Alabama A&M Partners with Flowers of the Future Foundation for Third Annual Community Event

Alabama A&M University will host the third annual Flourish: Mental Health Symposium on Saturday, March 28, at noon in the Dawson Building Auditorium. The free event will bring together students, athletes, community members and leaders for a day of open conversation focused on mental wellness, leadership and personal growth.

The symposium is presented in partnership with the Flowers of the Future Foundation, founded by two-time Super Bowl champion Trey Flowers in collaboration with the Players Coalition. The initiative was created to foster honest dialogue, shared experiences and meaningful connections while empowering the next generation through sport, service and community engagement.

Headlining this year’s symposium is former NFL first-round draft pick Marcus Smith II, who has transformed his professional sports career into a platform for mental health advocacy and leadership development. Smith is a life coach, entrepreneur and television correspondent who serves as CEO of The Circle of M, Inc. and director of athlete wellness at Refine Recovery. Through his nonprofit work, podcast and partnerships with organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Smith focuses on breaking stigma surrounding mental health and helping individuals pursue lasting wellness.

Joining Smith on the panel will be several leaders in athletics, mental health and student wellness.

Dr. Lauren Beasley is an assistant professor of sport administration at Georgia State University whose research and teaching focus on athlete development, leadership and sport management.

Allen Ervin is a former NFL athlete and sports performance coach who now works with athletes on performance, discipline and life beyond sports.

Dr. Rae’ Nicole Lundy is a licensed clinical psychologist and director of Counseling Services at Georgia State University, where she leads initiatives supporting student mental health and well-being.

The symposium’s community partnership is led by Huntsville native Trey Flowers, who founded the Flowers of the Future Foundation to support at-risk youth through education, scholarships and community outreach. Flowers has played defensive end and linebacker in the NFL for the New England Patriots, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. During his career, he earned two Super Bowl championships with New England while recording 31.5 career sacks and more than 260 tackles. In 2020, he was nominated by the Detroit Lions for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in recognition of his philanthropic work.

Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with panelists during an interactive question-and-answer session and participate in breakout discussions on mindfulness, stress management and holistic well-being.

For more information about the foundation and its programs, follow Flowers of The Future Foundation on Instagram.