of emotions. The child I was coming to see (who was a freshman and was chosen to run the last leg of the 4X100MR) just completed the relay. Unfortunately, he had dropped the baton after his exchange. When I walked up he was lying on the ground under the benches of the stadium with his arm over his eyes and the baton still in his hands. One of his parents and another coach were standing over him asking, "How and why did he drop the baton?"
While standing there during the emotional exchanges from his parents, coaches, and a few team mates; he looked up and saw me. By default, I believe, he ran over to me. He looked at me and emotionally stated, "Coach Lynn, I dropped the baton. Can you believe that I dropped the baton?" I replied by asking, “Is that why everyone looks so down and your Dad is upset with you?” He said, yes. I walked past the parents and coaches and over to the other athletes on that relay and stated, I know this is a very intense moment for everyone, but you all still have other individual races to run; don't you? Most of them (while looking down), replied yes. Then I asked them to keep in mind that they were upper class TEAM members who relied on a team mate, who just happened to be a freshman, who just happened to have dropped the baton to take them to glory. I then asked them to use empathy and ask themselves - what if it had been me who dropped the baton?, would I want to be treated and talked to in this way by everyone around me?" One of the seniors on the team immediately went over to the freshman and said,... "Its okay man, let's take care of the rest of the night. Let's do our individual thing!"
Suddenly all the coaches, other parents, and even his parents, saw the magnitude of what they had done to this young man - at this first and defining moment in his life - and everybody started walking over to him and hugging him, patting him on the back, and saying kind things to him. I took him and went to my truck, turned on the air, put in his favorite rap CD, and gave him a Red Bull (his favorite energy drink). I could see him relaxing - and finally he went to sleep. I woke him up when it was time for him to return to the stadium to run. As we walked back, he was again the crazy, cuttin' up kid that just happens to be a young person with extreme athletic talents which placed him in league of his own. A league which allowed others to put their hopes and dreams on his shoulders, and his parents and others to live vicariously through him, without regard to him attempting to perform to the best, of not his abilities, but to the best of others expectations. With that in mind, let's resolve to be the example for our children at all times, but especially during these competitive track and field seasons. Please allow our babies to compete, make friends, lose friends, win and lose in their respective events, and yes.... even drop the baton; knowing that they are resilient enough to recover and move on to the next race.
Let us all allow our children to compete in their own existence. I ask each coach, parent(s), friends, and family members to allow our IMPACTORS to practice, compete, and experience this season without the complexities of adult emotions and vicarious interferences. We must remember that our emotions can directly affect the outcome of our child's next race, jump, or throw. May we allow our children to develop into incredible student-athletes, educators, football stars, college professors, sportscasters, dentists, basketball stars, college stars, doctors, moms, dads, community activists, teachers, etc., and doing so in peace. As we continue to parent our children and they set out to meet their own student-athlete challenges, let's resolve to set our own personal goals (e.g., losing 10-15 pounds, gaining financial freedom, working out during their workouts, or volunteering for IMPACT, etc)
It is said that God expects from those he deems worthy of parenthood - to care for HIS children as HE does. HE has only given them to us for a minute, let's use HIS time wisely. Let's be careful how we respond to them for their actions, wins, loses, etc. ---- especially when we are disappointed and especially during these track and field seasons. Let's be steadfast in our efforts to allow them to compete stress free (believe me - they have enough pressure on them) and let us remember that our reactive dispositions are extremely visible to our children. You all are already the greatest parents I have ever encountered - now let's be great cheerleaders!
March Birthdays
3/3 Dejanelle Secrease

3/10 LaReco Herring
3/12 Alayna Famble
3/13 Camryn Taylor
3/19 Malaika English
3/23 Khalfani Green
3/26 Drew Paschal
3/28 Kimberly Fernandez
3/31 Nate Clarke
Happy belated birthday to Kennedy Taylor on 2/28!!!

