Meet Constance Chatmon: Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Constance Chatmon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Constance, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I’m inspired by children. They are our future. As a child who lost her single Mother at the age of thirteen and watching her take her last breathe, but promising her I would make her proud before passing. I was in and out of foster homes, but decided to work, pay rent, and go to school at the age of 16. Life hasn’t been easy and I felt my childhood was taken from me. I promised myself that no child would that I’m around will ever have to want to play go hungry, or feel that them being different is wrong.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
For a lot of communities across Decatur and most of downtown Atlanta, children are close to our hearts. They have come to be a huge part of all the beauty you can find in the community. Sometimes, these children need a little help and guidance. For a small city, children benefit a lot from active sports, fun and games. My name is Constance Chatmon. Together with my daughter, Cherity Chatmon, we run two (2) facilities with programs that target children, parents who need our help, foster kids, and minorities across Decatur. Sportz Center Academy is committed to providing a safe and educative support system for children. Our sports and dance programs are tailored to help build character, skill, and safer communities. We have honored radio shows, received great community support for our outreaches, and grown in leaps. For over thirteen years we have run the Sportz Center Academy as a non-profit. Our Basketball, Dance and Tumbling facilities are in Decatur and Stone Mountain. We cater to kids ages three (3) and above. The children are exposed to training in the fundamentals of basketball, dance, tumbling, and competition dance. We facilitate to Childcare, summer camp, after-school, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), and Virtual learning programs that comply with health directives for fighting the pandemic. We have also provided 300,000 meals over the last three summers to children and families that need them the most across Decatur and Metro Atlanta area. We have had the opportunity in 2020, of providing 1500 meals daily to hotels/motels, parks and parking lots. These meals are made in our kitchen and delivered with vans across 28 sites in the community. These daily interventions were done before, during and after the pandemic until the children resumed. In order to achieve our objectives, we hired and opened summer jobs for local basketball players and dancers who now work with us in our sessions with the children. However, we believe that we can do more by being in new locations where children can easily join our programs close to their homes.
Our love for children is the biggest motivator. We understand how important it is for communities to be nurtured. This has inspired our commitment to providing safe spaces for children to learn and be protected by the adults in their community. Located in the heart of the neighborhood, we hope to establish similar facilities in new neighborhoods. This would allow us to reach more kids and introduce new sports or programs to the children. Sportz Center Academy, the Decatur Basketball Team, and Stone Mountain Dance are a legacy and a gift to our community. It has become important for us to grow even more and establish new facilities that will touch the lives of our children and even the unborn generation. Through franchising and a charity fund, we are embarking on one of our bravest projects. We hope that you will join our mission and help us bring this dream to reality. Thank you for supporting Constance and Cherity Chatmon to make Sportz Center Academy’s franchise a reality through your donations.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a big kid at heart, but a real home body. I love the outdoors, swimming , lakes, beaches and amusement parks. My home is equipment for my five grandchildren. It has a pool, jacuzzi, sauna and playground in a resort like setting. I love to sit at home and BBQ and at night start the fire pit. My week ends are spent at my boat on the water at Lake Lanier. There is nothing like sailing the see and listening to jazz music. The rock of the boat gives you the best sleep at night.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My children who all own small businesses and are great encouragement to me.

Chaven Chatmon- Owner of We do it all llc
Cherity Chatmon- Owner of Purple Diamonds Elite Dance Studio llc

Website: www.sportzcenteracademy.org

Instagram: @sportzcenterallstars

Linkedin: Sportz Center Academy

Facebook: @sportzcenteracaemy

Yelp: Sportz Center Academy

Image Credits
Morris Dixon @Galaxy_seed84