Rodney Jefferson has been running a non-profit basketball camp each summer in Monrovia for the past 10 years, and he mentors 75 kids year-round to fill a need in the community in which he was raised. 

Jefferson formed "A" Game Fundamentals Basketball Clinic in 2000 as a non-profit summer camp, which at $75 for a week-long camp caters to kids in grades 5-11 in the San Gabriel Valley who can't afford to go to the more expensive basketball camps in Los Angeles. 

But Jefferson doesn't want kids to just learn about basketball. He thought they should be learning life skills, citizenship, healthful living and how to make the right choices. So he implemented his own system to train kids on core values while they practiced basketball at his camp.  

"I didn't want my basketball clinic to just represent basketball," Jefferson said. "I remember when I worked at [other basketball camps] … there was a void.  These kids really needed some type of structure and some boundaries … A  lot of these kids didn't know what the correct choices in life would be.  I erased that. I said … being smart is cool. Going to college is cool."

So in addition to running a week-long camp during summer, Jefferson keeps in touch with all the attendees of his camp throughout the school year. He checks up on their grades, checks in with their parents and attends their school basketball games. 

"So many parents reach out to me and say, Coach Jefferson, my son is having a lot of problems in school, he's in the detention room and has three or four F's. I'm at my wits end with him … can you talk to him?" Jefferson said. "I'm no longer just a coach. I step into a lot of different roles: big brother, dad, confidant and coach."

Jefferson leads kids toward Division One universities and earning scholarships--both athletic and academic. He helps them choose high school classes that will appeal to universities and monitors their academic progress year-round.

And for the students that are serious about playing college sports, Jefferson helps them get the attention of recruiters. Essentially, he tries to help fill the gap that was never filled for him.

"My high school basketball coach never talked to me about college. Never," said Jefferson. "It was some far off, fantasy thing. The best thing we could hope to do would be to graduate from high school."

Jefferson graduated from Duarte High School in 1978. He went to community college--Mount San Antonio College in Walnut. And he remembered the lack of opportunities for kids like him to attend basketball camps in Duarte and Monrovia in the 1960s and 70s. 

Growing up, he was envious of his cousins who lived in Los Angeles and attended basketball camps run by famous players like Kareem Abdul Jabbar. 

"There were so many more opportunities in Los Angeles than in the San Gabriel Valley," said Jefferson. 

Once Jefferson started coaching basketball at Monrovia High School in 1985 and working at major universities' summer basketball camps around the nation, he dreamed of bringing an accessible, low-cost basketball camp to his hometown. 

"I wanted kids to be able to have the opportunity I didn't have growing up."

So in 2000, Jefferson implemented his summer camp. This past August he celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

"My idea has snowballed into this huge, popular clinic all over the San Gabriel Valley," said Jefferson. "And we're getting kids from everywhere."

Jefferson caps the attendance at 75, so that kids get individual attention and it doesn't become overwhelming.

Jefferson attributes the camp's success to the fact that it's affordable, kids have fun playing basketball and parents appreciate that their kids are learning about values.

In the past 10 years prominent figures in the southland have come to the camp to talk to the kids about different issues.   

"This year we had the paramedics come out and my dentist talk to the kids about their teeth," said Jefferson.   

Chief Roberta Abner from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spoke to the kids about gang and drug prevention. Ann Meyers Drysdale, General Manager of the Phoenix Mercury WMBA Team, was one of the first speakers in 2000 and spoke again at this last camp.

Jefferson also counts Michael Cooper, USC women's basketball head coach and former Los Angeles Laker, as one of the  favorite speakers in his arsenal.  Jefferson also had Dr. Sylvia Domotor, a local veterinarian bring animals and talk to the kids about careers. 

"It's more than just about basketball," said Jefferson. "It's about real life."

And for his contribution Jefferson was awarded the Divercities Community Activist of the Year Award by Judy Chu, U.S. Representative for California's 32^nd congressional district, which encompasses the San Gabriel Valley.

In turn, both the Duarte and Monrovia Unified School Districts also recognized him for his contribution. 

"We have a lot of respect for Rodney. He's done a lot of good things with students in the Duarte Unified School District," said Dean Conklin, Superintendent of Duarte Unified School District. "So we recognized him … for the dedication he has to our students and especially the student athletes here in Duarte.

"He encourages kids to make good decisions," added Conklin. "And they are in the gym instead of wandering the streets." 

And when asked why he does this--putting so much time into kids in the San Gabriel Valley and running a summer camp as a non-profit--Jefferson replies simply:

"It's my contribution. Not only to the city of Duarte and Monrovia, but to the San Gabriel Valley. This is a personal contribution from Coach Jefferson."