WHAT'S YOUR ESPN STATUS?
Get Out there and sell, sell, sell! Let's get those fees paid by selling a minimum of 13 ubscriptions to ESPN Magazine!
Florida A&M Looking for Black Female Students

Please send this information to family, friends and coworkers. Florida A & MUniversity - Scholarship Information Florida A & M University is providingan outstanding opportunity for Blackwomen entering college in the fall of2009. It is designed to address their absence in the field of computertechnology. Dr. Jason Black is the Principal Investigator of a recentlyawarded $552,000 NSF Grant entitled African-American Women in ComputerScience. The grant provides scholarships from $4000 to $10,000 per year forfemale African American students. We need your help to get the word outabout this great opportunity to build back up the enrollment of women in theCIS Department. Pass this information along to high school or communitycollege students, theirparents, and to guidan ce counselors you may know.The full text of thepress release can be foundat:http://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?a=headlines&p=display&news=602&archive. Youcan also contact Dr. Black by email at jblack@cis.famu. edu
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS ARE NOT APPLYING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS:
Even if you do not have a college-aged child at home, please share this with someone who does, and to anyone and everyone that comes to mind. Though there are a number of companies and organizations that have donated money for scholarships to African Americans, a great deal of the money is being returned because of a lack of interest or awareness. No one is going to knock on our doors and ask if we can use a scholarship. Take the initiative to get your children involved. Money shouldn't be returned to donating companies because we fail to apply for it.
1) BELL LABS FELLOWSHIPS FOR UNDER REPRESENTED MINORITIES
http://www.bell-labs.com/fellowships/CRFP/info.html
2) Student Inventors Scholarships
http://www.invent.org/collegiate http://www.invent.org/collegiate/
3) Student Video Scholarships
http://www..christophers.org/ /vidcon2k.html
4) Coca-Cola Two Year College Scholarships
http://www.coca-colascholars.org/programs.html
5) Holocaust Remembrance Scholarships
http://holocaust.hklaw.com/
6) Ayn Rand Essay Scholarships
http:/ /www.aynrand.org/contests/
7) Brand Essay Competition
http://www.instituteforbrandleadership.org/IBLEssayContest-2002Rules.htm
8) Gates Millennlum Scholarships (major) http://www.gmsp.org/nominationmaterials/read.dbm?ID=12
9) Xerox Scholarships for Students http://www2.xerox.com/go/xrx/about_xerox/about_xerox_detail.jsp
10) Sports Scholarships and Internships
http://www.ncaa.org/about/scholarships.html
10) National Assoc. of Black Journalists Scholarships (NABJ)http://www.nabj.org/html/studentsvcs.html
12) Saul T. Wilson Scholarships (Veterinary) http://www.aphis.usda.gov/mb/mrphr/jobs/stw.html
13) Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund
http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org/sk_v6.cfm
14) FinAid: The Smart Students Guide to Financial Aid scholarships)
http://www.finaid.org/
15) Presidential Freedom Scholarships
http://www.nationalservice.org/scholarships/
16) Microsoft Scholarship Program http://www.microsoft.com/college/scholarships/minority.asp
17) WiredScholar Free Scholarship http://www.wiredscholar.com/paying/scholarship_search/pay_scholarship _searc h.jsp
18) Hope Scholarships &Lifetime Credits
http://www.ed.gov/inits/hope/
19) William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship for Minority Students
http://www.apsanet.org/PS/grants/aspen3.cfm
20) Multiple List of Minority Scholarships
http://gehon.ir.miami.edu/financial-assistance/Scholarship/black.html
21) Guaranteed Scholarships
