The inspiration to start a business could come from an array of sources. But when passion forms the basis of a business, the whole process gets close to the heart of an entrepreneur. Here’s the story of a softball player who helped launch ‘Club 42’ with a mission to help kids transform their lives through sports, music and dance. This mutually beneficial association between entrepreneur and customers helped this business grow to new heights.
Club 42’s Rise to Splendour
42 Initiative or Club 42 was co-founded by John Branca, the nephew of Ralph Branca, great friend and teammate of Jackie Robinson from the 1947 Dodgers. Club 42 is a dynamic go-getter community club directed by the young and dynamic Erin Jones Wesley. The club nurtures and supports the youth on diverse pathways of success through sports, music and dance programs.
Nurturing a personal passion for making an impact on the next generation, Erin institutionalized Club 42 with the mission to help kids across the country to become great leaders of their country and the world.
Club 42 derives its inspiration from a Jackie Robinson quote, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives,” and the initiative is not only en route to make a huge impact on Los Angeles but also the whole country.
A Softballer’s Journey to ‘42 Philanthropy’
Passionate for running her own business from a very young age, Erin would recite Thomas Payne’s ‘Entrepreneur’s Creed’ for large crowds in church and community gatherings.
Better known by her nickname “EJ-Dub”, she was a NCAA DI softball player who made a wagonload of appearances for California State University, Long Beach, holding pitching records for strikeouts, appearances and wins.
The 25-year old executive director commenced her journey with the noble 42 Initiative as a boy’s baseball coach. She worked for Major League Baseball before deciding to step out on her own and lead. Meanwhile she conquered several uncomfortable situations, like being ridiculed as a “team mom” and ‘mascot’ and lead her team to be triumphant while continuing to inspire those in the community.
After working with kids all the way through college in the sports world, Club 42 emerged as her natural progression of her passion to help and serve children.
Erin’s Philanthropy: Giving Voluntarily and Freely
In the course of her philanthropic efforts, Erin has continuously forged relationships right through the Los Angeles area.
In an endeavour to raise awareness for the 42 mission, the three-year old program is modernizing an inner city baseball field in Inglewood, California. This happens to be a mega project that attracted supporters from the Michael Jackson Cirque du Soleil ONE Show and the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation.
Sports only play a minor part of the mission as Erin affirms that education remains the key, directing over $40,000.00 in tuition award support for middle school youth.
The initiative went an extra mile to support the Houston youth affected by Harvey flooding with a baseball campaign called the ONE Glove clinics. These clinics are all set to assist the Houston youth who made an impact in their community.
Head-On Promotions:
Embarking upon her motto: “Work hard for who you want to be!”, Erin utilizes exceptional promotion techniques to create a broader physical presence of Club 42. In addition to creating and promoting compelling videos of the club’s noble work in serving youth, it marches ahead by forging partnerships with those having mutual interests. Utilizing the mega following of some of its kids in the 42 community, they’ve aptly shared their brand stories through various social media platforms.
In a bid to promote the brand over the length and breadth of the country, the Club 42 initiative is going to team up with the youngsters of Santa Monica and the Michael Jackson estate to host a “Thrill-o-ween” event on Friday, October 27th at the Boys and Girls Club from 3pm until 9pm to provide the kids with a safe and sound place to celebrate the holiday in the city.
Working from Home: The Mantra to Success
Over the last few years, Club 42 has traversed a lot of ground to earn itself a name in Log Angeles. Erin owes the community’s success to the roomy workplace offered by working from home. It not only opened up newer opportunities for creativity but also helped her stay away from distractions that one comes across in a typical brick and mortar office.
With an ambitious vision to bring in more and more young talent to help Club 42 grow over the next 3 years, she looks forward to motivating kids to make an impact in their communities. For more information visit https://erinjw.com/philanthropy/.
