A Night With The Stars Emerging Changemaker Awardee Highlight: The Blade Runners
At The Legacy Center St. Louis (TLC), a Network member, their after-school program serves as a hub where youth within the 24:1 community can explore their passions and unlock their potential. It is there where four young men – Tre’Air Jamison, Edgar Starr, Terrion Tanksley and Kalil Wooden came together to form The Blade Runners, a youth-led lawn care and landscaping business. For their achievements, they were honored as one of our Emerging Changemaker Award recipients at our fourth annual A Night With the Stars Ceremony, held on December 12, 2025.
The Emerging Changemaker Award is defined as a young person who is making a positive impact in the 24:1 community, and for TLC, the Blade Runners is much more than a lawn care service. “Blade Runners represents a movement—one that blends entrepreneurship, skill-building, and community pride”, their nomination for the Emerging Changemaker Award said.
The Blade Runners provides residents with lawn care services, including lawn mowing, seasonal cleanup, and maintenance. Using guidance from the entrepreneurship program offered at TLC, the Blade Runners turned their idea into a full-fledged business, built on a subscription-based model that offers residents a single, affordable monthly fee covering all outdoor yard needs. Their business not only provides consistent service to neighbors but also serves as a teaching tool, offering lessons in budgeting, marketing, and customer care.
As they look ahead, Blade Runners use their business to help them work toward their futures. They plan to partner with St. Louis Community College, where each of them will earn college credit in business management and related trades. Also, Dr. Kynedra Ogunnaike, the Senior Counselor at Normandy High School, who was recognized at A Night With the Stars as a Community Collaboration Award recipient, plans to collaborate with each of them in the future to help their businesses excel.
“These young men embody the spirit of the Emerging Changemaker Award: they are innovators, collaborators, and community builders who have turned opportunity into impact. Their commitment to excellence and service has inspired peers throughout the 24:1 to think boldly about their own potential,” said their nomination.
For more information about The Legacy Center and their work in the 24:1, please click on the link above.
