Second-annual Gold Gala Awards set

WINTERSVILLE -- The Ja'Quan Lavender Foundation: The Journey to Gold, is finalizing plans for the upcoming second-annual Gold Gala Awards. The event will take place Saturday at the St. Florian Event Center in Wintersville. Doors open at 5 p.m.

The keynote speaker for the event will be former Olympic Champion Lashawn Merritt. Awardees this year include: Paul and Sandy Rue, James Wallace, Mike Warfield, Evan Frazier, Stacey Alexander, Rob Metzger, Lawrence Lewis IV and Nisha Blackwell.

The nonprofit organization's president, Lavender, explained the foundation's mission is to teach, train and transform young men to be the best image of themselves. It is to build up integrity and perseverance in today's youth in order to support the physical and mental strength necessary to prepare them to be mentally and physically strong through their life's journey, he added.

"The overarching goal is to uplift students of all ethnicities and cultures and educate them to help them develop the life skills needed to achieve their full potential and succeed in their life dreams," he commented.

"It is our vision to partner with students in middle school and high school," Lavender continued. "To empower them by embracing the skills, habits of mind, perseverance, dedication and knowledge it takes to overcome distinctive challenges that limit ethnic, racial and lower socio-economics and in impoverished urban areas."

Lavender is also president of the Prudent Man Leadership Academy -- a nationwide academy that helps hundreds of young men between the ages of 13 and 18 across the United States. His job is to visit schools throughout America and teach them how to become a prudent man.

Lavender said he teaches the teens not to be what the world wants you to be, but rather, how to be yourself.

The evening's speaker will be Merritt, an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting, specializing in the 400 meters. His personal best is 43.65 seconds, making him the ninth-fastest of all-time.

Lavender shared the story of how the two met.

During his senior year of college in 2018, Lavender was in Dallas taking part in training and an internship at the Michael Johnson Performance Center in McKinney, Texas.

Dubbed the world's fastest man following his breaking the 200-meter world record at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Johnson opened the center as a way of training not only professional athletes, but anyone who wants to succeed in sports.

Merritt just so happened to be training at that same center. Having always watched him run and being an incredible fan of the athlete, Lavender was hesitant to approach one of his heroes. His excitement at having the opportunity to speak with him led to a lasting friendship. The two even spent that year together as training partners.

Merritt will now speak at his friend's upcoming gala on Saturday. This successful junior athlete won gold at the 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics and set two world junior records in relays. He became part of the American 4-by-400 meter relay team, helping to win the event during the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

Merritt won a silver medal in 2007 at the World Championships. In 2008, he won the Olympic final in a personal-best time and by a record-margin of .99 seconds.

Merritt broke the Olympic record in the relay with the American team, recording the second-fastest time ever. He established himself as the world champion with a win at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics.

For information on the Ja'Quan Lavender Foundation, visit jaquanlavenderfoundation.com.