The Sharper Ball, a fundraiser and gala benefiting The Healthy Youth USA Foundation, will take place Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center.
The ball has historically drawn strong support from local and state elected officials, professional athletes, and members of the Sandy Springs community.
The gala will feature a live band performance by The Tony Tatum Experience, a DJ, a red-carpet reception, and an auction that includes vacation packages, a visit to the High Museum of Art, portrait sessions in Miami, Florida and more.
The Healthy Youth USA Foundation is led by Executive Director Charles Sharper, who launched the organization’s afterschool program in 2005 with a mission to help children lead more active, healthy lives.
The afterschool program currently serves students from Ison Springs, Woodland, and Dunwoody Springs elementary schools. The nonprofit previously included Spalding Drive Elementary School before it closed earlier this year. About 120 students participate each weekday, Sharper said.
Students receive daily snacks, homework assistance, and opportunities for physical activity, including dance, athletics such as dodgeball, and arts and crafts. Last Friday, students staged a performance and fashion show for parents.
The program is housed at the Family Enrichment Center at North Atlanta Church of Christ.
Sharper said affordability has been a guiding principle.
“Our giveback is being the lowest-priced afterschool program,” Sharper said. The cost is $75 per week, with a one-time $50 registration fee per family.
This year’s Sharper Ball will be held at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Dec. 21. (Photo courtesy of The Healthy Youth USA Foundation.)
A former adjunct physical education teacher, Sharper said he started the organization out of a desire to help children become more active after learning that a generation of youth was at risk of serious illness due to sedentary lifestyles.
“I always had a dream of opening an afterschool program or a recreation center,” he said. “Exercise builds confidence.”
Sharper also draws inspiration from his own life experience. He entered foster care as a child with his twin sister and older sister. The three were later adopted by their foster parents when he was 9. Before foster care, he said, he lived in poverty.
“This offers an opportunity to reach kids in a different way,” Sharper said of the youth program. “Everything I’m offering, someone once offered to me. Sports is what I leaned on to get through my own trauma. I understand the value of it. I know kids are going to grow and become better individuals as a result of this program.”
During the summer, students swim and skate weekly, he said, and the program expands to include middle school students. The organization also takes children on field trips during the summer months to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Truist Park and other destinations.
“We’re doing things in a light, fun way,” he said. “So when they get to high school, they already have a lot of skills.”
Healthy Youth USA also offers a contemporary and hip-hop dance program. And in the fall and spring, students can play in an eight-week basketball league, which has games on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Sharper Ball is held every two years and has historically raised about $100,000 per event. This year’s fundraising goal is $75,000. Sharper said economic conditions may be affecting how much supporters are able to give.
While tickets ($150) are sold out, Sharper said that in years past, the event itself served as an opportunity to raise awareness and has resulted in grants from first-time supporters.
Sponsors include Topgolf, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Kaiser Permanente, Zoo Atlanta and Great Wolf Lodge, Sharper said. Harmony Nutrition and Sandy Springs Together, a nonprofit dedicated to affordable housing, are presenting sponsors.
“Healthy Youth USA has been offering affordable, quality afterschool programs for years,” said Melanie Couchman, co-founder of Sandy Springs Together. “Affordable afterschool care goes hand-in-hand with the need for affordable housing and creating family stability. We are very pleased to be supporting this program.”
Dos Pueblos Little League is recruiting middle school and high school baseball players to umpire Little League games this season.
Prior umpiring experience is preferred, but not required. Dos Pueblos Little League has an Umpire Board member who will help with training, but baseball knowledge is a must.
Gear also provided and Little League umpires can earn $40 per game or receive volunteer service hours.
Umpiring Little League is “a great way to build leadership skills and stay involved in the game,” organizers said.
It’s time to vote for the Detroit Free Press Buffalo Wild Wings Boys Prep Athlete of the Week.
This week’s poll features three basketball players who had standout performances during the week of Dec. 14-20.
Voting will close at noon on Friday, Dec. 26.
Here are the nominees (listed in alphabetical order by last name):
Malachi Brand, Warren Woods-Tower
Warren Woods-Tower improved to 4-1 after defeating both Fraser and Warren Mott last week. Brand, the team’s sophomore guard, had 36 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and five steals for the Titans.
Gregory Haskins, Port Huron
Haskins’ 30-point performance led Port Huron to its first win of the season on Tuesday, defeating Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse, 77-68. The senior guard followed his performance with 20 points on Friday in a 58-37 loss to Port Huron Northern.
Kayden Harmon, New Haven
Harmon started his week with a double-double during a 82-26 victory over Clinton Township Clintondale on Tuesday. The 6-foot-7 sophomore guard had 21 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks and three assists in the matchup. New Haven extended its winning streak with a 75-42 victory over Sterling Heights on Friday, in which he finished with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Come back to freep.com/sports/high-schools/ every Tuesday morning to vote for Athlete of the Week.
Miss the deadline to nominate an athlete?
We take nominations through 10 a.m. Monday for the previous week’s games. Nominate for the week of Dec. 21-27 at freep.com/athlete. Note: Don’t use the nomination link to vote. You can vote in the poll above.
