The pinnacle of CSL's dedication to community and student empowerment is the Sport and Entertainment Event Development class. SEED is a a two-semester course that teaches students to plan and manage a sporting event. Student don't just learn theory; they actively apply the curriculum to the real world, planning and executing sporting events for the Richmond community.

Most importantly, students are the decision makers — from conception to implementation to evaluation. They not only help local communities, they also learn by creating each event from the ground up.

Students gain hands-on experience in areas that include: 

• Sponsorship
• Timeliness
• Logistics and equipment
• Liability insurance
• Risk management
• Food and beverage operations
• Transportation and parking

Signature SEED events

Special Olympics Virginia: Big Feet Meet

The CSL partners with Special Olympics Virginia to coordinate this annual track and field meet for athletes with intellectual disabilities. More than 250 students from 13 different Richmond public middle and high schools participate in the Big Feet Meet. The event highlights the mission of Special Olympics Virginia: to give the athletes continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness; demonstrate courage; experience joy; and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.

Sportable: The Paralympic Experience

A long-time partner of the Center for Sport Leadership, Sportable offers recreational activities to people with physical and visual disabilities. The CSL has worked closely with Sportable to help create and implement an inspiring annual event to showcase some of the exciting things done regularly at Sportable. The Paralympic Experience, first held in 2012, highlights numerous Paralympic-style events. This event is designed to introduce both potential athletes and volunteers to Sportable. Furthermore, this event is an opportunity for current Sportable athletes to showcase their athletic skills and for current CSL students to showcase their event-management skills. CSL students also regularly volunteer at Sportable throughout the school year.

In an effort to raise awareness for adaptive sport athletes, CSL students worked with Sportable to launch a new event in 2018: a 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball tournament. This unique event featured Richmond-area businesses sponsoring teams, which competed in a March Madness-style competition. The event raised money for Sportable's mission to create opportunities and transform lives through adaptive sports.

The First Tee of Greater Richmond

Using golf as a platform for youth development, the First Tee of Greater Richmond works with the CSL each spring to host an event at one of their two local facilities. The First Tee’s mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. With the help of CSL students, kids cycle through nine golf-related stations, learning one of the First Tee’s core values with each activity.

Richmond Police Department: Day of Play

This annual event was inspired by a sociology class assignment in which CSL students were asked to come up with a social action project. The Day of Play brings together officers from the Richmond Police Department and members of the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Richmond, using sport as a vehicle to create social change. Through a variety of sports and recreational activities, youth from Richmond’s underserved East End community engage with the same law enforcement they see in their neighborhoods in a fun and positive way.

Other events

Three area events — Kickin 4 Kidz, Young Aces Open and Turn4Education — were first created by SEED students, and are now recurring annual events.

CSL students also volunteer with a variety of local organizations. Since 2005, students have helped staff Special Olympics competitions such as alpine skiing, basketball, bowling, volleyball, golf and swimming, as well as its annual fundraiser, the Polar Plunge.