It was founded in 2009 when LaVonte Stewart was coaching a boys’ team in Chicago’s Rosenblum Park. During the session two men with a gun chased another through the area. The children’s in-built reaction to the violence – while Stewart dived for cover, they laughed and took bets on what was going to happen next – shocked their coach into action. From that day on, Lost Boyz has been a beacon of hope in the community. Today, the programme provides at-risk youths with training and the competition of organised sport, but also economic and academic opportunities in an area where a third of residents live below the poverty line and are surrounded by gang violence.

Lavonte Stewart, Founder and Executive Director of Lost Boyz Inc, said: “This Award means a huge amount to everyone connected to Lost Boyz Inc, from our coaches and leaders to the young people using sport to better themselves. For the kids we work with, baseball is an opportunity to build confidence, resilience and life skills to support them in future. The Laureus Sport for Good Award is proof that what we are doing, works. We will use this as a message of hope and inspiration for our boys and girls, encouraging them to fulfil their potential not only on the field, but in life.”