Letter from the Founder
From the winter of 2003 through the fall of 2006, Kyle Burnat - a pitcher for Yale University from Atlanta, Jimmy Prior - a basketball player from Chicago, Davy Ferguson a wrestler who attended the University of Florida, and Andy Gathers - an avid sports fan from Cleveland, lost their lives too soon, all passed away before the age of 23. They will all be remembered for their love of life, hard work, high character, and the important role sports played in their lives. It is the memory of these former teammates and forever friends that inspired the idea of the Triple Play Foundation (TPF). These tragedies left me reflecting on life, pondering its meaning, and searching for answers to many questions. Why is life unfair? Why isn't there anything to do about it? How can it be fixed? Since December 2006, TPF stopped me asking the questions of why and started me answering the question of how.
TPF is committed to making progress in society using sports as a tool to promote education, health and community service to at-risk youth. Guided by our core values - hard work, respect, integrity, and collective responsibility - TPF is proud to be entering our fourth year of existence. Thanks to supportors like you, last year was our most successful year yet - raising more money, giving out more grants, and directly serving more community members with our programs than ever before! These funds, grants and programs benefited at-risk youth in the East Atlanta, Fulton County and Athens-Clarke County communities.
Jackie Robinson once said "I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it--and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist." TPF echoes those inspiring sentiments and fights everyday to continue to improve society. TPF knows that it can continue to expand its impact with the help of our tremendous community partners, volunteers, donors, and supporters. It very rare that a person gets to see their dream come to life - thank you for helping me start to see mine in this lifetime.
B.R. Gamsey
Founder/Executive Director