Positive Athlete West Region

As we close out June, we're especially grateful for the leaders across Los Angeles who chose to invest in the next generation of Positive Athletes.

Celebrating the executives from healthcare, business, media, hospitality, finance, food service, sports, and entertainment who spent the evening of the 16th meeting with our LA award winners, answering questions, and sharing their experiences. Students asked everything from "What do you actually do every day?" and "How did you get into this career?" to "What's one mistake that taught you something important?" and "How do you handle setbacks?" There were no presentations or scripted discussions. Just honest conversations driven by curiosity, exploration, and a willingness to help students better understand the paths ahead of them.

Conversations like these are why we do programs like Beyond the Game, creating opportunities for nominees to explore careers, ask honest questions, and begin building relationships that extend far beyond athletics. A reminder that sometimes the most valuable thing you can offer a young person isn't an answer. It's access to ask the question.

Some of the most powerful images from our LA celebration were not from the stage.

They are the hugs, proud smiles, quiet tears, hoots & hollers, and families seeing their students celebrated for the kind of people they are. Behind every Positive Athlete is someone who believed, supported, sacrificed, and showed up.

These are the champions behind the winners we celebrated. Our community could not exist without their support and we are grateful to be a small part of their moments of pride.

The recognition event may be behind us, but these moments are worth revisiting.

Student-athletes shared dinner, signed +A yearbooks, celebrated one another's accomplishments, heard stories of resilience and leadership, and crossed the stage surrounded by the people who helped them get there.

They arrived from every corner of Los Angeles as swimmers, soccer players, volleyball players, runners, basketball players, and leaders. They left as a class of Positive Athletes.

These are the faces of the night we celebrated in LA 🔥

Looking back on an unforgettable day celebrating Los Angeles student-athletes at the Positive Athlete Los Angeles Awards Experience last week. 🏆

We are deeply thankful to our partners and donors for making this gathering possible and for championing a mission built on recognizing character, perseverance, leadership, and positivity lived out every day.

To the families, coaches, schools, and nominators, thank you for investing in these young leaders and for helping bring their stories into the light. And to our award winners and every nominee across Los Angeles, congratulations. Your influence stretches well past the field, and your example keeps inspiring teammates, schools, and neighborhoods throughout the region.

Tonight, we celebrate Los Angeles with our Positive Athlete recognition ceremony. Our winners won't just be recognized. They'll gain access.

Most high school students never get to sit down one-on-one with people who work at the Olympics, the Super Bowl, Team USA, LA28, major sports franchises, global events, film production companies, healthcare systems, hospitality groups, financial institutions, and some of the fastest-growing brands in the country. Tonight they do.

As part of our "Beyond The Game" activation, our winners will rotate through a fast-paced series of conversations with professionals who are sharing their stories and answering whatever questions students want to ask. Real conversations about careers, life, leadership, and what's possible after high school.

Joining us tonight:
📌 Anita Martin, On Location
📌 Edgar Villa, Dave's Hot Chicken
📌 Emma Cordova, Rize Credit Union
📌 Emmy Walton, BSN Sports / SURGE
📌 Kendall Johnson, Altius Sports Partners
📌 Marisa Polvino, Straight Up Films & The Nohoba Group
📌 Matthew Poley, Heirloom LA
📌 Michael Freedman, Cedars-Sinai
📌 Rodney McMahon, Industry Kids / Monkeypaw

One conversation can change the way a young person thinks about their future. Tonight is about creating dozens of those moments.

Let's go, Los Angeles 🔥

One of the best parts of Positive Athlete alliances is getting to celebrate our winners in front of the coaches, educators, and school leaders who understand just how meaningful their stories are.

Recently, our 2025-2026 Oregon Positive Athlete Award Winners were recognized during the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association Awards Banquet. These student-athletes, coaches, and school leaders represent the very best of Oregon high school sports, proving that character, leadership, service, and resilience matter just as much as performance.

Congratulations to:
⭐ Lucas McCall Petke, Leodis V. McDaniel HS
⭐ Addison Reneau, Roseburg HS
⭐ Elsie Mohr, Sheldon HS
⭐ Jack Strycharz, Caldera HS
⭐ Love Forde, Adrienne C. Nelson HS
⭐ Claire Ahlbrecht, Tigard HS
⭐ Viggo Anderson, West Linn HS (not pictured)
⭐ Chad Reeves, David Douglas HS
⭐ Anne Olsen, Sprague HS
⭐ Natashi Haarsma, Amity HS
⭐ Sandy HS (represented by AD Garet Luebbert)

Thank you to the for helping us recognize these outstanding individuals and for your continued commitment to student-athletes across the state.

ONLY 1 WEEK AWAY. 🏆

In just five days, we’ll gather at the Verizon Innovation Lab for the 2026 Positive Athlete Los Angeles Awards Experience to celebrate the student-athletes, coaches, athletic directors, and community leaders making a lasting impact in their schools and communities.

The countdown is officially on for an unforgettable evening filled with inspiration, recognition, and connection. We cannot wait to honor the best of the best in Los Angeles on June 16th.

The O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Scholarships represent the heart of Positive Athlete. These scholarships are awarded to the boy and girl who best embody our seven O.P.E.R.A.T.E. traits: Optimistic, Puts Team First, Encouraging, Respectful, Admits Imperfections, True Heart for Others, and Embraces Service.

Congratulations to Theodore “Theo” Molnar of Sammamish High School, recipient of the 2026 Positive Athlete Boys O.P.E.R.A.T.E. Scholarship for the West Region.

Theo Molnar has built his journey around resilience, compassion, and leadership while navigating challenges that would overwhelm many adults. Living with Crohn’s disease, Theo manages the daily physical and emotional demands of chronic illness while balancing rigorous academics, athletics, leadership, and service. At times, his condition has required him to rely entirely on a liquid diet while still showing up every day for teammates, classmates, and family with humility and positivity.

Beyond managing his own health challenges, Theo also helps care for and support a sibling with an intellectual disability, taking on meaningful responsibilities at home while continuing to lead within his school community. Theo was named to the All-State Baseball Feeder in May 2026 and accepted an offer to play college baseball at Lassen Community College. Coaches and peers describe him as someone who leads quietly but powerfully, creating environments where people feel valued and included.

Theo’s story is not simply about overcoming adversity. It is about using hardship to become a source of strength, compassion, and encouragement for others. Theodore Molnar embodies the true meaning of O.P.E.R.A.T.E. — facing adversity with humility, lifting up those around him, and proving that strength is measured by the way you care for others.