Adom Appiah, An author at 13

When Adom Appiah was in the Seventh Grade at age 12, his History teacher challenged the class to find a community need and then conduct an independent research for a solution.

That project changed Adom’s life for good, as it became the launch pad for the birth of a non-profit organisation and the authoring of three books to motivate young people.

The soccer and basketball player of the Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina, USA, brainstormed and finally settled on a sports-oriented project.

 “I felt that helping my community through sports was important because sports is a unifier,” he said in an interview with the Junior Graphic in Accra.

The birth of Ball4Good
Adom founded Ball4Good, a non-profit organisation in 2016, with support from his family, his school and the community. He started organising celebrity basketball games and other activities to raise funds to support sporting activities in South Carolina.

“With the help of my family, the community and the Spartanburg County Foundation, I was able to raise $7,500 for the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Upstate,”  Adom said.

Since 2017, Ball4Good has supported 18 community organisations, including the local Boys & Girls Clubs of the Upstate, Miracle Hill Ministries, which serves homeless children and adults in South Carolina, and the Project Hope Foundation, which provides services for individuals of all ages with autism.

Adom’s books
“My experience with Ball4Good and the Spelling Bee inspired me to write my first book, KIDS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD (a book that inspires the youth to follow their passion),” he said.

“I realised that if I could do something like this, then other children, given the needed assistance, could also change the world,” he added.

Adom has twice competed in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the United States. In 2017, he tied for the 41st position out of more than 11 million participants. In 2018, he was eliminated before the semi-final round.

After his second Spelling Bee experience, he wrote a book to encourage children to do their best in whatever they chose to do. The title of that book is: BOUNCING BACK FROM FAILURE.

He released his third book, titled: Kids Can Change the World – Young Readers’ Edition, in 2019.
The Palmetto State Teachers Association in the US and many schools have recommended Adom's books for students.

Awards
Adom, who is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Talented Youth (CTY) writing programme, was named the South Carolina High School State Honoree for the prestigious Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recently.

Adom Appiah

He was also awarded a 2019 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, which is an award for outstanding young leaders.

Family
Adom is American by birth, but his parents are originally from Ghana. His mother, Mrs Marjorie Boafo Appiah, is an Akuapem, while his dad, Dr Kofi Appiah, is an Ashanti.

Mrs Appiah said Adom was a great child who loved to play video games, Oware and Ludu.

Adom, who is a motivational speaker for schools and groups around the world, said his favourite food was jollof and goat meat.

Gratitude
Adom was thankful to his History teacher, Mrs Kelsea Turner, for introducing the class project, as well as his mentor, Ms Mary Thomas; the Spartanburg County Foundation, his school, coaches, advisors and mum for helping him build Ball4Good.

 He was also grateful to all the children who volunteered, the players of the Ball4Good games and to everybody who helped with the fundraising process.

He expressed his appreciation to his family, especially his parents; his cousin Keona Boafo and his grandparents, Mr and Mrs Appiah in Kumasi, adding: “I am thankful to my maternal grandfather, Honourable William Boafo, for his advice and help in studying Latin root words. And  most of all, my grandmother, Mrs Salome Boafo, who helped me to study in all my Spelling Bees.”