GC-360 Leadership & Player Development Summit 2024

Game Changers hosted a successful annual “GC-360 Leadership Summit” at Youngstown State University’s DeBartolo Stadium Club on Saturday, May 18, 2024. The event, held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., brought together high school athletes for a day of immersive learning and skill-building.

Throughout the day, participants engaged in a series of seminars, open dialogues, and breakout sessions focused on essential hard and soft skills. Topics included financial literacy, social and emotional intelligence, recruiting and academic standards, health and wellness, social media etiquette, college and employer interview techniques, and police relations.

High school athletes were encouraged to step out of their usual environments to explore what it means to be responsible students, regardless of their future athletic aspirations. The summit’s atmosphere was dynamic and supportive, fostering a sense of community and growth among attendees.

One of the event’s highlights was the concluding mock combine, where athletes recorded their 40-yard dash times, vertical jumps, and 3-cone drill times. This hands-on experience added an exciting and competitive element to the day’s activities.

Game Changers’ initiative successfully combined education and athletic development, leaving a lasting impact on the young athletes who attended. The event was a testament to the organization’s commitment to holistic youth development, providing invaluable skills and knowledge to the next generation of leaders.

With limited spots available, the summit drew significant interest, emphasizing the importance and demand for such comprehensive educational programs. Attendees and organizers alike hailed the event as a major success, setting a high standard for future summits.

For the store on WFMJ, visit https://www.wfmj.com/clip/15470493/game-changers-leadership-summit-at-ysu

 

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Giving Back on Thanksgiving

SERVICE LEADERSHIP!! Super grateful that student leaders from YSU, LaBrae, Niles, and Warren G. Harding High School helped to serve just over 2,010 meals to nursing homes, churches, and those challenged with food insecurity during this holiday season!
Thanks to the @warrenfamilymission for allowing Game Changers the opportunity to continue our relationship of giving back, and meet some new friends along the way.
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2024 Mentorship Camp

Game Changers hosted its first Mentorship Camp at the Niles Wellness Center on MLK day, January 15th.
The day encompassed about 70 students including 6-8th graders throughout Mahoning Valley—high school students from John F. Kennedy High School and Warren G. Harding High School, and last but not least college athletes from Youngstown State University—For The Culture Club. It was a Great Day!!
Students of all grades were able to have conversations and connect with their older peers about: Personal Hygiene, Anti-Bullying, Community Service, and Mental Fitness just to name a few topics!! Exposing our young people to images of success was one of the goals of the day! Special Thanks to 21St Century’s Leadership Jill Merolla and Kevin Stringer for helping to make this happen for our middle schoolers!! Thanks Satese Komora and Jaysen T. Spencer for rallying the volunteers!
Thanks again to Huntington National Bank, Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Foundation, and funded in part by The Raymond John Wean Foundation, Residential Engagement Grant.
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Christmas Work 2023

The Warren Family Mission with the help of Game Changers and other groups, sponsored by Toys For Tots, gave gifts to more than 900 children at its gift giving event Friday, according to Mission Executive Director Cait White.

She said each child was able to receive four gifts and five stocking stuffers. 

“We gave away brand new bikes, gift cards for teens, Barbies, action figures, we had all different types,” White said. 

All the children that received gifts were preregistered by the parents.

“The parents came in and shopped,” she said.

“The parents came in and the gifts weren’t wrapped so they could see the items.”

She said some of the gifts were donated, but others were bought with monetary donations that were designated for the gifts.

White also said whatever gifts are left over will be wrapped and given to all the children who attend the annual Christmas dinner, which is Dec. 22.



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2023 Hometown Holidays

Game Changers made a delightful contribution to the third annual Hometown Holidays Celebration in Downtown Warren. Operating out of the Brite building on West Market St., they hosted their popular cookie table for kids. Young children eagerly decorated their own sugar cookies, guided by enthusiastic high school volunteers from Warren JFK High School. The event brought festive joy and community spirit to all who attended.

