Kevin Ricks is the founder and chief executive officer of Lee Lee Kiddz, a nonprofit youth flag football league that engages Baltimore elementary and middle school youths in athletics and physical fitness while empowering them in their educational pursuits.The league’s mission is to provide comprehensive, year-round programs that combine flag football, academic tutoring, mentoring, and leadership development to help young people build life skills, enhance their educational outcomes, and prepare for future success.The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) presented its Community Champion of Equity and Justice Awards at the 2025 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 6. Kevin Ricks will receive one of the awards.Learn more about Ricks and Lee Lee Kiddz's work in Baltimore: https://elm.umaryland.edu/elm-stories/2025/Community-Champion-of-Equity-and-Justice-Award-Winner-Kevin-Ricks.php
More from Youtube
- 1:00Improving Addiction Recovery Through Public Stewardship | Breakthroughs Can't Wait
Discover how Jay Unick, PhD, MSW, is helping revolutionize addiction recovery services through data-informed public stewardship.Supported by the National Institutes of Health, his research focuses on evaluating and expanding access to high-quality, evidence-based treatment for substance use disorders — ensuring public investments lead to better lives. #AddictionRecovery #SubstanceUseDisorder #PublicHealth #SocialWork #RecoveryServices #HealthPolicy #BreakthroughsCantWaitUMB - 1:06UMB Graduate Reflections: Donald De Alwis, MD '25
University of Maryland, Baltimore graduate Donald De Alwis, MD '25 looks to the future after earning his MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in this conversation with UMB Provost and VP Dr. Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA.Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qgnpiiJKc#classof2025 #collegegraduate #MedSchool - 1:02The Last Step in Recovery: How the IRIS Project Is Rebuilding Lives After Treatment
What happens after treatment ends?For many recovering from substance use disorders, the hardest part is reentering society — finding housing, employment, and belonging.At the University of Maryland School of Social Work, researchers and community leaders created the IRIS Project, a support and reintegration model helping people thrive long after detox. This is the final — and most forgotten — stage of recovery.Watch how research is driving recovery-forward communities.https://vist.ly/3n6mq63#BreakthroughsCantWait #RecoverySupport #SubstanceUseRecovery #IRISProject #CommunityHealth #HarmReduction #PublicHealth #FederalResearch #NIHresearch #NIDAresearch #SocialWork - 1:17UMB Graduate Reflections: Rebecca Romano, MSN '25
Rebecca Romano, MSN '25, shares her excitement about graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, earning her master's degree from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. She received some words of wisdom from UMB Provost and VP Dr. Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA.Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qgnpiiJKc#CollegeGrad #nursingstudent #nursingschool #classof2025 - 5:10Social Work Solutions for Addiction Recovery That Lasts | Breakthroughs Can't Wait
What if research didn’t just study addiction recovery, but helped shape it?That’s the driving force behind the work of Jay Unick, PhD, MSW. Through Implementation Research to Improve Services (IRIS), Unick is helping bring stronger, evidence-based support to people with opioid use disorder (OUD).Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, IRIS builds recovery research infrastructure by fostering community-academic partnerships designed to develop and scale effective recovery practices.IRIS works closely with community-based organizations like Baltimore’s People Encouraging People, which conducts street outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness and OUD, helping them access housing and treatment.#breakthroughscantwaitumb #RecoverySupport #IRISProject #PublicHealthResearch #AddictionRecovery #CommunityHealth #HealthEquity - 0:52UMB Graduate Reflections: Aishwarya Venkataraman, MS '25
Aishwarya Venkataraman, MS '25, reflects on her time at the University of Maryland, Baltimore after graduating from the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies with a master's degree in human genetics genomic medicine, in this conversation with UMB Provost and VP Dr. Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA.Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-qgnpiiJKc#classof2025 #collegegraduate
