--- title: SR 147. Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct Center for Youth; recognize collection: bills id: 2025-2026/sr147 cite_as: SR 147, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr147 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr147.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr147/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70085 date: 2025-02-11 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr146.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr148.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 94 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr147.md?full=1 bill_number: SR 147 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: Senate bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-11 last_action: Senate Read and Adopted sponsors: - Jason Esteves - Nan Orrock - Matt Brass - Drew Echols - Michael Rhett - Kenya Wicks - Nabilah Islam Parkes - Tonya Anderson - RaShaun Kemp - Derek Mallow - Sonya Halpern text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SR147/2025 upstream_id: 1964550 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - youth programs - Atlanta community organizations - sports mentoring - legislative recognition --- # SR 147. Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct Center for Youth; recognize ## Text Senate Resolution 147 By: Senators Esteves of the 35th, Orrock of the 36th, Brass of the 6th, Echols of the 49th, Rhett of the 33rd and others A RESOLUTION Recognizing and commending the Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct Center for Youth; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, founded in 2007 by Atlanta native and former Chicago Clubs outfielder C.J. Stewart and his wife, Kelli, the Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct (L.E.A.D) Center for Youth aims to empower Atlanta's Black youth through the methodology of sports-based youth development; and WHEREAS, L.E.A.D. helps participants build sustainable, meaningful lives and break inter-generational cycles of poverty and trauma by using sports to foster leadership, civic engagement, and community service; and WHEREAS, through direct service programming, L.E.A.D. uses baseball for boys and tennis for girls to equip students in Atlanta Public Schools and metro Atlanta with the confidence and skills needed to overcome crime, poverty, and racism; and WHEREAS, L.E.A.D. bridges a critical gap for vulnerable families in inner-city Atlanta by offering high quality sports-based youth development programs that are paid for by the participants' commitment to their grades, attendance, behavior, and community service, thus removing the barrier of monetary cost; and WHEREAS, through exceptional coaching and mentoring, L.E.A.D. youth develop social-emotional learning and executive functioning skills that prepare them for success athletically, academically, socially, and career wise, with 97 percent of participants showing improvement in at least three social-emotional learning capacities by the end of one annual programming cycle; and WHEREAS, in the near future, L.E.A.D. plans to create a $12 million state-of-the-art sports-based youth development complex in the heart of the Bankhead community, which will enable L.E.A.D. to empower more than 1,000 young people annually; and WHEREAS, L.E.A.D's dedication to empowering youth and connecting communities strengthens both Atlanta and Georgia, making it abundantly fitting and proper to recognize the accomplishments of this extraordinary organization. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body recognize and commend the Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct Center for Youth for its valuable contributions on behalf of the youth of this state as well as extend best wishes for its continued growth, development, and success. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct Center for Youth. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia Senate resolution formally recognizes and commends the Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct (L.E.A.D.) Center for Youth for its sports-based youth development work with Atlanta youth. ### Plain-language summary This is a ceremonial resolution passed by the Georgia Senate honoring the L.E.A.D. Center for Youth, an Atlanta nonprofit founded in 2007 that uses baseball for boys and tennis for girls to mentor young people in Atlanta Public Schools and the surrounding metro area. The resolution describes the organization's mission, its methods, and its results, including a claim that 97 percent of participants improve in social-emotional skills within a year, and notes plans for a $12 million youth complex in the Bankhead community. The Senate resolves to recognize and commend the organization for its contributions to Georgia's youth and wishes it continued success. It directs the Secretary of the Senate to send a copy of the resolution to the organization. The resolution does not change any Georgia law, create funding, or impose any requirements; it is a formal statement of praise. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends the L.E.A.D. Center for Youth for its work with Atlanta youth through sports-based mentoring programs. - Directs the Secretary of the Senate to prepare and deliver a copy of the resolution to the organization. - Does not create any new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a symbolic honor with no binding legal effect. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names and honors the Launch, Expose, Advise, Direct Center for Youth, its founders C.J. Stewart and Kelli Stewart, and the Atlanta-area youth and families the organization serves through its sports-based mentoring programs. ### Why it matters The resolution carries no legal or financial effect on Georgians generally. Its practical significance is limited to giving the L.E.A.D. Center for Youth formal public recognition from the Georgia Senate, which can be used to highlight the organization's community work and support its visibility or fundraising efforts. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe L.E.A.D.'s founding in 2007, its mission to empower Atlanta's Black youth, and its use of baseball and tennis programming. - It cites a statistic that 97 percent of participants improve in at least three social-emotional learning capacities within one programming cycle. - It notes L.E.A.D.'s plan to build a $12 million sports-based youth development complex in the Bankhead community to serve over 1,000 youth annually. - The resolving clause commends the organization and wishes it continued growth and success. - A further resolving clause directs the Secretary of the Senate to provide a copy of the resolution to the organization. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-11) - Last action: Senate Read and Adopted (2025-02-11) - Sponsors: Jason Esteves, Nan Orrock, Matt Brass, Drew Echols, Michael Rhett, Kenya Wicks, Nabilah Islam Parkes, Tonya Anderson, RaShaun Kemp, Derek Mallow, Sonya Halpern - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70085 > The history, votes, and amendments (94 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sr147.md?full=1