Meet Lucas Rojas, the 16-year-old Miami student who turned one inclusive kickball game into a six-team league with 40+ players and 60+ teen volunteers, then won a $10,000 national young hero prize

A single kickball game gave 16-year-old Miami student Lucas Rojas an idea that grew far beyond one afternoon on the field. What began as a chance to bring people with special needs and student volunteers together through sport eventually became LINKball: Kickball for All, a free league with six teams, more than 40 players and more than 60 student volunteers. Rojas, a student at Christopher Columbus High School, created the programme after seeing the impact of an inclusive charity kickball game. According to Christopher Columbus High School, which detailed his journey, the initiative has now earned him national recognition and a $10,000 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes.How one kickball game sparked an ideaRojas first became involved in inclusive sports through CCHS LINK, a service programme at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami. While volunteering at an inclusive charity kickball game, he saw how a simple sporting activity could bring students together with people with special needs. The experience stayed with him. Rather than treating the event as a one-time opportunity, Rojas began thinking about how an inclusive sports programme could continue throughout the year.By the spring of his freshman year, that idea had become LINKball: Kickball for All. The programme was created to give people with special needs an opportunity to participate in organised sport while also allowing high school students to volunteer, form connections and become part of the activity. What started as a relatively small initiative gradually developed into a recurring league.From four teams to sixLINKball initially brought together four teams, 20 players with special needs and about 40 student volunteers. The programme has since grown to six teams, with more than 40 players and more than 60 student volunteers involved. The growth has transformed LINKball from a single inclusive sporting event into an organised league with fall and spring seasons.The programme is structured around participation and connection. Players with special needs are able to take part in a team sport, while student volunteers work alongside them during games and activities. This allows the volunteers to do more than simply assist; they become teammates and participants in the same experience. The programme has provided players with opportunities to build friendships, become part of a team and enjoy playing a sport in an inclusive setting. For the student volunteers, the experience offers another form of service. They get to interact directly with the players and develop relationships that continue over multiple seasons.The young founder behind LINKballRojas' involvement goes beyond creating the idea. He has taken an active leadership role in developing the programme and is also president of CCHS LINK. The initiative reflects his approach to community service: identify an opportunity for people to connect, then create something that can continue rather than ending after a single event.Kickball also helped make the concept accessible. Unlike sports that require extensive equipment or specialised facilities, kickball can be organised around basic sporting equipment and an open playing area. That makes it possible for a larger group of students and players to participate together. The emphasis is not solely on competition. LINKball is designed around inclusion, participation and relationships, giving players the chance to return season after season.A $10,000 Barron Prize recognitionRojas' work has now received recognition beyond his Miami school community. In September 2026, he was named one of the 2026 winners of the Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, a national award for young people who have made a significant positive difference to their communities or the environment. The 2026 Barron Prize recognised 25 young leaders between the ages of 8 and 18. Fifteen of those winners received $10,000 awards to support their education or continue their service work.Rojas was among the 15 recipients receiving the $10,000 award. He was selected from more than 750 second-round applicants. The recognition places his work alongside projects led by other young people across the United States. The annual prize highlights teenagers and children who have taken action on issues affecting their communities and created initiatives of their own. For Rojas, the award recognises the development of LINKball from an initial idea into an established programme involving dozens of players and volunteers.Why inclusive sport mattersAt the centre of LINKball is a straightforward idea: sport can provide a shared space where people who might not otherwise meet can participate together. For players with special needs, having a regular team and season gives them an opportunity to return to the same community repeatedly. The programme also creates space for friendships and social interaction beyond the game itself.Student volunteers benefit from that interaction as well. Instead of observing from the sidelines, they participate directly, helping create an environment where the players are treated as teammates. The programme therefore works in both directions. Players receive an opportunity to participate in sport, while volunteers gain experience working with and alongside people with different abilities. That approach has helped LINKball expand while keeping its original purpose intact.What began with one gameThe story of LINKball began with a single inclusive kickball event. Rojas could have simply volunteered, completed the activity and moved on to another project. Instead, the experience prompted him to consider what could happen if inclusive sport became a regular opportunity. That question eventually became a six-team league involving more than 40 players and more than 60 student volunteers. His $10,000 Barron Prize now gives the initiative national recognition while Rojas continues his high school years and his work with CCHS LINK.For the players and volunteers who take part, however, the significance of LINKball remains rooted in something much simpler than an award: having a place to play, meet others, form teams and return to the field together. What started with one kickball game has grown into a programme that gives inclusive sport a regular place in the community.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.