The Blue Heart Foundation
2006 – I (Tracy Morris) wanted to find a way to give back to the community in some way and at the same time involve his brothers of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity Inc. Out of the blue while on his way to work I passed by the now closed Steve & Barry’s and thought “shoes”, shortly after he and his mentor Leigh Cole thought this would be a great Christmas gift for underserved children and purchased 30 pair of Starbury sneakers.
More than that we wanted to have an impact on these children’s lives and it was decided we would also serve pizza and talk about college and higher education. That day more than 30 children appeared with their foster parents and agents and we knew we were onto something special.
2008 – On the campus of San Diego State University, we incorporated information booths into the Blue and White Christmas that would focus on wide ranging topics from hygiene and health to studying tips and aspiring to higher education. This is where our team of volunteers (Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.) grew significantly and we began to see the growth and potential impact the Blue and White Christmas could and would have on the lives of foster children.
2009 – We continued to grow serving 40 children and receive our first corporate sponsorship from the Xerox Corporation.
2011 – Make it Bigger!!! – Held at the House of Blues with more than 200 people in attendance this is the first year we take the opportunity to recognize people that have had a positive impact in the lives of children in the San Diego community. The Blue and White Christmas has now become an event and while children are treated like royalty; served hors d’oeuvres and appetizers throughout the event . Keynote speaker Chief Mack Jenkins focuses on the importance of mentoring leaving an impact on the importance of mentoring and education in children’s lives. Though not every child was pictured there were more than 60 that walked away with new shoes and inspired know that they too had the potential to “reach for the stars”.
2012 – In front of more than 260 people the Blue and White Christmas becomes an awards breakfast, while not losing site of the seeding into the lives of children and the importance of education. We also see the value of providing an entertaining showcase to go along with our message of hope, we now add music, a collegiate step team along with a variety of impromptu performances to go along with testimonies from past attendees the impact mentors have had on their lives. We now are up to giving 50 shoe gift cards and with more than 100 children in attendance every child received an unwrapped toy/gift and most importantly they left with a smile and hope for the future.
2013– With more than 300 people in attendance we worked to continue to inspiring young people to achieve their potential and “Reach for the Stars” . In 2013 grew larger for the second year in a row we treating the 100 children gift certificates and age appropriate gifts during this celebratory breakfast.
With the Keynote Speaker Trimaine Davis (former SDSU Basketball Player) and award recipients Kea Hagan (San Diego Urban League), Dr. Tanis Starck (San Diego State University), Tyra Hawthorne (Jackie Robinson YMCA Thundersquad) and Patrick Turner (Pat on the Back Foundation) all directly impact children’s lives on a regular basis and were recognized for the outstanding efforts. April Ray was also recognized for the Heartbeat Award for her work behind the scenes and members of Thundersquad were recognized for their academic achievements.
Lastly, we included a festive lineup of entertainment as we are proud to announce the entertainment lineup performing Natasha Dunham performing “What a wonderful world” and special appearances by Miss Kristyl JL Smith, Thundersquad and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity’s – Lambda Iota Chapter step team and strolling by Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc Delta Gamma Chapter… This was a wonderful Christmas event benefiting San Diego’s Foster Youth and underserved youth encouraging them to attend and complete college.
2014 – We are officially launching our mentoring program!
