History Team Focus

Team Focus is a comprehensive community and outreach program founded by Mike and Mickey Gottfried. Mike’s vision and drive for the program is based on his own life experiences. Gottfried states: “Growing up without a father around and knowing what it feels like, I have a desire to provide a place for young men to come and be encouraged, motivated, and challenged.” The goal of Team Focus is to provide young men that do have a father figure in their life, ages 10 – 18 with leadership skills, guidance, Godly values, and a continual relationship with a mentor. Through teamwork with families, teachers and counselors, Team Focus offers support in a relaxed, cost-free atmosphere.

The first “Camp Focus” was held in Mobile, AL during the summer of 2000. the camp was structured to provide guidance in the lives of these young men and help with individual needs. Along with athletic values, the young men selected for camp were exposed to a wide variety of social and educational skills intended to help them as they advance through school and their lives. In 2002 Camp Focus grew to two camps, one in Moible, AL and a second Camp Focus in Ashland, OH. The summer of 2003, four camps were held in three cities: Mobile, AL; Ashland, OH; Maryville, TN. From 2004 to the present, there has been between four and seven leadership camps held each summer across the country. Today, summer leadership camps are held in Texas, Alabama, Washington D.C., Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan, Texas, and California.

Mike’s vision for the participants at camp goes beyond the five day leadership camp during the summer. This led to the formation of “Team Focus”. Team Focus consists of all the camps and it provides inspirational, community, social and academic guidance. Team Focus provides activities throughout the year for its members to develop life-long friendships and participate in new and different life experiences.

During the summer of 2006, the first “Team Focus United Rally” was held in Mobile, AL on the campus of Spring Hill College. This event was the product of a vision that Co-Founder Mickey Gottfried had for several years to get young men from the many Team Focus camps across the country to get together in one place for one big Team Focus event. Over 600 Team Focus members from 28 different states attended the four day leadership rally.

In the summer of 2007, Team Focus was much honored to have The First Lady of the United States Mrs. Laura Bush come to Mobile, AL to visit Team Focus during the National Camp. Mrs. Bush watched the Team Focus campers during a team work activity; listened to several of the campers tell their “story”; and was apart of a panel discussion with Team Focus campers, mothers, mentors, and Coach Mike Gottfried.

Team Focus has grown tremendously over the years and the organization continues to move forward “guiding young men to the ultimate victory.”