by April | Team Building
đź’™ Introduction
Ahhh, suki-suki now! You should’ve seen our Kings today—on beat, on point, and on purpose. This wasn’t just another step practice. It was a moment. A moment where precision met passion. Where sound met soul. And where legacy met the next generation of leadership.
At The Blue Heart Foundation, step isn’t just about rhythm. It’s about building Kings—confident, disciplined, and culturally grounded young Black men ready to lead. And with Signing Day 2025 around the corner, our Kings aren’t just preparing for the stage—they’re preparing for life.
So, what makes step such a powerful part of our mentorship program? Why are our young men so fired up to hit the floor with that next-level energy? Let’s dive in.
🧠More Than Movement—It’s Mindset
Step is tradition, discipline, and transformation. Born out of the rich legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), it’s a living art form that blends rhythm, storytelling, and unity into a force of cultural expression.
But for our young men, it’s deeper than performance. It’s mindset training.
At every step practice, our Kings are learning:
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Discipline: Showing up early, executing with precision, and respecting the process.
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Trust: Relying on their brothers to hold the beat and bring the energy.
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Confidence: Taking up space unapologetically, knowing they belong there.
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Leadership: Holding themselves accountable while lifting others along the way.
“This is what we mean when we say we’re building Kings.”
And when they move as one? It’s nothing short of electric.
⚡ Step Practice Highlights: Presence, Power, and Purpose
From the moment practice started, the energy shifted. Our new Step Master didn’t introduce himself with words—he let the rhythm speak. One clap brought silence. One stomp brought fire. And when the team hit the beat in unison? The floor shook with purpose.
There were laughs. There were “run it backs.” There were mistakes turned into moments of growth. And there were goosebump performances that made the room pause in awe.
“They’re not just practicing—they’re preparing to dominate,” whispered one of our youth coaches.
Signing Day is coming. And yes—they’re getting battle ready.
🎤 Why Step Matters in Youth Mentorship
Step embodies everything we believe in at The Blue Heart Foundation. It’s not just an art—it’s an experience that shapes minds, spirits, and futures.
Step teaches what the classroom can’t:
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How to lead from the front and support from the back
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How to transform nervousness into confidence
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How to honor your heritage while creating your legacy
That’s why so many of our alumni name it as one of the most powerful parts of their journey.
“My favorite experience has been the step practices because I have been able to see how my brothers’ bonds feed off of each other’s energy and break out of my shell and bond with them.”
— Edward Shenault, Blue Heart Alumnus, Morehouse Graduate 2023
đź“… The Countdown to Signing Day 2025 Begins
Mark your calendars: Saturday, May 31, 2025.
Signing Day is not just a graduation celebration. It’s a powerful rite of passage. It’s where our young men step forward—literally and figuratively—to claim their futures.
Whether it’s college, career, or vocational training, each King stands tall, declares his path, and shows the world who he’s become.
And yes, the step team will be there, commanding the stage with a performance that speaks to the journey they’ve walked together. Today’s practice gave us a glimpse—and trust us, you’re going to want a front-row seat.
🎟 Bring the tissues. Bring the energy. Bring the love.
đź”— How You Can Support the Movement
Want to back these bold, brilliant young men as they rise?
Here’s how you can step in:
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👏🏾 Attend Signing Day: Be in the room. Witness the transformation.
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📲 Follow us on Facebook: @blueheartinc for practice clips, team shou-touts, and behind-the-scenes moments.
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đź’¸ Donate to the Step Program: Help us fund uniforms, travel, coaching, and year-round mentorship.
Every clap, stomp, and shout is powered by your support.
✨ Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, a step team performance is about so much more than synchronized movement—it’s about shaping strong, emotionally healthy, culturally grounded leaders. And at The Blue Heart Foundation, that’s exactly what we do.
This isn’t just step.
This is purpose in motion.
And these Kings?
They’re ready to lead.
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At The Blue Heart Foundation, we believe in empowering African American boys by equipping them with more than just academic knowledge. Our mission is to nurture a strong, positive mindset, instill the value of higher education, and introduce the transformative wisdom of metaphysical principles. We are committed to helping these young leaders develop the confidence, critical thinking skills, and spiritual grounding they need to overcome obstacles, excel academically, and lead with purpose.
