Joseph Hooks is an emerging leader, minority small-business owner, community advocate and coach. He created the 480 Club in 2014 to train and mentor young student-athletes from the Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village community where he grew up with a goal of doing do for 480 minutes per week. Last year, the Montgomery County Council proclaimed February 24th “Joe Hooks Day”, an honor Joe is celebrating again with friends this year.
In recent years the 480 Club has hosted annual shoe drives for Watkins Mill High School (the high school Hooks graduated from) and local group homes, sports clinics and camps, and sports equipment donations to the underprivileged. They have also also supported local community events with food, entertainment, and guest speaking appearances. Last year, Montgomery County Councilmembers Sidney Kaatz and Dawn Luedtke said the following about Hooks and the 480 club during a banquet.
“I was honored to help celebrate the tenth anniversary of the 480 Club and founder Joseph Hooks, who has done so much to train and mentor students in Montgomery Village and Gaithersburg. Joseph and 480 Club have also provided mentoring through the school system’s Excel Beyond the Bell program and are a tremendous positive force providing access to athletic training, social-emotional learning, and more. Congratulations to the 480 Club!”
A video by Mike Springirth, for Montgomery County, can be seen below: