This article appeared as “Good Deeds” in the Summer 2022 issue of Independent School.When Adom Appiah was in middle school at Spartanburg Day School (SC), as part of a school service project, he organized a celebrity basketball game that drew 800 spectators and raised money for the local Boys & Girls Club. Building on the success of that game, which combined his passion for sports and community involvement, Appiah, who just graduated in May, launched Ball4Good, a nonprofit supporting the community and other nonprofit organizations through sports. A grant from the Spartanburg County Foundation in 2017 helped him get started, and since then, he has raised $130,000 through ticket sales, concessions, and sponsorships.
Since that first game in 2017, Appiah has organized three celebrity basketball games, which have attracted athletes such as Zion Williamson of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, former NFL player Landon Cohen, retired WNBA all-star Andrea Stinson, and former Michigan State University basketball player Anthony Ianni, who is also the first Division 1 autistic player. With the proceeds from these games, Appiah has been able to help 38 organizations, including Halter Therapeutic Riding Center, Children’s Cancer Partners, and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance.
Appiah’s desire to do good goes beyond the basketball court. After becoming a semifinalist in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2017 and 2018, in 2019 he wrote and self-published Kids Can Change the World, a book for middle and elementary school students about 12 steps people can take to impact their community at a young age.
“A large part of what I’ve been able to accomplish has been thanks to the support of my school and the mentors I’ve been able to find,” says Appiah, who plans to continue growing his nonprofit and writing. Learn more about his books and his charity work at ball4good.org.
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