Email
support@theblueheartfoundation.org
Location
San Diego CA 92154
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by April | Team Building
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Blue Heart Foundation and Outdoor Outreach had the opportunity to spend the morning helping restore native habitats at the San Diego National Bay Refuge. The two organizations continue an established partnership that provides new opportunities for urban youth to experience the natural world and promote interest in conservation and the biological sciences. “Many Americans find it difficult to experience nature in an increasingly urban America. This has profound implications for the health and well-being of our citizens and the future of our nation,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe
Working as a collaborate team each organization laid mulch to prevent weeds, removed invasive species and watered native plants. Native vegetation at the Jonathan Sellers and Charlie Keever Outdoor Educational Activity Center was planted by school children from Imperial Beach. “The partnership with Blue Heart and Outdoor Outreach allows us to provide opportunities for these young African American men to learn about protected lands in San Diego and to enjoy the natural beauty surrounding them.” – Chantel Jimenez US Fish and Wildlife Service
It was an honor to restore and beautify the Memorial that honors the lives of two friends whose lives were taken to soon. Jonathan Sellers- and Charlie Keever will be remembered forever and remind us that a child’s life is precious. Joe McLeod COO of Outdoor Outreach would later say “The Blue Heart Foundation youth embraced our motto of Play, Learn, Serve and Share today. Together we had a great day of service learning at the USFWS South Bay Wildlife Refuge. Thank you everyone for your strong character, determination and positives attitudes!!”
The group then made their way to Coronado Tidelands Park and everyone took to the opportunity to hit the water for an afternoon of team building. Paddle boarding on the bay and group kayaking provide high quality team building. The ability to develop methods of communication and problem solving is highly valued in today’s competitive work environment. Keeping team members focused on the learning process and encouraging team development are crucial components of any successful organization.
by April | Community, Mentoring, Team Building
August 18th, 2016 – Ending our summer with a Padres win was perfect!!! Attending our final Padres Game of the Summer against the Arizona Diamondbacks which was a huge success as we won 9-8. Once again partnering with the San Diego Padres Charity Ticket Program. Identified as a charity group to partner with the Padres we were sure to take full advantage and had 100% participation. We were featured multiple times during the game with live shots on FriarVision by sharing our pics on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #SDinHD.
Corwin Harris (HEART Parent) stated ” It’s great to see that the padres are giving back to community by providing tickets for programs like this! We had a great time watching the Padres with the group. Olijah exclaimed “It was a great experience, I never thought that would happen that I’d see us on the big screen… but when we did .. WOW!”
We partnered with the San Diego Padres Major League Baseball’s “Commissioner’s Community Initiative” and MLB Player’s Association “Players Give Back” to donate complimentary tickets to deserving non-profit organizations who serve children within the Padres focus of LIVE (children’s health), LEARN (education) PLAY (recreation), and SERVE (military and first responders).
Though the Padres lost to the San Francisco Giants, it did not diminish the excitement of the group, all had a fabulous time staying until the last out was recorded. We look forward to our next trip to Petco Park and have to thank Christina Papasedero and the community relations and Padres Foundation for the opportunity. Shani McGowan (Parent) framed the event perfectly when he said “All the kids had a great time last night, they just wish the Padres had gotten more hits… This was the first baseball game for many of them and I’d like to thank the Padres for the opportunity.”
by April | Education, Team Building
Saturday morning after a long week of activism and service the leadership of Blue Heart had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Man for a private tour of the exhibit “Race: Are We So Different?” Â
THE EXHIBIT asks the questions:
Is race the color of your skin? Is it the texture of your hair? The shape of your eyes? Is it in your genes?
Is race even real?
Race: Are We So Different? explains in clear, helpful language the origins of race and racism, and helps us understand how to deal with them in productive, enlightening ways.
Most of what we think about race is based on myth, folklore, or assumptions unsupported by genetics or biology. No one is free of misunderstandings about race, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Visit the museum of man for an eye-opening look at human nature and biology. You’ll leave transformed.
