Why Blue Heart?

How The Blue Heart Foundation Helps

The Blue Heart Foundation provides our young men from disadvantaged backgrounds with academic support, financial assistance, and leadership training to become first-generation college students.

Founded in 2013 by Tracy Morris and wife April Ray Morris, The Blue Heart Foundation focuses on the character development and education of underserved youth ages 13-18 in the greater San Diego County community. Primarily serving Southeastern San Diego, East San Diego, and City Districts 3 and 4.

Almost 90% of our student families are of low to moderate income, making it even more critical to prepare them for higher education with academic excellence and character development. We’re proud to say that our programming has empowered young men to earn thousands of dollars in scholarships to universities.

Our Mission

“Building community equity by providing an inclusive and secure path to higher education, emotional wellness, and personal development for underserved male youth.”

Our mission statement drives the character development, emotional wellness, education, and mentoring that our young men receive. We provide resources for academic excellence, volunteerism, and cultural development.

We strive to prepare, support, strengthen, and equip underserved male youth through a safe and secure path to higher education, emotional health, and personal development with a community-oriented approach.

As a part of our program, participants receive mentoring, personal, emotional, and professional development workshops online through our remote learning program and in person.  We consistently provide mentoring, personal, and professional seminars, as well as college campus and team-building trips that assist in developing social skills. We strive to give students the tools to succeed and excel in today’s academic and social environment.

The Future of Blue Heart

The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop us from developing our mentees into the best future leaders. Through the pandemic, The Blue Heart Foundation continued operations by adjusting programming and providing abundant resources to support families and actively give their sons the support they need.

Today, we feel confident that we can overcome any hurdles—including the passing of Tracy Morris, the Founder and Executive Director of The Blue Heart Foundation.

Tracy’s Legacy

Tracy grew up in the Southeast San Diego area, born into an unstable, abusive, and broken home with his two brothers. That experience later made him yearn to be more, do more and help more students who may be stuck in a similar situation. Tracy’s dream was to make a difference for young black men who yearn to be great and don’t see a clear path to reach their dreams.

“I just wanted someone or somewhere that I could consistently go to, that I knew would be there for me” -Tracy Morris

For almost a decade, Tracy developed a unique combination of educational empowerment, team-building, volunteerism, and character development programming that created a life-changing impact in young men’s lives in the greater San Diego community.

The Blue Heart Foundation has supported and mentored 52 senior graduates with a 100% college acceptance rate. In 2021, the young men were awarded $10,500.00 in scholarships. Our members spend 100 hours per year in community service activities, accumulating over 50,000 volunteer hours.

Today, Blue Heart currently serve 57 enrolled members.

New Leadership

One of the few men that Tracy trusted and respected in the community, Mathew Gordon, has joined the Blue Heart family as the new President and CEO. He was a great friend and a brother to Tracy.

As a former at-risk youth who experienced challenges like poverty and homelessness, Mathew devotes his time volunteering and mentoring with non-profit organizations that cater to under-served youth.

Mathew brings a wealth of experience working in and for disadvantaged communities throughout San Diego County. His experience includes serving in the Fourth Council District as a Community Advisor under the first Black Female ever elected to the San Diego City Council, Council President Myrtle Cole.

Keeping Tracy’s Dream Alive

While Tracy is genuinely irreplaceable, we feel confident our new CEO, Mathew Gordon along with the Blue Heart team’s ability to carry the torch. We know we must continue serving our community and moving forward with Tracy’s vision, even with his devastating transition.

We know that there are wonderful things to come in the future for the Blue Heart family.

Building Community Online

In the spirit of keeping Tracy’s dream alive, we’re excited to announce the Blue Heart Online Academy with an accompanying mobile App—one of the first of its kind—a private online community that provide mentorship opportunities and 24/7 access to Blue Heart therapists, Alumni, and parents in a safe and secure platform for our African American youth. With this technology, Blue Heart will be able to expand its reach significantly!

“Together We Rise!”

Driven by almost a million dollars’ worth of grants, workshops, and sponsorships available, our goal is to reach at least 40,000 black male youth in San Diego by 2027.

Make a Positive and Lasting Impact!

Join us in making a difference for black youth in our community. We will keep our doors open, carry out Tracy’s mission, and positively affect the lives of even more young men with your support.

Make a positive and lasting impact with a 100% secure donation.