Upward Impacts San Diego  

15 local churches, hundreds of volunteers, and more than 1,000 kids. Read the snapshots below for just a glimpse of how Upward impacted San Diego.

Olivia Ortiz | Shoreline Baptist Church

Olivia Ortiz has been a coach for 3 years. You might not know it at first, since she’s only 12. But she doesn’t let her age hinder her; Olivia’s mission is to share her love of sports with kids. She came to San Diego with a team from Shoreline Baptist Church in Fountain Valley, CA.

Olivia has been playing basketball since the age of four and now, as she heads into the 6th grade, she’ll play basketball and soccer for her school. Back home, she coaches K-3rd grade kids. As an Upward coach this summer, she worked with kids in 1st grade all the way up to 6th grade, her own age.

“Because she’s younger, the kids want to be like her; they relate to her,” said Dan Willard, Shoreline’s group leader. “They want to be more Christ-like, like she is.”

Leslie Ratliff | Pathways Community Church

When planning Pathways Church’s first Upward camp last year, Leslie Ratliff admits, “I didn’t know what to expect.” 

It wasn’t long before she saw the fruit of the church’s labor. A group of kids who live across the street from Pathways walked to the camp every morning. Though they were reserved at first, they quickly opened up to the other campers. Leslie remembers seeing one girl glow after receiving encouragement from a coach that she rarely received from home. She returned for not only this year’s Upward camp, but other summer activities as well.

Leslie said Upward camps teach kids that they don’t have to be perfect in a sport, mirroring how Christ doesn’t expect perfection. “The amount of seed planting we’re able to do is incredible.”

Basketball has always been a part of CJ Kemp’s life. “It teaches discipline within the structure of authority and discipline within yourself,” he said.

CJ coached his twin 11-year-old stepsons, Deion and Dante, at Bethel Baptist Church’s Upward sports camp. His mother-in-law and Bethel’s Children’s Director, Patty Uhland, convinced CJ and the twins to participate.

“I went to sports camp because I like basketball and I like to make new friends and learn new things,” Dante said. “It also helps me get closer to God.”

Deion agreed with his brother: He said the camp taught him about teamwork and that he expected his mind and heart to be changed by the end of the week.

For more info on Upward Unlimited, go to www.upward.org.