Rec Sports
Charles Sharper Gala spotlights afterschool sports and wellness program
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.
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.”