Welcome to our continuation installment of Empowering Everyone – this is our take on how we can help spread the news about amazing people doing creatively engaging events around our country. Check out our interview with Jasmine Ray – founder of Wallball.
TREMG: WHY DID YOU DEVELOP A HANDBALL EVENT, WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND IT?
JR- I organized a handball tournament in memory of my Brother who transitioned due to a car accident 10 years ago. I was stunned at the amount of ppl who engaged in the sport. I took this sport on as a way to provide another outlet for teens and young adults as a way to further honor my Brother with the hopes that we could prevent further tragedy by providing positive outlets.
TREMG: A LOT OF WOMEN ARE DOING THINGS AND TAKING UP SPACES ONCE SOLELY ROAMED BY MALES, DO YOU FEEL EXTRA EMPOWERED?
JR- I come from a lineage of strong women who always made a way for themselves. My Grandmother moved from Puerto Rico to NYC with 3 kids, worked 2 jobs and put herself through nursing school. We don’t shy away from hard work or challenges and I don’t use my male counterparts as a metric to measure my progress in a particular industry. I’m a 4th degree black belt who fought the guys just as hard as I fought the girls
TREMG: YOU WORK WITH CHILDREN, DO YOU THINK IN 2019 THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS MORE ENERGY ON THE GENERATIONS COMING UP?
JR- I always thought it was wise to empower the next generation. Otherwise, all of our work will be done in vain.
TREMG: DO YOU DAY DREAM?
JR- Everyday!
TREMG: WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO CREATE WALL BALL AND DID YOU HAVE HELP FROM YOUR IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY?
JR- Ironically, the Wallball community disliked the organization for many years in the beginning. Ppl complained that we were too strict and had no credibility. Clearly, that has changed overtime as we are now the governing body of the sport in the United States according to The World Handball Council (WHC).
I first filed for an LLC, then realized Wallball needed to be a nonprofit in order to raise funding. I built a website, a social media platform, etc. Once the foundation was built I began building the infrastructure, internal controls, board of directors, staffing and began hosting events. It was all trial and error from there.
TREMG: IN THE WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA, I BELIEVE MORE NEGATIVITY GETS ATTENTION, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH INSTAGRAM?
JR- If you look through all my social media accounts you may realize a consistent trend – #PositiveVibesOnly I believe a balance exists in all things, good and bad, light and dark. Negativity is simply a degree of positivity, just on the opposite pole. Nothing more.
TREMG: WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF THIS TIME NEXT YEAR?
JR- Building a Wallball stadium, honoring my Brother, raising my son, making investments, drinking green tea, meditating, praying, traveling, being grateful….
Follow Jasmine Ray and Wallball on Instagram –
About The Author
