via Esquire

Notorious bad boy rapper Snoop Dogg has gone from gangster to do-gooder, and a lot of high school football players are very thankful he did. A few years ago, Snoop noticed that a lot of schools in impoverished Los Angeles neighborhoods had no football programs, so he started the Snoop Youth Football League, which keeps boys off the street and teaches them to focus their energies on football. The players also get much-needed male role models in the form of coaches - yep, even Snoop coaches a team. Now, the first players in the program have grown up and moved on to high school football, and it looks like their time in the league is paying off - nine of his former players have gone on to join the Crenshaw High School Cougars, who are playing this weekend in the California state championship. Good luck guys!

The dropout rate at Crenshaw is about 40% and nearly 70% of students receive subsidized lunches. Inspired by Snoop? You can volunteer to help a youth team or after school program in your area, and be sure to read our background on high school dropouts for more info on this issue.