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Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work.
Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @EricGuzman90.
Prattville Fire Department’s (PFD’s) Battalion Chief Travis Rodie celebrated his retirement, Dec. 22, 2025, at Stanley Gann Training Center, marking the end of a 26-year career of dedicated service.
Mayor Bill Gillespie presented Rodie with a token, recognizing his selfless leadership and long-standing commitment to the citizens of Prattville.
“Chief Rodie has done so much for our community,” said Gillespie. “One person can’t do everything, but one person can make a difference, and he’s done it from the top down.”
Assistant Chief Ricky Roberts also highlighted Rodie’s commitment to the community, which he said has extended far beyond PFD, including his service in the U.S. Air Force and his time coaching local youth sports.
“You’ll never meet a more dedicated employee than Travis,” said Roberts. “When given a task, whether he liked it or not, he would always get it done. His work ethic is unmatched. He’s championed physical fitness, invested deeply in public education, and consistently advocated for every single member of this department for 26 years.”
In the days leading up to his retirement, Rodie made a point to visit each fire station, offering encouragement and sharing lessons he hoped would stay with his colleagues long after his departure.
“There are three things I try to teach my grandchildren that I will leave you with today,” said Rodie. “All you need to be successful in this world is to be smart, be kind, and be strong.”
Rodie concluded the ceremony by calling his final class of recruits forward for one last tradition: 20 team pushups. As they counted each repetition, the emotion in the room was unmistakable — a fitting tribute to a leader whose impact will be measured not just in years served, but in the people he shaped and the legacy he leaves behind.
Gregory Dean Craig, 62, of Otwell, passed away December 19, 2025, in Huntingburg.
He was born June 11, 1963, to Jerry and Patty (Hayes) Craig in Washington, Ind.
Greg had worked as a land surveyor for Nerco and Phoenix Natural Resources. He spent 18 years with the Pike County Sheriff’s Department and currently works in the parts department at Farbest Foods.
Greg was kind, hardworking, and loved his family fiercely. He told his wife he loved her every single day. He prayed for each member of his family every day while driving to work. He was often quiet but felt things deeply. He especially loved being “Pap” to his grandson, Barin. He delighted in doing things with him and loved it while on vacation when Barin, who loved the beach, wanted to leave it to have a campfire with Pap.
Greg was happiest while fishing or hunting and loved being at “The Last Resort”. Going on a little fishing trip with his dad or his son, Clint, was a special treat. He coached both his children in youth sports and supported everything they did. They knew he always had their back. He also took great pride in keeping his lawn in pristine condition.
Greg was a collector at heart, whether it was fishing lures, plastic worms, or Batman figures for Clint. When Clint was born, he bought a rattletrap lure to start his collection. He owned possibly the most extensive beer memorabilia collection around and was so proud of his “museum”.
Greg is survived by his wife of 38 years, Jody (Booth) Craig; daughter, Allyson Michelle (Jim) Bowers, or “Ally Shell” as Greg called her; son, Clint Matthew (Kelsey Barrett) Craig, or “Slappy” as Greg called him; grandchildren, Barin, Klaire, and Kameryn Bowers; mother, Patty Craig; brother, Brent (Jamie Williams) Craig; uncles, Gordon Craig and Roger Chamness; an aunt, Patsy Gilham; and several cousins.
He is preceded in death by his father, Jerry Craig; grandparents, Marion and Anita Jean Hayes and Luther and Norma Craig; aunt, Debbie Chamness; and his mother in law, Sharon Booth.
Services for Greg will take place at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, December 26, 2025, at Harris Funeral Home in Petersburg, with visitation time from 10 a.m. EDT until service time.
On a cool and sunny Friday afternoon, I finally did what I’d been meaning to do for several weeks.
I drove over to Edgewood Park to have a look at the former Dixie Youth Baseball fields. After several years of being unused, McComb officials recently removed the fencing around each field along with several buildings on the property.
It’s an inglorious ending to a place that introduced thousands of local children to baseball and softball, and drew hundreds of their family members and friends on summer evenings to watch the games.
But now it’s gone. I parked my car and looked out at the property, trying to recall the location of the various fields.
Everything has been removed. The concession stand, the overhead press boxes behind each home plate, the storage buildings, the fences, the dugouts, the bleachers, the cinder blocks. I couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like even the sidewalks were gone.
One overhead light lay on its former field, where the minor league used to play. There were three vehicles on the property, with guys completing the removal work, including a truck and a backhoe.
I don’t blame the city for clearing the property. It had been overgrown for several years until the city board approved the cleanup.
Nor do I blame the McComb Exchange Club for merging its youth baseball operations with Summit several years ago and moving to the Windsor Gay Youth Complex, which has more space than Edgewood Park did. Times change, and decisions have to be made.
In fact, Pike County once had three Dixie Youth Baseball locations, in McComb, Magnolia and Summit.
The Dairy Belt leagues in Magnolia were the first to close, pretty much going the way of all the dairy farms that Southwest Mississippi used to have. And then McComb DYB left Edgewood Park, where it had been since it started in 1958, for Summit.
