Healthy Minds. Healthy Bodies. Healthy Citizens.
Abena Addo
Executive Director & Founder
Abena Addo
Executive Director & Founder
Abena is the Founder & Executive Director of Aspire for Higher (A4H), a Black-led not for profit organization based in Canada. A4H's mission and vision is centered around health and wellness, community, education and entrepreneurship. Through Abena’s leadership, A4H has received over $3 million dollars of funding from the provincial and federal levels of the Canadian government including the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario.
Abena has a background as a Transportation Professional and Civil Engineer with over 8 years of experience leading business cases to support infrastructure planning projects in the GTA including the Ontario Line, a $16 billion dollar, 15.6 km subway project in Toronto. Throughout her career she has gained experience in engineering consulting including technical expertise and oversight for economic and financial models, negotiating public-private partnerships, strategy, project management and business transformation.
Alanna Garner
Director of Camps & Programs
Alanna Garner
Director of Camps & Programs
Alanna is the director of Summer Camps and Sport Programs for Aspire For Higher and a physical education teacher with over 10 years experience in managing camps, leagues and skill development sessions across the GTA. In her spare time she loves to give back to the community by coaching youth to ensure all children have the opportunity to participate in physical activity. Whether it is teaching in a classroom, coaching in the gym or training staff to become better coaches- she is committed to ensuring our youth build character on and off the courts. She attended the University of Toronto where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Education and was named an Academic All Canadian 5 years in a row for maintaining a 4.0GPA while representing the University of Toronto as a captain of their women's basketball team.
Christian Poyser
Head Coach
Christian Poyser
Head Coach
Christian Poyser is a very confident, outgoing, sociable, warm spirited and positive individual. Christian brings out the best in those around him both as a player and a coach. Christian has been involved with basketball for 17 plus years. He has been playing at an Elite level (OBA and AAU) for approximately 12 years for various teams throughout the GTA. In 2017 Christian played for the Jamaican Junior National Team at the FIBA Centrobasket U17 qualifier in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Christian was named back to back team MVP for Fletchers Meadow Arrows 2017 and 2018. He is committed to his community and improving the overall mental wellbeing of the youth as well as their athletic abilities.
J’mar Williams
Wellness Basketball Program Manager
J’mar Williams
Wellness Basketball Program Manager
J’mar Williams is a very ambitious, humorous, confident, understanding and honest individual. He has a special skill both as a coach and a player to make sure that the people around him push themselves to succeed. J’mar is a two-sport athlete and has had the opportunity to play both soccer and basketball at Elite Levels. During his time playing basketball as a youth and early teens he played for powerhouse basketball organizations such as Brampton Warriors, Motion Basketball and Team Breakdown. In 2012 J’mar was selected to be a part of the Team Ontario Basketball Training Camp. In 2014 and his first year of highschool J’mar found his new passion for soccer. Throughout his time playing soccer in school he was able to lead his highschool, Cardinal Leger to a ROPSSAA Championship.
Outside of school soccer, J’mar started to quickly move up the ranks and by grade 10 he was playing on North Mississauga’s League 1 team at the age of 15. In grade 12, he decided that he was going to attend post-secondary school in Canada and In 2018 J’mar received acceptance and a soccer scholarship to attend Durham College and was there until the completion of his Major in Sports Management. J’mar is dedicated to helping others become the best versions of themselves whether athletically or not. His main goal in life is to better his community by providing youth with opportunities and knowledge they need to succeed.
Hailee McGibbon-Corbin
Program Coordinator
Emmanuella Dwumfour
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
Emmanuella Dwumfour
Marketing & Communications Coordinator
With a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University in Canada’s capital city and double minors in Law and American Sign Language, Emmanuella has always pursued her passions. Her creativity knows no limits, as her love for storytelling, content creation, social media, and digital marketing has led her to work with YouTube channels, non-profits within her community, and even steps away from Brampton City Hall as a downtown ambassador and social media marketing guru. Aspire for Higher has always felt like a second home for Emmanuella, not only because it originated in her city, but also because her experience as a summer camp camper sparked her love for basketball and staying active. She went on to play on her high school junior basketball team in grade 10 and participated in intramural soccer and volleyball in university. Emmanuella’s goal is to continue her advocacy for communities whose voices are not being heard.