http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com/
22) BOEING scholarships (som e HBCU connects)http://www.boeing.com/companyoffices/educationrelations/scholarships
23) Easley National Scholarship Program
http://www.naas.org/senior.htm
24) Maryland Artists Scholarships
http://www.maef.org/
25) Jacki Tuckfield Memorial Graduate Business Scholarship (for AA students in South Florida )http://www.jackituckfield.org/
26) Historically Black College & University Scholarships http://www.iesabroad.org/info/hbcu.htm
27) Actuarial Scholarships for Minority
http://www.beanactuary.org/minority/scholarships.htm
29) International Students Scholarships &Aid Help
http://www.iefa.org/
30) College Board Scholarship http://cbweb10p.collegeboard.org/fundfinder/html/fundfind01.html
31) Burger King Scholarship Program
http://www.bkscholars.csfa.org/
32) Siemens Westinghouse Competition
http://www.siemens-foundationorg/
33) GE and LuLac Scholarship Funds
http://www.lulac.org/Programs/Scholar.html
34) CollegeNet ' s Scholarship Database
http://mach25.collegenet.com/cgi-bin/M25/index
35) Union Sponsored Scholarships and Aid
http://www.aflcioorg/scholarships/scholar.htm
36) Federal Scholarships &Aid Gateways 25 Scholarship Gateways from Black http://www.blackexcel.org/25scholarships.htm
37) Scholarship &Financial Aid Help
http://www.blackexcel.org/fin-sch.htm
38) Scholarship Links (Ed Finance Group)
http://www.efg.net/link_scholarship.htm
39) FAFSA On The Web (Your Key Aid Form &Info)
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/
Aid &Resources For Re-Entry Students
http://www.back2college.com/
41) Scholarships and Fellowships
http://www.osc.cuny.edu/sep/links.h tml
42) Scholarships for Study in Paralegal Studies http://www.paralegals.org/Choice/2000west.htm
43) HBCU Packard Sit Abroad Scholarships (for study around the world)http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/packard_nomination.html
44) Scholarship and Fellowship Opportunities
http://ccmi.uchicago.edu/schl1.html
45) INROADS internships
http://www..inroads.org/
46) ACT-SO bEURoeOlympics of the Mind 'A
http://www.naacp.org/work/actso/act-so.shtml
47) Black Alliance for Educational Options
htttp://www.baeo.org/options/privatelyfinanced.jsp
48) ScienceNet Scholarship
http://www.sciencenet.emory.edu/undergrad/scholarships.html
49) Graduate Fellowships For Minorities
http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Student/GRFN/list.phtml?category=MINORITIES
50) RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS AT OXFORD
http://www.rhodesscholar.org/ /info.html
51) The Roothbert Scholarship Fund
http://www.roothbertfund.org/schol
MATH TUTOR UPDATE
EFFECTIVE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27TH, IMPACT ATHLETICS WILL UTILIZE OPTIONAL MATH TUTORING SERVICES FOR OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES, AND WILL NO LONGER CONTRACT "CONSOLIDATED TUTORING (MR. ARNOLD HEIDT)," AS OUR SERVICE PROVIDER. HOWEVER, IF YOU WISH TO CONTINUE USING MR. HEIDT, IT WILL BE AT YOUR OWN PERSONAL COST. WE HAVE CHOSEN A NEW MATH AND ENGLISH TUTORING SERVICE FOR IMPACT'S STUDENT-ATHLETES. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE $10.00 CASH GAS CHARGE PAYABLE DIRECTLY TO THE TUTOR ($10.00 CASH - per every 20 mi. - PAYABLE ONLY IF YOU CHOOSE TO HAVE THE TUTOR COME TO YOUR HOME).
AS IN THE PAST, THIS SERVICE IS FREE IMPACT "STUDENT-ATHLETES" ONLY. THESCONTRACTS WITH OUR NEW SERVICE GROUPS WILL BEGIN ON MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2009. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BEGIN SCHEDULING YOUR SESSION ON MARCH 9TH. WE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT OUR NEW TUTORS AND FEEL THE KIDS WILL RESPOND FAVORABLY. PLEASE CONTACT JOYCE FAMBLE AT (404) 431-2171 WITH ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.