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Game Changers paints new landscape for future

On a rainy and gloomy Saturday, a strong turnout of children and adults filtered into a makeshift art studio inside the Eastwood Mall to mix creativity with raising money for a good cause.

The two groups — kids in the morning and adults in the evening — gathered for a paint party and a sip & paint, respectively, hosted by Game Changers, a leadership and peer counseling program for high school student athletes. 

The event highlighted the importance of nurturing artistic expression in young minds and fostering a love for creativity while raising funds for the Phil Annarella Legacy Scholarship and Game Changers Workforce Readiness Program. 

Profits from the $30 (children) and $45 (adult) ticket sales, along with basket raffle tickets that attendees and mall shoppers could purchase also will support the group’s mission. Approximately 20 local businesses donated food and items for the auction. 

As the young artists channeled their inner Bob Ross on their canvases, the room transformed into a gallery of mini masterpieces. The children were offered step-by-step instructions on how to paint a landscape based on an example being presented by artist Sonya Davenport.

While they painted, kids were able to sip on juice as their creativity spilled out. 

Stacie Johns, 48, of Warren, brought her 8-year-old son, Alexander, to the event. She said she appreciated that the event was on a weekend because it gave her and other parents the chance to have fun with their children. 

Her son was given an invitation because of his excellent school attendance record. 

Game Changers partnered with Warren city schools to give out 48 tickets — 24 for students and 24 for parents — to allow them to celebrate their children’s perfect attendance.

“Part of the challenge is when kids start missing school, then they start missing learning and then that becomes a habit,” Game Changers founder and CEO Michael Engram said. “So we want to make sure that we reinforce them — showing up, going to school, getting their grades — so that they can be gainfully employed or ready for that next step of college.”

Engram said about 200 parents and students attended the early painting session. They were able to raise a few thousand dollars for the workforce readiness program and scholarship. 

“Art is important to make people feel well-rounded even if you’re not good at it. It’s something that’s very relaxing,” Stacie Johns said. 

Alexander agreed. 

“You can expand your creativity to another level and paint any ideas that you want to,” Alexander said.

The Willard PK-8 student went off the beaten path, adding his own touch of birds to his painting.

At another table, 13-year-old Gabby Parker was with her mother, Share’ll Crenshaw. Gabby also was there as a reward for being in good standing with her attendance. Her mother said Gabby is always up and ready for school — only needing dragged out of bed on the weekends. 

“She was the only one from her eighth-grade class that was invited for perfect attendance,” Crenshaw said. “I’m very proud of her. She just got selected for an advanced math program that will be competing at Youngstown State University.”

As the sun set, the venue transformed as the apple juice was spiked with a little something extra for the adults seeking a break from their daily routines. 

The event raised money for the scholarship program through a basket auction with gifts donated by businesses from around the Trumbull County area. 

Engram recently launched a workforce readiness program targeting graduating seniors. The program also benefited from the night’s proceeds. 

“It was a way to kind of cast a wider net … outside of sports. We want to make sure that whether they’re atheltes or not, that they’re gainfully employed or taking steps in that direction of college, military, something where they don’t fall in the gaps,” Engram said.

The pilot program will partner with Warren G. Harding High School, working with approximately 260 graduating seniors, and will expand to students of John F. Kennedy.

Students will particpate in targeted workshop sessions to teach them workforce and professional development at the high school level.

One workshop Engram described will be focused on helping students figure out who they are before worrying about where they see themselves in the workforce. 

Teaching financial literacy also will be a focal point as he looks to bring local banks into the fold to teach children how to handle their finances. 

“We’ll have around 35 or 40 personal bankers walking them through these topics and now we’re talking about a 10-to-1 or 15-to-1 ratio instead of one person with a microphone. We want to make these enganging so that they resonate with the students,” Engram said. 

Engram said the workshops will be conducted once every nine weeks.