The Museum of Man is a place where dialogue, learning, and exchange forge understanding and personal connections. That’s why — after an initial temporary exhibition — “Race” was permanently installed this award-winning exhibit created by the American Anthropological Society and the Science Museum of Minnesota.
Race is a wonderful platform to engage schools and teachers, the general public, and other groups, in feeling, thinking, acting, and reflecting on race and identity, and to raise awareness, build community, and positively impact the ways in which we treat each other.
Afterwards we sat down to discuss the issues of race and found that so many eyes were opened to both historical and current facts that help piece together and shape today’s world. Jeremiah Daughtry pointed out that “It wasn’t until the Bacon Rebellion that people started seeing each other as races… Rich white people turned everyone against each other.”
by April | Mentoring, Team Building
Hey!! Its Taco Tuesday with the Padres against the Baltimore Orioles though we couldn’t pull out the win; the event was a huge success as we partnered with the San Diego Padres Charity Ticket Program. Identified as a charity group to partner with the Padres we were sure to take full advantage and had 100% participation. Some of our guys were featured twice during the game with live shots on FriarVision.. Xavier (HEART Member) stated ” I had a great time watching the Padres with the group; it was even cooler when we were on the big screen!!! and when asked his thoughts about being on Friarvision; Xavier exclaimed “That was a great experience, I never thought that would happen to me!” all while smiling ear to ear.
We partnered with the San Diego Padres Major League Baseball’s “Commissioner’s Community Initiative” and MLB Player’s Association “Players Give Back” to donate complimentary tickets to deserving non-profit organizations who serve children within the Padres focus of LIVE (children’s health), LEARN (education) PLAY (recreation), and SERVE (military and first responders).
Though the Padres lost to the Orioles, it did not diminish the excitement of the group, all had a fabulous time staying until the last out was recorded. We look forward to our next trip to Petco Park and have to thank  the community relations dept and Padres Foundation for the opportunity. Shani McGowan (Parent) framed the event perfectly when he said “All the kids had a great time last night, they just wish the Padres had gotten more hits… This was the first baseball game for many of them and I’d like to thank the Padres for the opportunity.”
by April | Community, Team Building
The Blue Heart Foundation in partnership with the  Old Globe Theater provided a night out for the youth and families from the HEART mentoring program. HEART (Higher Education And Rising Together) is a locally based mentoring program that is focused on the empowerment and education of under-served youth. Our program is based on nine (9) core competencies which fall under three categories: 1) Abilities, 2) Applications, and 3) Character.  One piece of our program is to expose youth to events they may not normally have the opportunity to see and in the instance we viewed “Camp David,”
What would happen if you placed a born-again Christian, a pious Muslim and an orthodox Jew behind closed doors for thirteen days to try to find peace for their nations? This is the question Gerald Rafshoon, former President Jimmy Carter’s media advisor, posed to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright. The resulting theatrical piece, “Camp David,” directed by Molly Smith and now playing at the Old Globe is a fascinating and illuminating depiction of an unparalleled moment in history, the forging of the 1978 Camp David Accords, a diplomatic triumph, which, though imperfect and incomplete, has preserved peace–at least the non-presence of war–between Egypt and Israel during the ensuing three decades. Beyond the considerable historical impact and value of the play, which is enjoying its West Coast premiere, it is an immensely absorbing and personal portrait of three political figures, each driven by his own sense of humanity and higher purpose in an effort to achieve a lasting peace.
We believe culturally enriching field trips matter. They produce significant benefits for students on a variety of educational outcomes that schools and communities care about. The effects of field trips to see live theater demonstrates that seeing plays is an effective way to teach academic content; increases our youth’s tolerance by providing exposure to a broader, more diverse world; and improves the ability of students to recognize what other people are thinking or feeling. These are significant benefits for students on specific educational outcomes that schools pursue and communities respect. Especially when considered alongside our community service efforts.
You  never know what may impact a child’s life. Not all learning occurs most effectively within the walls of a school building or classroom. Going on enriching field trips to cultural institutions makes effective use of all of a community’s resources for teaching children. You can never know what may impact a young man’s life… There’s nothing like seeing a group of young men engaged in a play that touches on both societal and historical issues.
