The All Dorchester Sports & Leadership (ADSL) organization was formed 40 years ago to use athletic competition to help combat the youth violence and truancy that was plaguing the neighborhood from one side to the other.

Since then, ADSL has not strayed from its mission of keeping youth pointed in a positive direction, said Executive Director Candice Gartley during ADSL’s 40th anniversary gala at Venezia Restaurant on Dec. 6.

“There is still so much work to make sure this organization gets stronger,” she said, “but it continues to be deeply important for the times we’re experiencing. ADSL will continue to grow and be here for generations to come.”

The organization started in 1983 to bring all sections of the neighborhood together to promote peace through athletics, which included soccer, baseball, basketball, and other sports played on Town Field. Over time the organization added a Park League adult baseball team, a leadership/academic support program, and a wellness program at its Town Field headquarters, which current member Jaylen Barros said he always thought was a “bathhouse” until he was welcomed into the ADSL family.

While it was a thriving sports program in the 1980s and 1990s, ADSL moved into hard times until Gartley took the reins about 12 years ago. Since then, the organization has expanded from serving about 130 kids to some 2,100 annually through a wealth of successful programs – notably the growing basketball program, the critical academic/mentoring support, and girls softball.

Youth leaders Jaylen Barros, Ashakay Williams, and Damien Gichohi. Seth Daniel photo

ADSL chose to honor three individuals with Community Champion Awards on the big night, two of whom once played on its youth teams. State Sen. Nick Collins and state Rep. Dan Hunt both played baseball and other sports with ADSL, then went on to help champion the organization in the Legislature with budget earmarks to help keep ADSL solvent and thriving.

“ADSL has grown from a youth and mentoring program to a full-scale youth development organization,” said Collins. “I am committed to support this cause and am even more motivated to do so after tonight.”

The third honoree was Boston Police Officer Manny Dambreville, who in recent times happened upon ADSL and found it to be a great partner in his police work helping young people in need.

“ADSL is a miracle,” he said. “We need ADSL everywhere.”

Also offering an important perspective were a group of parents from the girls softball league, including Ann Walsh, Leslie Sammon, Ann Detweiler, and Virginia Benzan. Walsh, a long-time coach in the league, said girls’ softball was about to disappear in the neighborhood when ADSL stepped up to save it. Now, she said, it is thriving with more than 200 participants in a league that is more about fun and “trying things out” than it is about cut-throat competition.

Executive Director Candice Gartley and state Sen. and honoree Nick Collins. Seth Daniel photo

“It’s recreational; there are no cuts,” she said. “You can just play sports, and especially for girls in middle school and high school that’s important because they can suddenly see themselves as an athlete.”

From the participant perspective, members Jaylen Barros, Ashakay Williams, and Damien Gichohi spoke about their experiences and how ADSL helped them to improve their lives and point them in the right direction.

“I wasn’t always a good kid,” said Gichohi. “I found myself making the wrong decisions and thought I was all grown up. ADSL made me challenge that thought that I had to do it all by myself…It got me on the right track.”

Said Williams, “Most importantly, ADSL is where I found my confidence. ADSL brought me out of my shell. I didn’t like talking to people…ADSL taught me that even saying, ‘Hi,’ can help someone out and also break you out of your bubble.”

Jaime Buckley, ADSL director of operations, and Lois Savage. Seth Daniel photo

The ADSL Dads Workout Club from left: Mike Ritter, Jasen Lambright, Nate Oaks, and Andrew McDonnell. Seth Daniel photo