Our History
In 2011, Doug Probst shared an idea with Roger Rawlins and Bill Jordan - two of his fellow executives at retailer DSW Inc. (a.k.a Designer Shoe Warehouse). The concept was to create a team of like-minded and successful professionals to coach gritty high school student-athletes by leveraging mutual appreciation for the life lessons learned through participation in athletics. The creation of a focused, one-year program with a team-based approach would enable meaningful coaching without requiring an overwhelming demand of time.
After sharing stories of the negative impact of poor first impressions they established a framework for the program and the Handshake Foundation was born. On February 9, 2012 they had their first coaching session with three student-athletes in Central Ohio. To accommodate future growth, the name was changed to Handshake America in 2015. So far, the Program has expanded into Metro Atlanta, Western North Carolina and Charlotte.
Through 2024, we've coached 534 student-athletes for success in life and granted nearly $600,000 in scholarships. Our Student Alumni have gone on to enroll in 130 colleges in 25 states and are positively influencing others in their communities.
Learn more about the inspiration that fueled the launch of our coaching and scholarship program, in Handshake America’s Story of Impact, published by the Columbus Foundation