The Journey: Finding Strength in the Village

Every young person deserves a place where they are seen, heard, and believed in. At Leader Breeders, that is what mentorship looks like. It shows up not only in sports, but in schoolwork, conversations, and the everyday spaces where growth happens.

​For Destiny Robinson, the journey began when she realized this community was not built to judge her, but to hold her. “My mentor helped me through things with my father and grandmother,” she said.

​“When my parents couldn’t be there, she was.” Coach Tiny became that steady figure who showed up, offering rides, workouts, or just a place to talk. “Even if I came in with a bad mood,” Destiny said, “I’d leave with a good one. She didn’t judge me by my past, only by who I was becoming.”

Through that support, Destiny found her confidence, not only to participate but to lead. “Now I’m part of the media team at school, and I even mentor someone else,” she said proudly. “My mentee’s like my little sister. My mentor showed me someone could be there for me, so now I can be there for somebody else.”

That same sense of belonging is what Makya Vaughn values most. “Leader Breeders taught me how to be myself and how to balance everything, school, life, goals,” he shared. “It’s helped me grow as a person.”

Coach Laura, who helps guide the mentorship program, says that growth is the point. “We start by building relationships,” she explained. “From there, it’s about exposure to new environments, careers, and ways of thinking. Baltimore’s kids deserve to know there’s a world waiting for them, and people ready to walk with them toward it.”

Every story, like Destiny’s and Makya’s, reminds us that change does not start with a lesson plan or a scoreboard. It starts with presence, with someone saying, I’m here.

When you support Leader Breeders, you are helping young people find that presence and helping a village grow stronger with every story of belief, resilience, and becoming.

​Join the Power. Fuel the Next 5.