Mary Ann and I were regulars at youth baseball games from 1994 to 2008, if my math is correct. Though it could be aggravating at times for parents trying to make sure their kids got to where they were supposed to be, the upside to Dixie Youth Baseball far outweighed any hassles.
The baseball fields are gone, but the memories remain. Every family has them, and here are some of my favorites:
• Coaching T-ball was comically fun. I remember one year, a player insisted on sitting down in the base path whenever he was in the field. I would have to go lift him up to move him out of the way.
• John’s junior league team Sonic won the championship in 1997. It was a close race with another team.
This team was a great group of kids, and they had good coaches and especially a fun group of parents. And the Sonic on Delaware Avenue, to their credit, donated a bunch of hamburgers for the team party.
• Thomas struggled at the plate in his first few games of minor league, when players graduated to a live pitcher instead of the junior league machine.
I pulled out my VCR tape of “The Empire Strikes Back” — this was the summer of 2000 — and had him watch Yoda’s tutorials of Luke Skywalker. A Jedi must feel the Force; it surrounds us. Believe in what you can do. And the very next game, he got a hit.
• When Audrey was in the softball leagues, one year I had these comical trash-talking contests with friends whose daughters were on another team. Audrey, it turned out, was a decent player. A sign of her future on the high school volleyball team.
When Audrey, our youngest, finished her last year of Dixie Youth, I was glad to be free of spending two nights or four nights a week at the park. I planned to go back once in a while to see what was going on, but I never did.
This would be the right place to thank all the Exchange Club members and other volunteers who do the hard work of running Dixie Youth. They all are champs.
Looking out at the empty space on Friday, it had to look a lot nicer than it did when the property wasn’t being used and the weeds had taken over. So I’m OK with starting from scratch on what is a pretty large piece of Edgewood Park.
A soccer league has asked to use the property, and I hope they, or some kind of youth sports group, gets it. The place has six decades of history, and that ought to continue.
GLENVIEW, Ill. — On Saturday, Dec. 20, the Chicago “Christapor” Gomideh of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) hosted a special evening at Shahnasarian Hall in the Armenian Community Center in Glenview to celebrate Armenian youth, athletic excellence and the enduring values that guide the Armenian community.
The evening began with a shared dinner, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for fellowship and celebration. The Gomideh expressed its sincere gratitude to all who contributed to the preparation, serving and cleanup, whose efforts ensured a smooth and enjoyable start to the night.
The program formally opened with welcoming remarks by Hagop Soulakian, chairman of the Chicago “Christapor” Gomideh. He welcomed the athletes and members of Homenetmen Chicago and the Chicago Ararat AYF Juniors and Seniors, along with their families, and congratulated both organizations on their recent championship victories.
The Homenetmen Chicago athletes were recognized for winning the 2025 Navasartian Games, followed just one week later by the Chicago Ararat AYF Juniors, who captured the 2025 Junior Olympic Championship. These back-to-back victories were highlighted as a source of pride for the entire community and as evidence of discipline, preparation and teamwork.
Hagop Soulakian, chairman of the Chicago “Christapor” Gomideh
In his remarks, Soulakian emphasized that these achievements extend beyond athletics. “Winning championships does not happen by chance,” he stated. “It begins with ideas, preparation and planning. It requires hard work and sacrifice. But above all, championships are won through unity.”
He then connected these athletic principles to the mission and values of the ARF through the symbolism of its coat of arms. He explained that the pen represents ideas, education and thoughtful preparation; the shovel symbolizes disciplined work and consistent effort; the sword honors sacrifice and courage; and the fist unites all of these elements through collective strength. “Just as in athletics,” he noted, “ideas, hard work and sacrifice only lead to victory when they are bound together as one. That belief — unity through shared purpose — is exactly what the ARF stands for.”
To conclude the program, the ARF invited all Homenetmen athletes and AYF members to the front of the hall, where each was presented with a Zinanishan pin. The pin was offered as both a token of appreciation for their hard work and a reminder of the principles required to succeed not only on the field, but within the Armenian community and in service to the nation.
Khajak Arakelian (right), chair of Homenetmen Chicago, and Aleena Surenian (left), chair of the Chicago Ararat AYF, cut the cake.
The evening continued with a special cake-cutting ceremony led by Khajak Arakelian, chair of Homenetmen Chicago, and Aleena Surenian, chair of the Chicago Ararat AYF, marking the shared celebration between the organizations. Following the ceremony, it was announced that Chicago will host the 2027 AYF Senior Olympics. The announcement was met with enthusiasm and pride, as hosting the Senior Olympics is both a significant responsibility and a meaningful honor for the local community. The opportunity reflects the confidence placed in Chicago’s organizations and volunteers and further underscored the evening’s theme of youth leadership, organizational strength and collective commitment to the future.
Organizers expressed hope that the evening fostered renewed appreciation for all those who helped make the celebration joyful and meaningful, while reinforcing the importance of unity, service and continued investment in youth. As emphasized throughout the night, the young people honored at this event represent more than championship teams; they are future leaders of the Armenian community. As Soulakian reminded those gathered, “Our survival has never been accidental; it has always been the result of resilience, unity, and an unbreakable commitment to our nation.”
