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Sunday, August 10, 2008
8/9: Hot’s Rashan Ali starts nonprofit to get girls in sports
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hot 107.9 morning host Rashan Ali got a full scholarship at Florida A&M in swimming, a fairly uncommon sport for African American women.
So she has created a nonprofit called Sporty Girls where she nurtures minority girls in sports such as soccer, tennis, golf and her sport swimming.
On Saturday, she held a charity swim meet to raise funds for her group. She joins other jocks with nonprofit groups, including Bert Weiss of Q100, Ryan Cameron of V-103 (Ali served on his organization’s board) and Frank Ski.
“I really want to encourage girls to try sports they may not think could help them later,” Ali said after the meet, which was held at the natatorium at Washington Park not far from Morehouse College. Still dripping from water, she had just finished winning her own 50-yard freestyle.
She just held a camp for 18 girls, ages 9 to 14. She’d love to raise enough cash one day to build her own sports academy instead of renting or borrowing space. “I like to think big,” she said.
Her morning team helped her out, including Griff, Akini and Emperor Searcy. (I got there a bit late and caught Beyonce Alowishus going to another Hot event.). Ali’s former morning mate and Sporty Girls board member C.J. Simpson came by, too. C.J. is now on the morning show at rival 95.5/The Beat.
*Above: Rashan Ali with fellow Hot 107.9er DJ Trauma.
Griff’s swim team (l-r) “Team Real Trill:” Tony Glover, Quincy Eagle, Jalen Robinson, Marcus Griffin, Griff, Beth Williams, Jullian Blanding, Branden Griffin.
Emperor Searcy with Griff’s assistant Michele Hale.
Griff with his daughter Jamisen, who was 445 days old.
C.J., with Thaddeus McAdams, head of www.exclusiveaccess.net., which provides entertainment/party news.
Morgan Robinson, 12, races during the meet Saturday. She was part of the Sporty Girls summer camp.
