NEW ORLEANS – The Starting Block will host its first graduation ceremony and celebration of the Fielkow-Chase Youth Education Initiative at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24 at Dooky Chase Restaurant.
The Starting Block created this first cohort in late August 2021 with more than 40 high school students primarily from the African American, Latino and Jewish communities.
Last month, the class completed an 18-month educational curriculum designed by the Tulane University Center for Sport to introduce students to the sports industry, with the goal of preparing them for a potential professional career in the field after college.
The Starting Block also highlights African American and Latino history and challenges, as well as Jewish history and tradition. During the summer of 2022, students gained hands-on shadowing experience at sports-related organizations throughout the Greater New Orleans area.
“Our family foundation exists to honor Leah Chase and her lifetime commitment to social equity and positive change,” says Edgar “Dooky” Chase III of the Edgar “Dooky” Jr. and Leah Chase Family Foundation. “By offering students in a majority minority city a program like this, we are leveling the playing field by lowering barriers to positions of influence within the sports industry. This is something Leah would have loved to see.”
“We couldn’t be prouder of each of these individuals,” says Arnie Fielkow, board director of the Starting Block. “A few years ago, this program was just an idea. Now, these children are proving to themselves and their peers that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.”
The Starting Block is operated in partnership with St. Augustine High School, Touro Synagogue, the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, the Anti-Defamation League and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Louisiana.
