Christian Harrison for Glenarden Boys and Girls Club

****update: As of 6/15, we hit our goal of $5,000! Thank you to everyone who contributed in any way. Please know that every dollar we raise above $5,000 will be given as a scholarship to a student-athlete on their way to college from Glenarden. So keep donating, keep sharing and keep supporting! ****

I have been an athlete for 23 of my 27 years. Starting at 4 years old, I was introduced to sports through the Glenarden Ardmore Boys and Girls Club. I have played football, basketball, soccer, t-ball and ran track with ‘Glenarden’ written across the chest of my jerseys. Given the recent murder of George Floyd and the subsequent, nationwide push to support the black community—economically and otherwise—this is the way I feel I should make my impact, through sport. In my hometown of Glenarden, MD, the Glenarden Ardmore Boys and Girls Club serves a community that is nearly 90% African-American. The money I raise will directly benefit the young athletes at the Glenarden Ardmore Boys and Girls Club.

I have been running track since I was 8 years old, and my path to becoming a professional track and field athlete has been unconventional. Unlike a lot of other professional athletes, I was never “the guy.” I did not grow up winning all my races, and I was never the best player on any of my teams. It was programs like the Glenarden Boys and Girls Club with coaches like Coach Leon and Coach Smokey, along with Glenarden Track Club with coaches like Coach Bo Bo and Coach Henry, that allowed me to repeatedly practice and compete until I was able to nurture and develop my talent. Those programs led to me eventually becoming an NCAA All-American, sponsored by Adidas, 5x U.S. Championship Qualifier, and 2016 Olympic Trials Qualifier.

Glenarden is in my DNA, literally. My grandfather, James C. Fletcher Jr., was the Director of Recreation for Glenarden before he went on to serve as the Mayor of Glenarden for 9 years. My mother, Andrea Harrison, grew up in Glenarden where she was a cheerleader with the Boys and Girls Club before she went on to follow in her father’s footsteps to serve as the County Council Member for 10 years. I grew up spending almost 5 days a week at the Glenarden Rec Center. I was there for open gym after school, football practice/games in the fall, basketball practice/games in the winter, and even sports day camps in the summer. It is where I built my athletic base.

It has been 12 years since I competed in a track, football, or basketball jersey that said ‘Glenarden,’ but it is still in me as much as it has ever been. I can still walk through ‘The Rec’ and see people I know, I still have almost every Glenarden jersey I have ever competed in, and the president of the Boys and Girls Club is one my former coaches, Coach “Smokey” Douglas. Glenarden means a lot to me, it helped make me the athlete that I am. I feel a responsibility to pay it forward. I appreciate your assistance in helping me do so.