Mixing athletics and academics.  The combination can greatly influence the minds of young individuals as Everyday Hero Celeste Roberts knows.

She is co-founder of the Skills Center in Tampa.  It uses athletics as the mechanism to accelerate academic achievement, build character, and promote health and fitness for young people three to 18 years of age.

Why?

“Simply because I thought that there was an opportunity that we were missing in our community and that is to really focus on the life skills, the social skills, the leadership skills of our kids,” Roberts says.

The organization started as a non-profit in 2007.  Two years later, it opened its doors and now averages about 1,700 kids a year.

“We’re using sports. But what we wanted to do was teach kids the life skills in mathematics through sports and it’s just an easy and natural way that kids learn life skills through the concept of sports,” says Roberts.

Roberts says that something children know and love and can be used as a doorway to skills they’ll use for a lifetime.

“So if they’re weak in any particular area, they understand the concept of practice but they don’t necessarily transfer that over to the classroom.”

Celeste has a master’s degree and has worked for several organizations including the United Way and the Boys and Girls Club.

The Skills Center has received numerous awards including those from the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County.

While almost all volunteer, Celeste does receive a salary.  She has chosen give back half of it year in and year out.  Roberts says, “This is what I love to do and I enjoy doing it. I feel like there’s a lot of us out there that really care deeply for kids and for me... it’s just that I want to see kids excel. I want them, and I want all kids to excel, not just a group of them, all kids.”