For Bernard Quinn and the Sole to Soul Charitable Foundation, fulfillment is truly measured by the amount you do for someone in need and leaving a positive impact on those less fortunate. Founded in 2014, the Sole to Soul is a non-for-profit organization committed to providing daily essential resources for the needy, homeless and less fortunate in the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond, on the basis of Faith, Love, Loyalty and Stewardship…

Deeply rooted in his faith in God, Quinn feels it is essential for us to help others, as God has helped us and that Sole to Soul is the will of God manifested in his life. “What inspires me to give back is being able to give someone something that they can never repay you for, and not expecting anything in return…I know what it’s like to not have to have to go without, we don’t deserve anything, yet God saw fit to bless me with what I need. So I do it for him (God) and because he made me this way, a true servant.” Quinn says.

The organization operates 5 programs annually to fulfill their mission of impacting and changing lives, through servicing the needs of the less fortunate in our communities. These programs range from a single mothers ministry to sit down dinners with the less fortunate to today’s event, Backpacks 4 Babies, a back-to-school supply drive geared to school aged children in need.

Held in the small gymnasium at Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School, Sole to Soul gave away close to 100 backpacks filled with folders, papers and other items. Also teaming up with Elaine Steven Beauty College, stylists and barbers were on hand to volunteer by giving out haircuts and hairstyles to the kids participating. The day also included gift raffles for the kids and accompanying parents/guardians.

I feel there needs to be more awareness of programs like Sole to Soul. Through actions they are really trying to make a change in our communities and impacting lives in the process. Here are some of the sights of the day…

When I heard earlier this year that my old high school classmate, Carl Reed Jr. was named the new Head Football Coach at Lutheran North High School, I knew that it was going to be the start of something special. Coach Reed is someone who is very passionate about the game of football and more importantly, shaping young boys into men to cultivate success both on and off the playing field. With his previous coaching and mentoring experience, I really feel the school has found a gem and it should be fun to watch for years to come.

Coach was gracious enough to allow me to come in and document a day under the new “Reed Regime”. He and his coaching staff demand nothing but the best effort from their players and it shows on the practice field…where it all starts.

I’m really looking forward to working on some personal projects with the program. Today was a great start. Enjoy.

Outtakes from the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Doubleheader at the hot sauna of Sporting Park. Kansas City, Kansas. July 13, 2015 for Agence France Presse.

Haiti v. Honduras, 1-0 Haiti.

Panama v. United States, 1-1 Draw.

Football will be back soon. Govern yourselves accordingly. Rams OTA’s, June 4, 2015.

To attend a Cardinals game at Busch Stadium is as much St. Louis as the Arch. It’s an experience any St. Louisian would encourage you to have at some point in your life. From the sea of red to Clydesdales, it’s no wonder it’s been termed “Baseball Heaven”. But if we take a look deeper, there’s those people who go unrecognized, behind the scenes, that are crucial in the experience the average fan gets to have on gamedays. 

Today was a “Business Man’s Special” day game against the Milwaukee Brewers. First pitch was 12:45, so I chose to arrive at the stadium at 9:30am. We usually sit in the media room and work on captions and prep for the game, but I decided to look for a story.

I was curious to see the stadium empty, substitute the normal roars of the crowd for eery silence and solitude. It went from that to noticing all the people also prepping for today’s game. The SportsService vendors, the police personnel, ushers, bartenders, custodians, you name it, they’re there working hard to make the fans experience enjoyable. The average fan never stops to wonder who fills the ketchup dispensers, wraps the hot dogs in paper, creates the nachos that fans consume and sets up booths of your favorite Cardinals merchandise. These people likely aren’t paid enough to even afford tickets to a game (I know, I used to be one of these ushers), but they find fulfillment in making the day special for the fans. Here’s a small look behind the scenes of what it looks like before the gates open and organ plays.