A football player. A gastroenterologist. An actress. What do these three have in common? Their commitment to enriching their communities.
The 3rd Annual Sneaker Ball philanthropy event hosted by Change Our Future – a foundation started by former Eagles and current Browns safety Rodney McLeod and his wife Erika – is one week away. Each year, the foundation’s staple event raises money that goes towards other projects throughout the year for Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Maryland communities.
Each Sneaker Ball event, Change Our Future honors local “Game Changers” who create lasting impacts in their communities. This year, six Philadelphia locals will be honored at the event for their remarkable work. Former Eagles and Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins, Associate VP of Strategic Initiatives at CCOP Dr. David E. Thomas, Dr. Melanie Jackson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Senator Vincent Hughes and Fox 29 reporter Jason Martinez are this year’s recipients.
Malcolm Jenkins
His 13-year career on the field was full of accomplishments, but his work off the field is just as incredible.
In 2010, Malcolm Jenkins founded The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation (TMJF), a non-profit public charity focused on creating positive change in youth in underserved communities in New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Orleans. The foundation provides resources, opportunities and experiences that help youth succeed and “become contributing members of their communities.”
Since its inception, TMJF held programs like “Project R.E.W.A.R.D.S,” Get Ready Fest and a holiday dinner basket surprise. These programs raised funds for youth to be empowered through educational, career and life resources.
These programs also continue to foster growth and help youth to become engaged in their communities. Most recently, Jenkins teamed up with another former NFL teammate to deliver impactful, game-changing financial literacy programs to students in Philadelphia, PA and Newark, NJ.
Dr. David E. Thomas
Dr. David E. Thomas is the Vice President, Strategic Initiatives and Community Engagement. Thomas’ endless charitable work does not end there. In the past, Thomas was also the Foster Care Workgroup Program Chair for the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice and Research at the University of Pennsylvania.
His participation reaches further than Philadelphia. In recent years, Thomas was a participant in the Reach Higher White House Initiative, an effort by former First Lady Michelle Obama to inspire every student in America to take charge of their future by completing some form of higher education. He was also the lead higher education representative for My Brother’s Keeper White House Initiative in Washington, D.C. This effort addressed the persistent opportunity gaps boys and young men of color face and built safe and supportive communities for them.
Dr. David E. Thomas’ work was noticed in 2017 when he was honored with the Giving Back Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, given to those who demonstrated social responsibility, involvement with students, faculty, staff and the community and commitment to serving underrepresented populations.
Dr. Melanie Jackson
Dr. Melanie L. Jackson, MD, FACG, is a gastroenterologist at Anne Arundel Gastroenterology Associates, P.A. She serves patients in Annapolis and Bowie, Maryland and has over 22 years of medical experience.
Jackson is a Philadelphia native and graduated cum laude from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. She received her medical degree from Howard University’s College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Jackson served her residency in internal medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York and completed her gastroenterology fellowship at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. She received additional postgraduate training, including a hepatology research program, at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland.
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Sheryl Lee Ralph is a notable Broadway and television actress who has also done singing. She is more recently known for her teacher role as Barbara Howard on “Abbott Elementary,” a Philadelphia school system mockumentary. A Rutgers alum, Ralph recently was the commencement speaker for her alma mater and received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts.
Ralph’s charity efforts were in Memorium of her friends she lost to HIV/AIDS. “The DIVA Foundation” focuses on generating resources and activities to create awareness of and combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic in addition to other life-threatening illnesses. Through televised and digital health awareness content, like music, entertainment programming, panels and discussions, the foundation is able to inform, educate and erase the stigma still attached to the disease.
Ralph has a long-standing commitment to raise awareness, work to erase the stigma and empower and support individuals in owing their health. In 2005, Ralph and The DIVA Foundation received a Red Ribbon Leadership Award at the United Nations on World AIDS Day for their unique art usage in fighting the epidemic. To date, the foundation raised over $3 million to conduct awareness programs and partner with and support organizations to provide critical services to underserved populations.
Senator Vincent Hughes
Temple alum Senator Vincent Hughes represents the 7th Senatorial District in Pennsylvania and serves as the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Hughes’ career-long commitment to the community includes providing health insurance for the uninsured.
His leadership and legislative strategy led to Pennsylvania’s full implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Senator Hughes fought to raise the state’s minimum wage and increase wages for low-income workers in the state over $1 billion.
Senator Hughes received national attention for his introduction of Senator Bill 806, The Universal Automatic Voter Registration Act. He also received national recognition for his work on HIV/AIDS and the challenges of behavioral health in the African-American community.
Senator Hughes raised over $1 million in scholarship funds for students to attend college, fought for paid sick leave and housing for veterans and survivors of domestic violence and championed for neighborhood economic development. He is introducing a comprehensive “Marshall Plan” for housing and urban revitalization.
Jason Martinez
Fox 29 News’ Jason Martinez joined the Philadelphia broadcast team in June 2019. After graduating from Chapman University in Orange, California, Martinez began coverage in Ohio covering major stories before moving up to eventually Philadelphia.
The Emmy Award-winning anchor and reporter moved from San Diego, bringing extensive experiences such as the Lilac Fire, the international border conflict, immigration issues and California’s cost of living crisis. Before San Diego, Martinez covered stories in Miami such as Presidential elections in the swing state, US-Cuba relations, a violent face-eating incident and two Miami Heat NBA championships.
Martinez’s love includes being a father to four children: Jagger, Carson, Angelina and John-Michael. Just days after Carson’s birth, he nearly died from a blood infection. Carson’s incredible recovery motivated Martinez to participate in causes that benefit Children’s Hospitals across the nation. He champions different causes including those fighting Alzheimer’s and childhood cancer.
You can meet these six incredible Game Changers when they are honored at the third annual Sneaker Ball, hosted by Change Our Future. The event takes place Thursday, June 22 at 8 p.m. at the Vie by Cescaphe.
First & Jenn 
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