Sneaker Ball

The first time Jessie rented a tuxedo was for his daughters’ “Sneaker Ball”.  He placed the order carefully—“it needs to have a white jacket, a blue vest to match one daughter, and a pink tie to match the other.” The rental store threw in a pink scarf and a blue scarf to make it even more festive—both of which he wore with pride.  It was his first “Sneaker Ball”.   As Jessie shared at the Standing Strong Dinner (April 24, 2025), he was 10 years old when he witnessed his first shooting death.  Shortly after, his mom began relying on him to “steal water from the neighbors” when their water was cut off.  He became a provider in his early teens—but doing it illegally through stealing and drug dealing.  At 19 he had his first child.  At 21 he had 4 children and had to hustle even harder to make sure his children had what they needed.  He only knew one way to make money and that led him to prison. While in prison he learned about 4:13 Strong, finished the 40 Day Challenge as the MVP of his class, earned his drivers license, and now works at Frontline Traffic Safety where he drives a company truck, and went to his first “Sneaker Ball” with two of his daughters.  Jessie knows what it’s like to grow up being afraid to play outside and has a deep desire for his kids to grow up in a community where when they go outside they see “rainbows and bumblebees”.   To learn more about Jessie’s story, you can watch Jessie’s Video that was shown at the fundraising dinner.

For Father’s Day, consider purchasing 4:13 Strong merchandise as a way of honoring the great fathers out there seeking to build up family and community.