>>
>> HANK
>> HANK AARON, HE WAS MY BROTHER, A FATHER, ONE OF
MY BEST FRIENDS.
HANK AARON, TWO WORDS, THEY
TEACH
TEACH
TEACH US
TEACH US TO PERFORM ACTS OF
LOVINGKINDNESS HENRY AARON,
HENRY PERFORMED HIS ACTS OF
KINDNESS BY HELPING
OTHERS, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN,
FOR HIM, IT WAS AND
ALWAYS HAS BEEN ABOUT THE KIDS.
HE AND BILLYE
CREATED THEIR FOUNDATION TO
GIVE YOUNGSTERS THE
OPPORTUNITY TO CHASE THEIR
DREAMS.
DREAMS.
DREAMS. IT INITIALLY
IT INITIALLY HELPED 755 CHILDREN CHASE THEIR
DREAMS TO BECOME
ATHLETES, MUSICAL ARTIST,
DOCTORS, SCIENTISTS, IN
FACT EDUCATORS.
FACT EDUCATORS. THE FOUNDATION CONTINUES TODAY
TO
TO
TO HELP
TO HELP AT LEAST 44 CHILDREN EVERY
YEAR CHASE THEIR
DREAMS WITH THE HELP OF THE
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB,
FOREVER.
FOREVER.
FOREVER. THAT FOUNDATION TODAY HAS
ENDOWED
ENDOWED
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS AT 18 MOSTLY BLACK
COLLEGES THROUGHOUT
COLLEGES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY IN HELPING MORE
THAN 70 STUDENTS THIS
SEMESTER CHASE THEIR DREAMS IN
AND NOW EVERY
SEMESTER.
SEMESTER.
SEMESTER. FOREVER.
FOREVER.
FOREVER. HENRY HAS LEFT US WITH A GIFT
OF MEMORIES BUT MORE IMPORTANT
IS WHAT HENRY AND
BILLYE HAVE LEFT THEIR
CHILDREN, FOREVER.
CHILDREN, FOREVER. THEY ARE
THEY ARE
THEY ARE RIGHT TO CHASE THEIR DREAMS.
WHO TAUGHT US HOW TO
CARE FOR OTHERS, AS WE ARE
AWARE WHEN YOU CALLED
HENRY HE IGNORE THE FIRST
QUESTION OF HOW HE IS
DOING, INSTEAD, INSISTING ON
FIRST KNOWING HOW WE
WERE DOING, HOW OUR FAMILY WAS,
HOW THE
HOW THE
HOW THE GRANDCHILDREN ARE.
GRANDCHILDREN ARE. BILLYE IS THE SAME WAY,
YESTERDAY WITH EVERYTHING GOING
ON, SHE CALLED ME
EIGHT TO ASK ME TO DO SOMETHING
BUT SHE FIRST WANTED
TO KNOW IF I WAS OKAY.
I DIDN'T ANSWER THAT
HONESTLY BECAUSE THINGS ARE NOT
OKAY.
OKAY.
OKAY. I
OKAY. I AM SAD.
I AM SAD.
I AM SAD. FOR HENRY IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT
OTHERS NOT HIMSELF.
ABOUT TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO
SUPPORT THE FOUNDATION
SO IT COULD HELP THE KIDS
THROUGH THE FOUNDATION.
WE NEVER TALKED ABOUT HOW MUCH
HE COULD CHARGE FOR A
APPEARANCE, IT WAS HOW MANY
MORE SCHOLARSHIPS WE
COULD CREATE, HOW MANY MORE
KIDS WE COULD HELP.
HE
HE
HE HAS
HE HAS TAUGHT ME SO MUCH BYWORD,
BY DEED, BUT MOST OF
ALL BY QUIET ACTION.
IN HIS OWN WORDS "I HOPE I
HAVE SET A PATTERN IN LIFE NOT
ONLY FOR MY KIDS BUT
FOR ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
OF THAT IF TRY
HARDER, NO MATTER HOW LARGE THE
OBSTACLE YOU CAN
SUCCEED.
SUCCEED.
SUCCEED. I DON'T WANT ANY KIDS, NO
MATTER WHO THEY
ARE, TO THINK I CAN'T DO IT.
THE FACT IS, THEY CAN
DO ANYTHING THEY WANT TO DO."
44 FOREVER.
44 FOREVER. MAY HIS
MAY HIS
MAY HIS MEMORY BE A BLESSING.
NOW, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO HEAR
FROM ONE OF THOSE ORIGINAL
DREAM CHASER KIDS, NOW A
VERY GROWN UP KID, IN MIDDLE
SCHOOL WE SUPPORTED HER
DREAM TO BECOME A HARPIST, ONTO
THE UNIVERSITY TO
RECEIVE A PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE, A
MASTERS FROM YALE
UNIVERSITY IN PUBLIC HEALTH,
CURRENTLY IN THE PHD
PROGRAM AT JOHNS HOPKINS
UNIVERSITY IN ADOLESCENT
HEALTH.
HEALTH.
HEALTH. >> THANK
GOOD
GOOD AFTERNOON. I AM A DREAM CHASER,
I REPRESENT A SPECIAL BODY OF
HIGHLY MOTIVATED YOUNG
PEOPLE WHO ARE PURSUING THEIR
DREAMS DUE TO THE
FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND
ENCOURAGEMENT PROVIDED BY THE
CHASING THE DREAM FOUNDATION.
HANK AARON BELIEVED
EVERY CHILD SHOULD HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO
OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN THEIR TALENTS SO HE
AND HIS WIFE USED
THEIR MONEY AND INFLUENCE TO
MAKE SURE YOUNG PEOPLE
WITH A PASSION FOR SOMETHING
DID NOT FACE FINANCIAL
BARRIERS TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.
