*

Tyrese Martin grew up in Allentown, starred in basketball at William Allen High School and made it all the way to playing with the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. Now, Tyrese wants to help other youngsters in Allentown and the surrounding Lehigh Valley find a path to success.

Tyrese is the newest Community Ambassador for St. Luke’s University Health Network, joining a cadre of other Lehigh Valley professional athletes who are dedicated to giving back to the communities where they first forged their success.

“A couple of years ago, I never thought I’d be in this position to help out kids like myself,” Tyrese said. “I want to impact kids and help them know the struggle is a path that can lead to success. Now that I have this platform, I can’t wait to help inspire others.”

From playing for legendary coach Doug Snyder at William Allen High School, to receiving mentorship from Allen High athletic director Randy Atiyeh, Martin understands the importance of surrounding himself with a great supportive team, and St. Luke’s, the Region’s Leader in Sports Medicine, fills that description for him.

“We’re really excited about adding Tyrese Martin to our Community Ambassadors,” said John Hauth, Senior Director for Sports Medicine Relationships at St. Luke’s.

“We’re really excited to launch a new relationship with him. He had a great relationship with his high school athletic trainer, Amy Cotter, and that allowed us to reconnect with him now.  He is a great kid and it’s been fun to watch him mature into an inspiring young man who is now a professional basketball player with the Atlanta Hawks.”

Tyrese has run basketball camps the past two summers in Allentown, and St. Luke’s will be partnering with him on that as well as help him form a charitable foundation that will give back to the community and the schools.

“This is a gift back to the Allentown Community,” Hauth said. “Tyrese is really all about giving back to his community, and as everyone knows, St. Luke’s is all in for Allentown. Adding a hometown young man of Tyrese’s character to the rest of our like-minded Community Ambassadors is a great asset to our community.”

“I feel blessed for this opportunity,” Tyrese said. “I think it’s going to benefit both myself and St. Luke’s in the long run, and I can’t wait to see what we can do to help improve our community.”