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Golf outing set to honor local legend

Phil Annarella legacy scholarship outing set for July 1 at Pine Lakes

 

The “Phil Annarella Legacy Scholarship” golf outing, presented by Game Changers, is set for July 1 at Pine Lakes Golf Course in Hubbard. 

 

The golf package includes an 18-hole golf scramble, cart rental, lunch provided by Chick-fil-A, and dinner by Outback Steakhouse with a choice of beverages as the organization awards up to six, $1,000 scholarships with monies raised.

Scholarships are awarded to individuals who, despite wins or adversities, exemplify character, great work ethic and a determination to never throw in the towel for the people and goals of which they are most passionate. 

Various hole contests including longest drive and closest to the pin, among others, as well as skins are included in the package with first prize ($500), second prize ($250) and third prize ($100) awarded to the top three finishers.

On September 6, 2019, Game Changers renamed its annual scholarship in memory of Annarella for his dedication to student-athletes across the United States.

On a more personal note, the golf outing was renamed in honor of the longtime football coach’s years of support and mentorship to its founder and executive coach, Michael Engram, and the inception of the Game Changers organization until his passing on June 4, 2019.

“Phil and I met in 1975 at The Rayen School when I was hired as athletic director and baseball coach, and Phil as the Tigers’ head football coach,” longtime friend and scholarship committee member Thomas ‘Tim’ Kempe said. “We began our teaching and coaching careers together and became best of friends.

“The fundraising committee is made up of family, friends, former players and coaches. We all share a common bond and want to create this scholarship to recognize the impact he made on student-athletes. He cared so much about his players and coaches and gave his heart and soul to coaching them. Various people become a part of your life and Phil’s friendship will forever be a part of mine. He gave so much of himself to coaching while stressing character, discipline, citizenship, and responsibility-accountability, traits he stressed throughout his own life.”

Annarella is considered one of the best scholastic football coaches to roam the Mahoning Valley sidelines.

A 1966 graduate of Union High School and 1970 graduate of West Virginia University, he began a well-documented teaching-coaching career that began in 1970 when he served as assistant football coach at East Jr. High in East Liverpool.

From 1971-72 he was head coach at Westgate Junior High, also in East Liverpool, moving over to the high school ranks where he served as an assistant on the Potters’ gridiron staff from 1973-76.

He accepted his first head coaching position at The Rayen School in Youngstown, leading the Tigers to an 11-8-1 overall mark (1976-77) during his two seasons at the helm.

After working his magic with the Tigers, he became the defensive coordinator at Western Reserve High School (1978-81), becoming their head coach in 1981.

From 1981-89 he guided the Raiders to a 59-30-2 overall mark and in 1990, was selected as head coach of the newly consolidated Warren G. Harding Raiders.

It did not take long for the two schools to come together and play as one under Annarella’s tutelage as they won the 1990 Division I state title, also producing a No. 5 overall national ranking from USA Today.

He remained with the Raiders through the 1996 campaign and led WGH to a 51-23 overall mark during his tenure.

In 1998 he became the head coach of Hickory H.S. in nearby Hermitage, PA – he was 20-20 overall – and in 2002, returned to his Ohio-coaching roots when he took over the reins at tradition-rich Niles McKinley H.S.

In his final season at the helm (2006), he led the Red Dragons to a 9-1 overall mark and the state playoffs.

In 2007 he accepted yet another reclamation project, this time summoned to rebuild the once-proud Austintown Fitch H.S. football program where he led the Falcons to an 83-46 overall mark with six playoff appearances. Overall, he spent 35 years in the classroom and 48 years as a coach, posting a 246-146-3 (.624) overall ledger.

During his storied coaching career, he led four different Ohio teams to the playoffs, was the Ohio “Coach of the Year” in 1990 and the Trumbull County “Coach of the Year” on 10 separate occasions.