OVER THREE DECADES
THEY HAVE SUPPORTED THOUSANDS
OF YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS
THE COUNTRY IN FIELDS SUCH AS
MUSIC, SPORTS,
MUSIC, SPORTS, PERFORMING ARTS AND EDUCATION.
WE ARE DREAM
ACHIEVERS, MR. AARON'S
INVESTMENTS PROVIDED SO MANY
KIDS THE SPRINGBOARD THEY
NEEDED TO REALIZE THEY ARE
DREAM, FOR EXAMPLE, LEAH YOUNG,
NEW AT A YOUNG AGE
THAT SHE HAD A PASSION FOR
ACTING, NOW, IS A
PROFESSIONAL ACTRESS.
PROFESSIONAL ACTRESS. MASON MORTON, STARTED AS A
YOUNG BOY WITH A NATURAL TALENT
FOR MUSIC, NOW HE IS
A PREMIER HARPIST AND TO US
WITH HIS GROUP.
CAREY
CAREY
CAREY JOYNER, WHO ONE STEPPED UP
PROFESSIONALLY PLAYING
PROFESSIONALLY PLAYING THE CELLO, IS NOW A WORLD
RENOWNED CELLIST, WHO HAS
PLAYED FOR MANY DIGNITARIES,
INCLUDING PRESIDENT
INCLUDING PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA.
BARACK OBAMA. I MET MR. AARON WHEN I WAS 12
YEARS
YEARS
YEARS OLD.
OLD.
OLD. AFTER HE LEARNED I WANTED TO
LEARN HOW TO PLAY
THE HARP.
THE HARP.
THE HARP. BECAUSE OF HIS PHILANTHROPY I
TRAINED FOR
TRAINED FOR YEARS WITH A PRINCIPAL HARPIST
OF THE ATLANTA
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA. IT WAS AN EXPERIENCE FEW
OTHERS, ESPECIALLY BLACK KIDS,
COULD SAY THEY HAD AT
THAT TIME.
THAT TIME. AT AN EARLY AGE THIS EXPERIENCE
CONFIRMED FOR ME THAT NO
OPPORTUNITY WAS BEYOND MY
REACH.
REACH.
REACH. IT
REACH. IT IS ONE THING TO BE TOLD THAT
ANYTHING IS
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE BUT IT IS DIFFERENT
WHEN YOU ARE SHOWN.
AS
AS
AS MY
AS MY INTEREST EVOLVED THE SUPPORT
FROM THE FAMILY
EVOLVED AS WELL BUT THE MESSAGE
STAYED THE SAME,
ALWAYS CHASE YOUR DREAMS.
THROUGHOUT EACH STAGE OF
MY ACADEMIC CAREER MR. ED
MISSES AARON WERE ALWAYS
THERE, THEY PROVIDED ME WITH
UNFORGETTABLE
UNFORGETTABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO TRAVEL AND
SPEAK BEFORE CIVIL
RIGHTS ICONS, PRESIDENTS,
POLITICAL FIGURES,
POLITICAL FIGURES, CELEBRITIES AND BUSINESS
MOGULS.
MOGULS.
MOGULS. BECAUSE OF THEM I
HAVE HAD DUE TO DINNER WITH THE
LEGENDS WHO SPENT
THEIR CAREERS BEATING ODDS.
THEY SHOWED ME WHAT IT
MEANS TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH
PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE
DRIVE TO MAKE THEIR DREAMS A
REALITY AS WELL.
WHILE
WHILE
WHILE THE
WHILE THE RELATIONSHIP STARTED AS
PHILANTHROPY IT EVOLVED
INTO FAMILY.
INTO FAMILY. THE LAST TIME I SAW MR. AARON
WAS NEW
WAS NEW
WAS NEW YEAR'S EVE IN 2019.
EVERY YEAR HE AND MISSES AARON
HOST A PARTY WHERE THEY INVITE
FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO
THEIR HOME TO REFLECT UPON THE
YEAR AND EXPRESS
HOPES FOR THE NEW YEAR.
THAT YEAR WAS PARTICULARLY
SPECIAL BECAUSE I INTRODUCED
HIM TO MY FIANCI.
LIKE
LIKE
LIKE GRANDPARENTS, THEY ASKED HIM TO
STAND BEFORE THE
CROWD TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF THEN
STATES HIS
STATES HIS INTENTIONS.
INTENTIONS. THEY TOLD HIM THAT I WAS A
DREAM CHASER
DREAM CHASER SO HE BETTER BE CHASING HIS
DREAMS AS WELL.
HE
HE
HE LATER
HE LATER MET HENRY AARON FOR AN
OFFICIAL HANDSHAKE OF
APPROVAL.
APPROVAL.
APPROVAL. THAT WAS A SPECIAL.
HISTORY WILL
HISTORY WILL REMEMBER HIM AS AN ATHLETE BUT
I WILL ALWAYS
REMEMBER HIM AS A MAN WHO
OPENED COUNTLESS DOORS FOR
ME AND OTHERS TO CHASE OUR
DREAMS.
DREAMS.
DREAMS. WE ARE DREAM
MULTIPLIERS.
MULTIPLIERS. TODAY, IN MEMORY OF OUR GREAT
BENEFACTOR, HENRY AARON, THE
SPECIAL LEAGUE OF DREAM
CHASERS COMMITS ITSELF TO
CONTINUING THE DREAM IS
AND ACHIEVING GREAT THIS.
WE WILL ALSO STOKE THE
FLAMES OF POSSIBILITIES IN THE
HEARTS AND MINDS OF
OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE MUCH LIKE
THEY DID FOR US.
THANK
THANK
THANK YOU
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXAMPLE, THANK YOU
FOR