Lowndes Associated Ministries to People, better known as LAMP, will welcome Heisman trophy winner and former NBA basketball player Charlie Ward, Jr. as their 2016 Changing Lives Dinner keynote speaker.  The dinner will be held February 11, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. in the Valdosta State University Student Union Ballroom.  Corporate tables and sponsorships are available.  More information can be found at lampinc.org, or by contacting LAMP Executive Director Sam McCord at (229) 300-0649.

The most decorated player in the history of college football, Charlie Ward won literally every award he was eligible for as a senior quarterback on Florida State’s 1993 National Championship team.  A native of nearby Thomasville, Georgia, Ward became Florida State’s first Heisman Trophy winner in 1993.

On the basketball court, Ward pushed the Seminoles to the brink of the 1993 Final Four, falling just one game shy.  Ward was selected in the 1st round of the 1994 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks.  To this day, Ward is the only Heisman Trophy winner to play in the NBA.  In his 12 NBA seasons, Charlie played 630 games scoring 3,947 points, dishing out 2,539 assists, and a total of 1,648 rebounds.

Off the court, Charlie became known for his extensive charitable work through groups like the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.  Charlie established The aWard Foundation to enhance the lives of young people through sports-based mentoring and educational programs.  In 2011, at the NCAA Final Four, Ward received the John Wooden Keys to Life award given for continued excellence and integrity on and off the court.

In June 2007, having passed on many professional sports opportunities, Ward was hired as an assistant coach of Westbury Christian School's varsity boys’ basketball team in Houston, Texas.  In addition, Ward accepted the job of head coach for the varsity football team at Westbury Christian School in November 2007, stating that his desire is to help prepare young minds for Christ.  In February 2014, Ward accepted the head coaching position at Booker T. Washington High School in Pensacola, Florida, where he and his family reside today.