He was also named Northeast Ohio “Coach of the Year” three times, earned Metro Conference “Coach of the Year” honors in 2006 and walked off with Federal League “Coach of the Year” laurels in 2010.

In 1990, his state championship season, he earned National Football Foundation “Coach of the Year”plaudits while in 2011, was honored with the prestigious Ohio High School Football Association’s S.E.I. (Sportsmanship, Ethics and Integrity) Award.

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2022 Hometown Holidays

Game Changers had a  cookie decorating in the lobby of BRITE Energy Innovators, which also hosted vendors from the Youngstown Flea. Children came in and decorated their own cookies with frosting and different toppings, alongside volunteers from local high schools. Hundreds of cookies were given out to children throughout the night, with festive music and great vibes. 

For the whole story, visit https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2022/12/city-celebrates-with-hometown-holidays/

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2021 GC Sip & Paint

Michael Engram hopes a family-friendly art funfest will raise enough proceeds to fund a scholarship in a longtime area coach’s name, but, more importantly, that many young people will fill their lives with valuable, positive lessons — one brushstroke at a time.

“My focus is on students being well-rounded. We operate on four core values: academics, community service, leadership and mentorship,” Engram said, referring to the philosophy that drives Game Changers, a leadership training and mentoring organization he coaches that is geared toward high school athletes.

The 8-year-old nonprofit organization also hosted Saturday’s second annual Fall Sip & Paint event at Eastwood Field, the first session of which gave young people an opportunity to express their artistic acumen.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward establishing the Phil Annarella “Don’t Quit” Scholarship, named after the late longtime head high school football coach who died in June 2019 at age 70. In 1990, Annarella, who most recently was Austintown Fitch High School’s head coach, led the 14-0 Warren Harding team to a Division I state title.

For Engram, however, Annarella’s legacy lies more in his accomplishments off the field than on. “He was my mentor, and I wanted to do something to honor him. He always cared more about the student than the athlete,” Engram said, referring to Annarella’s main priority and focus being on students’ academic success.

 

Annarella also highlighted the fact that sports programs teach character values, and it’s in that spirit that Game Changers operates — regardless of one’s athletic abilities, Engram said. He added that funds from sip and paint event also will be used for youth programming and to take two area high school athletes to the 2022 Espy Awards next summer in Los Angeles.

A primary goal was to raise about $50,000, Engram noted.

He also expressed thanks and gratitude to the Cafaro Company and 11 area restaurants for assisting with the effort.

Conducting the first of two autumn-themed Sip & Paint a 40-year artist who attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and of Houston before graduating from the Art Institute of Atlanta.

“I teach them to cover the whole picture and get them to visually see what they’re painting,” said Davenport, whose interest in art bloomed in second grade.

Davenport gave a series of art demonstrations during the event in which the young people painted on artboards from stencils of owls and the adults painted sunflowers.

Her artistic prowess also has crossed into the writing field with her children’s book, titled “Jaxon Swag in Color with God,” coming out in November, which combines religion and the importance of color, she explained.

Color was the main theme flowing through Jocelyn Davenport’s painting of an owl, in which she used bright orange to surround the white formation of the bird’s features.

“I like painting in my free time. It calms me down,” said Jocelyn, 12, of Warren, who is Sonya Davenport’s niece.

Jocelyn, who attends McGuffey Pre-K-8 School and is on the track and cheerleading teams, added she hopes to become a traveling nurse or pursue a career in sports medicine.

“She enjoys painting. She was excited to come out today and paint,” Dante Capers of Warren said about his daughter, Elizabeth, 4, whom he guided as she added colorful splashes to her owl painting.

“For me, it was a good opportunity to spend time with my daughter and support a really good cause.”

For Tim Raimey of Champion and his wife, Tammy, the Sip & Paint gathering was a chance to assist Engram in his efforts to steer young people in positive directions, they said.

The event also included a second session for adults.



