NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — People are invited to enjoy a ‘Family Field Day Community Event’ this Saturday from noon until 4p.m. at the Achievable Dream Tennis Center located at 300 Ivy Avenue in Newport News.
Frontline Millionaires University and Before You Do Something (BYDS) organizations are hosting their first event to introduce the community to the resources to the Hampton Roads area.
Mikayla Sayle, executive director of Frontline Millionaires University, grew up on the Peninsula, graduating from Hampton High School and Hampton University.
“I saw a lot of my peers go the wrong way, go the right way, [or] toe both lines,” Sayle said. “One thing I wish I would have had is … a me. I try to be what I know I needed. I try to be relatable to the kids, to let them know I was once in your shoes, but look what came from it. A lot of people just need to see the representation.”
Frontline Millionaires University assists students with goals of opening a business.
“Our motto is always on the frontline that we’re behind first responders. We want our kids,” Sayle said. “We want the community to also be first responders and be the ones leading the way.”
There will be several guest speakers, including Marcus Ward, Director of Before You Do Something, or BYDS.
“Before You Do Something works on effective communication with inner city youth with parent engagement,” Ward said. “We talk to the teens. … We want you to think about what you’re doing before you do something instead of getting arrested.”
Ward turned his life around after serving six years behind bars in 2009.
“I was all-district athlete in basketball,” Ward said. “I got into altercation. It just led to me getting incarcerated. I didn’t think before I did it. I didn’t have nobody there that was saying, ‘The things you doing now is going to lead you down the road to destruction.’ Now I can help the teens to avoid what I went through, which I know I can. I’ve been very successful since I’ve been in the field, and I just love the community and the kids.”
Ward is now a motivational speaker and youth advocate.
“Since I started the foundation, we’ve gone to the detention centers,” Ward said. “We go to court with our clients. We work with the probation officers, schools and inner city youth parents. We’ve got so many different programs that we use to work on effective communication.”
He is hopeful more men will join him and help mentor young men.
“We need men, strong men, to be able to help the youth and don’t mind going into certain neighborhoods,” Ward said. “We love the women. They do a great job, but we need firm men.”