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Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty

Today is Blog Action Day 2008.  Last year’s mission was to help the environment, and SportsAgentBlog.com did its small part to notice those in the sports world who have been going green and encourage others to follow suit.  This year’s goal is to make a difference by having over 7,500 bloggers post about poverty.  Those 7,500+ sites have a total readership of over nine million.  I have once again signed up this blog to take part in this effort to promote a good cause.  What can sports agents do to raise awareness about poverty and potentially reduce its footprint?

We can follow the lead of Glenn Toby.  Glenn, himself, had to deal with poverty as a child.  He went from not knowing if he would have a comfortable place to sleep at night to becoming a sports and entertainment executive worth many millions.  He has represented LL Cool J, 50 Cent, and Asante Samuel among many other big name clients.  Still, with all of his success, he gives back to those who need money a lot more than he does.  Toby is doing his part to ensure that young disadvantaged children have more opportunities than he did growing up.

Glenn Toby has gone from homeless to hero.  With all of his great achievements, he takes the most pride in the creation of the Book Bank Foundation.  It was formed in 1997 with the goal of boosting literacy among the nation’s youth.  Its mission is to make a positive impact on the communities in which we live by providing homeless children and their families resources for combating illiteracy.  The emphasis is placed on helping inner-city children who are often poverty stricken.

Dr. Cornel West, a popular professor at Princeton University, has noted, “Poverty is what has created & shaped Glenn Toby.”  Dr. West’s words are very inspiring, but trumped by this quote by Mr. Toby: “Homeless does not mean helpless.”  Do your part and either help Mr. Toby advance his Book Bank Foundation, find another worthy cause that raises awareness and helps out those who are poverty stricken, or start your own initiative.  Blog Action Day is all about doing something.  Even if it means donating a piece of memorabilia from one of your clients so that the money made from its sale goes to help out those who need the money, you would be doing a part in helping out our world.

For information on the Book Bank Foundation:

The Book Bank Foundation Inc.

Phone: (718) 989-2168

Fax: (718) 989-2168

Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.thebookbankfoundation.org

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

4 replies on “Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty”

sounds like a cool foundation.

for my part, i turn to sites like freerice, kiva, and goodsearch, as ways to help alleviate poverty online.

saw this post via the front page of blog action day. it’s great that you’re participating. 🙂

I was one of the 11,000 who wrote poverty blogs yesterday. However, my blog was something I’ve been writing for three years to connect volunteers and donors with non-shcool tutor/mentor programs in Chicago and other cities. In the past year I’ve added one former Northwestern University football player to my staff (http://cabriniblog.blogspot.com) and one former University of Illinois and former NFL quarterback to my leadership.

We’re trying to show how athletes can be exceptional mentors in these programs, and how high profile athletes can draw volunteers and donors to one or many programs in the city where they grew up, where they went to college, or where they play pro ball. Here’s a pdf showing how an athlete might extend what he/she is already doing, to something that becomes strategic. http://www.tutormentorexchange.net/Partner/CC/Presentations/Leaders/Make%20the%20Connection1.pdf

I’d like to see thousands of versions of this, in many formats, on the blogs and web sites of pro athletes and sports teams. This would turn the athletes into coaches, who point resource providers to all of the places in a community where kids need help. If you or others take this role, please share your blog address with us so we can give you recognition in ways that others will follow your lead.

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