About Us
We help your child find hope by providing a place to belong so they can breakthrough, achieve excellence, and make an impact.
WHAT WE DO
EMA is a 501c3 nonprofit social enterprise that knows the power of young humans. Since its founding in 2013, EMA has been on a mission to unlock the leadership potential of children from all backgrounds and inspire them to achieve greatness in sports and life by becoming their best version. EMA has catalyzed positive transformation in the community and society through its safe haven and mindfulness-promoting culture. EMA has made a meaningful impact on the world by uplifting over 3,000 young humans and empowering them to strive for their dreams. We believe our children are the future and are proud to make the world better with our leaders.
Mission
To unlock each young human's leadership potential for a lifetime of achievement and meaningful impactโin sports and life.
Vision
Sports becomes the ultimate magnet to attract ALL kids and young humans, while creating the safe-haven environment that optimally enables the development of leadership skills for life through the process of self-actualization. After graduating, these leaders will carry a framework for being a positive and productive member of society through their own unique expression of what it means to be a good person.
Our culture
EMAโs culture defines us. It is what we stand for and value as an ecosystem of people pursuing a shared mission. It is the powerful force that guides the way we work together, treat each other, and treat those around us.
EMAโs culture is our differentiator, and when it comes to life, it is our competitive advantage.
The following values create EMAโs culture of familyโour superpower.
(4) CORE VALUES
Trust
Nothing is more valuable to us than the trust we cultivate with our families, team, and everyone in our ecosystem. We earn this trust through our professionalism, honesty, transparency, excellence in customer service, and asking for feedback.
Relationships
Relationships are the fabric of EMA. We create powerful relationships by cultivating raving fans, not clients, and by treating people better than they expect by exceeding their expectations. If our families, partners, and team are raving about us, then we have achieved our goal. Weโll ALWAYS value people and our relationships over profits.
Integrity
Always tell the truth. We believe that nothing is more important than our reputationโbehaving with the highest levels of integrity is fundamental to who we are.
Inclusion
Working with people of different backgrounds, cultures, demographics, and thinking styles helps us grow into better professionals and leaders. We accept people as part of the EMA community when their intentions and heart align with wanting to become a good person and positively promote others' journey. We recognize and acknowledge that people are at different starting points. This means that each person is unique. However, we do not align with malintent or intentional hate that is counter to this intention.
(7) Leadership BEHAVIORS
We Develop L.E.A.D.E.R.S.
Listening
Listen with ears to hear you. Listen with eyes to see you. Listen with heart to connect with you.
Empathetic
Seek genuine connections by understanding the needs of others and being aware of their feelings, thoughts, and body language.
Accountable
Embrace mistakes to become your best version.
Daring
Engage every challenge with courage and enthusiasm by taking risks without fearing failure.
Energy-giving
Raise the confidence of others by making people feel good about themselvesโevery day.
Resilient
Bounce back stronger from setbacks with hope and optimism.
Self-less
Prioritize WE over me.
(4) EXPERIENCES
Positive outlook
At all levels of the organization, we exemplify our values. What we expect from each other and our studentsโwe see the best in everyone.
Passion
We are grateful that we have a job that feels more like a lifeโs purpose.
Bold
We embrace going beyond our comfort zone.
Mindfulness
Our ethos gives everyone the enthusiasm and safe space to think โ to be present โ leading to mental agility, resilience and self-awareness.
Access and Inclusion Story
From the very first day EMA started its operations, the organization has prioritized access and inclusion. Since 2014, EMA has awarded over $500,000 in tuition assistance to over 100 student-athletesโ in need. Currently, 20% of its students receive assistance.
2014
$2,000 awarded
5 students
2015
$40,000 awarded
20 recipients
2016
$76,000 awarded
40 recipients
2017
$110,000 awarded
50 recipients
2018
$120,000 awarded
75 recipients
2019
$80,000 awarded
40 recipients
2020
$50,00 awarded
43 recipients
2021
$36,000 awarded
26 recipients
Our Founderโs Story
Coach Jerome Gumbs leads a healthy lifestyle that revolves around making sure each Student-Athlete gets the support they need to succeed on the court and in life. The responsibility he carries in doing so is his greatest privilege.
