Elyria Youth Sports Club holds Black History Month celebration

The Elyria Youth Sports Club held its ‘Spoonful of Soul’ event to celebrate Black History Month on Feb. 8.

The sold-out event was at Second Baptist Church, 427 Chapman Lane, in Elyria.

There were 175 people registered for the event.

“We’re celebrating black excellence,”  Elyria Youth Sports Club Founder Aric Bowens said.

The event doubled as a fundraiser benefiting the Elyria Youth Sports Club.

“The fundraiser sustains our programming,” Bowens said.

“We have chess, track, baseball, softball, and we just added bowling.”

The event hosted the sports club and community members.

Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker was in attendance.

Attendees were able to enjoy musical entertainment provided by Jordan J Simmions.

A dinner was also included provided by Chef Jefe Seats, voted best chef in Ohio in 2022.

Dinner included collared greens, shrimp and grits and jambalaya.

Keynote speaker Kionna McIntosh-Pharms, manager of Holisitic Student Services and President of Staff at Lorain County Community College, addressed the crowd about the event’s theme, ‘It’s Bigger Than Sports.’

“We teach these kids that it’s about attitude and being on time and leadership and so much more,” Bowens said.

McIntosh-Pharms also serves as Co-Chair of Opportunity by Design, Chairwoman of the African American Fund at the Community Foundation of Lorain County, and President of Celebrate Your Worth.

The event featured 12 local vendors.

“They all have a variety of items for sale and we invited them to come and be apart of what we’re doing and to promote and market what’s going on in the community,” Bowens said.

Bowens said the event is to celebrate the culture of the community.

“We wanted to celebrate the culture, provide some education and just bring everybody together,” Bowens said.

The Elyria Youth Sports Club will continue its programming with a ‘Mother and Son Dance’ in May.

For more information on the sports club visit https://www.elyriayouthsportsclub.com/.