Driven by compassion, Lilia selflessly serves on the NLA board while volunteering often with Redlands Rock Pit rescuing abandoned dogs. With over a decade of administrative experience, Lilia initiates many of NLA’s standard operating procedures ensuring maximal efficiency while minimizing errors.

Lilia’s unique combination of administrative excellence and sympathy-driven approach to serving our participants keeps Lilia constantly searching for improvements. While typically soft-spoken, Lilia boldly defends the best interest of the kids we serve. A determined mind cannot be denied and Lilia is determined to change the lives and futures of each and every kid we serve.

A NOTE FROM LILIA

“I can’t control the situations that other’s find themselves in but I can control what I do about it. The most vulnerable are often the ones in the toughest situation, many times of no fault of their own. To see them and not help, is not only unfair but something I refuse to accept. As long as I have breath in my lungs I will make sure I am making the lives of others better and hopefully inspiring others to join me in the process.”

Before reaching my educational & professional success, I was on a path that was pretty blight. I was fathering two children by the age of 21, amassed a criminal record by the age of 25, and worst of all, I had no direction. Part of my early challenges were attributed to my lack of guidance and direction in regard to education. Both of my parents migrated from Haiti with less than a high school education.

My options for mentors were not plenty nor grandeur. Education was never a priority; in fact, anything beyond high school was considered remarkable. I was good at sports and relied on football to carry me through college, barely squeezing by with a 2.6 GPA. Shortly after graduation, I scoffed at the team’s athletic director who tried to convince me that I was smart enough to go to law school.

Years later I find myself graduating law school at the top of my class, receiving an LL.M. degree in taxation at Georgetown and was honored in delivering the commencement speech to my graduating class. I now lobby tax issues on behalf of non-profits, coalition’s, and Fortune 500 companies at the nation’s capital.

As the 1st of my family to be born in the U.S. and graduate college, and the only professional, I can confidently say that my hardship will become someone else’s blueprint.

A former walk-on to a scholarship football player at Florida Atlantic University, Eddie has faced adversity his whole life. Growing up in a single-parent household in Pompano and later Margate, Eddie faced many of the same challenges our participants face. To keep Eddie on the right track, his mother kept him in football and basketball growing up. The effort to keep Eddie off the streets worked abundantly well. Shortly after graduating high school, Eddie went to FAU as a walk-on for the football team. His hard-hitting, fearless approach quickly gained the attention of the coaches and after a year Eddie was rewarded with a scholarship. After completing his final year of eligibility, Eddie prepared for the NFL. Unfortunately for Eddie and many others that year, the NFL and NFLPA were in a disagreement that led to a lockout.

Being a scholar and bringing the same effort and energy to the classroom as the field, Eddie began his career as an Engineer. While engineering, Eddie never let sports stray too far from his daily life. Eddie immediately began volunteer coaching youth football and investing in the next generation. Feeling the power of sports, and of coaches that genuinely care about their athletes, Eddie decided to invest in others. In addition to serving on the board, and dedicating countless hours (without pay) to kids in the community, Eddie also volunteers and actively participates in our efforts to build up the kids we serve.

TJ has been a Sports Performance coach and Licensed Athletic Trainer in South Florida for 8 years. As a founding member of Impact Sports Performance in Boca Raton FL TJ has had the privilege of training hundreds of youth, high school, college, and professional athletes. As the Director of Athletic Performance and Client Wellness at FTX Wellness TJ is the direct liaison between Strength and Conditioning coaches and the sports medicine team.

TJ is not only a licensed and certified athletic trainer, but he has certifications in Muscle Activation Techniques and Functional Range Conditioning. These certifications are used in mobility assessment and treatment of chronic or acute mobility restrictions and are used at the highest level around the world. TJ also serves as an athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach for Lynn university. He is responsible for preseason screening and mobility assessments of all the student athletes attending the university.

Having a diverse background with certifications in sports medicine and sports performance has allowed TJ to work with professional athletes in MMA, Hockey, Baseball, Football, basketball, even olympic weightlifting.