READ HIS FULL STORYARE YOU
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Empower ME Academy?
Awesome. Weโre about something bigger than basketball. And we want you to be a part of it.
For our son Maddox, Empower ME has been the best and most important academic or athletic after school program.
Stephen Davis
Father of Maddox Davis
(HS Class of 2021)
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Learn, grow, and grab first dibs on what we offer. Get our Empowering News (E-NEWS) โ written by Coach Gumbs and the EMA Team โ every month.
Hustle doesnโt require talent โ just heart. Itโs diving for loose balls, sprinting back on defense, and doing the little things that donโt show up on the stat sheet but wins games ๐ฅ
Girls who play sports report 1.5x more meaning and purpose in their lives. Thatโs the power of the game โ it builds a foundation for confidence, growth, and lifelong impact.ย
Letโs keep empowering girls on and off the court.
Tag a coach that empowers you in the comments below โก๏ธ
Hustle doesnโt require talent โ just heart. Itโs diving for loose balls, sprinting back on defense, and doing the little things that donโt show up on the stat sheet but wins games ๐ฅ
Girls who play sports report 1.5x more meaning and purpose in their lives. Thatโs the power of the game โ it builds a foundation for confidence, growth, and lifelong impact.ย
Letโs keep empowering girls on and off the court.
Tag a coach that empowers you in the comments below โก๏ธ
๐ช๐ฝ Letโs finish the week strong like Jackson!
1% better every day means showing up, locking in, and doing the work โ even when itโs not perfect. Small gains turn into big results ๐
Our 12U team will be getting after it this weekend at the G365 Gold Rush 2025 tournament! Keep an eye out for more updates on our team LEADERSโก๏ธ
๐ @grassroots365
โ
#teamLEADERS #empowered #ema
A proper follow-through keeps your shot straight, adds backspin, and helps with both touch and control. Lock in your mechanics โ be consistent โ and shoot with confidence.
Having trouble with your shot? Sign up for our Summer Series Shooting Clinic from June 16thโ20th.
๐ Link in bio
โโ
#TipTuesday #empowered #ema #basketballclinics
Hustle doesnโt require talent โ just heart. Itโs diving for loose balls, sprinting back on defense, and doing the little things that donโt show up on the stat sheet but wins games ๐ฅ
Girls who play sports report 1.5x more meaning and purpose in their lives. Thatโs the power of the game โ it builds a foundation for confidence, growth, and lifelong impact.ย
Letโs keep empowering girls on and off the court.
Tag a coach that empowers you in the comments below โก๏ธ
๐ช๐ฝ Letโs finish the week strong like Jackson!
1% better every day means showing up, locking in, and doing the work โ even when itโs not perfect. Small gains turn into big results ๐
Our 12U team will be getting after it this weekend at the G365 Gold Rush 2025 tournament! Keep an eye out for more updates on our team LEADERSโก๏ธ
๐ @grassroots365
โ
#teamLEADERS #empowered #ema
A proper follow-through keeps your shot straight, adds backspin, and helps with both touch and control. Lock in your mechanics โ be consistent โ and shoot with confidence.
Having trouble with your shot? Sign up for our Summer Series Shooting Clinic from June 16thโ20th.
๐ Link in bio
โโ
#TipTuesday #empowered #ema #basketballclinics
๐ฅณ Big shoutout to all the June birthdays!
Celebrate with us by hitting that like button or by tagging them in the comments below.
We are thrilled to announce this monthโs LEADERS Spotlight: ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐
Take a look at how EMA has helped him as a leader โ
Read his full interview on our website. Link in bio!
Donโt miss out โ our Summer Series is just around the corner! ๐ With our phased programming, youโll strengthen your foundation, sharpen your skills, and grow into the leader, teammate, and competitor youโre meant to be.
Check out the summer schedule and unlock your full potential โ
๐ Sign up today with the link in bio
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