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GC-360 Summit focusing on more than sports

Game Changers Summit

WARREN — As Michael Engram attempted to put together the fifth annual GameChangers GC-360 Summit, he was faced with plenty of challenges.

With the pandemic ruining any chance of bringing dozens of student-athletes together, as the event has done each year, Engram realized this year’s seminar would be drastically different than others.

He also realized it might be the most important.

“This, of course, is a year unlike none other,” said Engram, the founder of GameChangers. “With COVID, we don’t have sports as much. In the absence of sports, you get to peel back some of the layers — like what else is going on with this person’s life? What are they doing outside of basketball, football and things of that nature? I believe that’s when things like what we’re doing now really shines through.”

The GC-360 Summit, which is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., was created by Engram to help high school student-athletes prepare for the next level — of life more so than sports.

The 1996 Warren G. Harding graduate wants young men and women to understand the different obstacles they could be facing — on and off the field. The conference discusses how to balance finances, use social-media etiquette, maintain health and wellness, present proper job interview techniques and learn business strategies, among other topics.

And it’s not just Engram sharing this wisdom. A former football player at Harding, Engram brings in pro and college athletes along with executives and professionals in all different fields to cover an array of subjects. This year, Chicago Bears offensive lineman and Harding grad James Daniels will speak along with former MLB draft pick Austin Byler, WNBA player Tyasha Harris and track and field star Brittany Brown, who placed second in the 2019 world championships in the 200-meter race. Those are just a few.

“I’m super glad of the diversity we have, all across the board if you look at the panel, in respects to different sports,” Engram said. “Last year we had (NFL players) Derek Rivers and Darrin Hall, and it was kind of just football. This year, we were able to connect with someone from the WNBA as well as the NFL, track and major league baseball. That’s what I love because it allows us to really go out there in the field (of different sports).”

The pro athletes will be one of three panels presented.

There’s a business panel with speakers from different job fields — a pilot, an assistant athletic director, a branch manager at a mortgage company and a vice president of a major advertising and public relations company.

The final group will be made up of college athletes, including a few from the Mahoning Valley. Dayshanette Harris, a former Ursuline High School star basketball player now competing at Pitt, will speak along with football player Keevon Harris (LaBrae High School and now at Ohio University), track and field runner Aisha Jackson (Warren G. Harding and now Central Michigan) and Kaleb Romero, a four-time state wrestling champion at Mechanicsburg High School who now competes at Ohio State.

They will discuss much more than sports, Engram said, but athletics will play a role, just as they did in teaching many of the panelists some of important attributes that carried them to their current status.

“If you look at even some of the professional athletes that have gone on and used their platforms, especially now with social justice and voting and so many other things, that’s made from the sport,” Engram said. “That’s character. That goes to your DNA of who you are. So, my hope is that before any of our high schoolers ascend to adulthood, or playing sports at the collegiate level or the professional level, that they make sure that their core is right. Your core is where it matters.”

Because of the pandemic, the athletes will be speaking virtually through YouTube. Students will be able to ask questions live to participate and interact with the panelists. Those interested can find out more information by visiting GameChangers’ Instagram page: GCthenewathlete.

The interactive medium was the only way Engram could hold this year’s event, one that means a lot to him. He said former Harding football coach Phil Annarella, who passed away suddenly last year while holding the same position at Austintown Fitch High School, is a big reason for his passion toward this event and guiding today’s youth.

He hopes he can make a similar impact as Annarella.

“To me, I believe that it’s incumbent upon our generation, the 30-to-40-year-olds, to really continue the legacy of a lot of good core values that we were taught growing up — that hard work, that discipline,” he said. “For me, I was very fortunate enough to have a great mentor in coach Annarella before he passed. I’m not everywhere, but I can definitely say that there’s not a lot of men like that. For me to make sure that I can echo some of those same sentiments as far as the hard work, discipline, character — that’s what I want to make sure that we’re continuing to push.”

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