Social challenges abound in Sacramento: homelessness, health disparities, hunger, and educational achievement gaps. Tackling these challenges effectively requires creativity and collaboration: Sacramento needs local social innovation by dynamic community members. Of course, solving these challenges seems daunting, perhaps overwhelming. But, from the bottom-up, with some energy and effort, small local actions by many community members (Sacramentans) can produce a critical mass of support capable of making positive impacts in people's lives.

Game Plan Academy (GPA) is one such project. Yes, Game Plan Academy (GPA) will not, on its own, reverse the widening academic achievement gaps between Sacramento's low- and high-income schools, but it is one community project, amongst many other exemplary efforts, that will contribute to the formation of that critical mass needed to address Sacramento's education and youth development challenges.

Starting this Sunday, March 15th, at Hiram Johnson High School, Gio Carmazzi (a Jesuit graduate who played quarterback for the San Francisco 49'ers) and Alex Van Dyke (a Burbank graduate who played wide-receiver for the New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles) will train 40 student-athletes from Rosemont, Hiram Johnson, Rio Linda, Burbank, Monterrey Trail, Florin, Highlands, and McClatchy High Schools in football skills and conditioning, while five other Jesuit High School graduates, Brent Pottenger, Brian Geremia, Dave Campos, Matt Carmazzi, and Billy Downing, in tandem with local business owner, John Dee, will mentor students in academics, SAT preparation, college counseling, and lifestyle balance, employing Academic Impact's 'Mentor-based Education' model. Thanks to generous community sponsorships from Positive Coaching Alliance, Wells Fargo, and Avanti Restaurant Solutions, to name a few, this dynamic GPA team of mentors looks forward to bonding with these talented student-athletes and helping them develop 'game plans' for achieving their goals in sports, academics, and the game of life.

GPA invites community members to attend camp and observe this program in action. GPA runs from 10:30 AM - 2:30 PM each Sunday from March 15th to May 10th at Hiram Johnson High School. Also, GPA is still accepting funding support to sustain this exciting, locally-oriented youth development platform. Solving the widening academic achievement gap in Sacramento's educational systems will not occur over night; however, with enough socially innovative efforts like GPA and others, Sacramento's community members can make positive impacts in many student's lives.