Team BHG

Blood Heart Group street team is called TEAM BHG. TEAM stand for Teach Educate Activate Motivate. Following the One-for-One business model, Team BHG has created the “Buy A Heart. Give A Heart” initiative. TEAM BHG is comprised of professional and collegiate minority athletes who travel across the country and abroad to reach out to disadvantaged youth by providing a motivational message, tools, laughs, and a cool T from their line. TEAM BHG has visited 6 countries thus far and has gifted over 2,000 t-shirts to underprivileged children.

TEAM BHG also operates a program that takes disadvantaged American kids oversees to see the conditions that other people live under on a daily basis. TEAM BHG provides these youths with the opportunity of a lifetime by teaching and immersing these kids with the rich history of each image and message on the shirts spanning many cultures.

Check out some of the pics and video below of TEAM BHG in action!

Michael’s Bio

Michael Gomez is the founder and main artery of the Blood Heart Group, LLC (BHG).  The Blood Heart Group’s focus on providing knowledge and inspiration through its apparel and community outreach is truly unique in today’s fashion industry.  BHG is driven by the belief that fashion can educate, make a statement, and be trendy.  BHG is dedicated to packing centuries of culture and thought into every item of apparel in its clothing line, highlighting important historical heroes from across the world.  The Company has pledged to use mostly organic, sustainable and environmentally friendly products and materials.  Following the One-for-One business model, TEAM BHG has created the “Buy A Heart. Give A Heart” initiative, supported by a group of professional and collegiate minority athletes who travel across the country and abroad to reach out to disadvantaged youth, providing a motivational message, laughs and a cool T from their line. BHG has visited three countries thus far and has donated over 1,000 T-shirts to underprivileged children.

Michael’s Story

Michael was born in 1981 to parents of Portuguese, Hispanic and African-American descent, and moved around a lot during his first few years of life. He was born into a family with a long history of drug abuse and alcoholism, dating back to the early 1900s. In keeping with family tradition, Michael’s parents were both drug addicts and alcoholics. At the age of 5, Michael was abandoned by his father, and shortly thereafter by his mother. He became a ward of the State of California in 1987, and moved between the care of the state and his maternal grandfather’s house. At the mercy of a chaotic upbringing, Michael endured emotional, physical and sexual abuse from ages 6 through 17. Despite the challenges he faced, Michael always demonstrated an extremely high intelligence level, and he was an extremely bright child who learned to walk, talk and read before the age of 2. Michael continued to flourish academically, testing into gifted schools at the age of 7.

Childhood was a rigorous test of strength and survival for Michael, growing up in poverty with no parents. “Just imagine that you have no one who cares about you. You get beat up mentally and physically destroyed every single day,” Michael says. “And then you have to go to school every day on top of that. Often people who go through those experiences become vagrants, serial killers or really depressed people who inflict damage unto themselves.” Despite all of the turmoil and abuse he endured, Michael persevered with an iron will, keeping up with his studies and attending school. No one around Michael had any idea about his tumultuous home life.

“I never used my lot in life to get sympathy.  I just wanted to be a normal kid.”

“It was tough because all the things that normal kids had, I didn’t,” Michael says. “No one ever noticed that I never had anyone show up for parent-teacher meetings, graduations or any sporting events. In high school, people called me ‘Bum’ because I did not had any new clothes. I had three pairs of pants from ninth to 11th grade,” Michael recalls.

“It never really fazed me though because I was determined to make it.”

“I knew that I was smarter than most people and that would get me through all the troubles I had,” Michael says. “By the time I was 8, I had read an entire encyclopedia set numerous times. I knew about foreign lands and courageous people. My goal was to be a U.S. Senator. I knew my mind would lead me to all I hoped and dreamed for.”

Michael’s strong motivation to succeed led him to sports. “I was an uncoordinated and goofy kid,” says Michael.  But by the time he started high school, he hit a growth spurt that shot him to stand at 6’3” by the 11th grade. His coordination improved and he grew into a “serviceable” football and basketball player. As Michael built upon his skills with grit, determination and hard work, he blossomed into a sought-after athlete. Michael started to gain the interest of football recruiters from several colleges, and he realized that sports might be the way to escape his tumultuous surroundings.

Michael became an All-Conference basketball and football player in 12th grade, which was no easy venture. He earned it through hard work and dedication, pushing himself to train year-round to increase his skill level to match his athleticism. Although he was a better football player than basketball player, Michael decided to stick with basketball because it offered more of a challenge.

Michael attended a few colleges before he decided to play basketball at Johnson & Wales University in Denver, Colorado.  “JWU took me to the next level as a player,” he says. “JWU challenged me not only to be a good student but a good player. The school supported our team and our coach demanded the most out of us. I never thought I could be a pro until I went to JWU.” Michael responded with scoring and rebound averages that placed him in the Top 25 of Division II players. He won numerous awards and was a D-II All-American nominee, as well as a Choice of Character award-winner – an honor bestowed upon the best students nationally who demonstrate excellence on the court, in the classroom and in the community. Michael applied the same dedication and determination from the ball court to the classroom by landing on the Honor Roll and Dean’s List at JWU.

Michael made his way into the eyes of professional overseas coaches after a particularly powerful performance against Div-II Powerhouse Metro State. Coach Mike Dunlap, head of Metro State’s basketball team, was one of the top coaches in America at the time. Michael contacted Dunlap, who in turn championed great recommendations on his behalf, helping him land a contract to play basketball professionally in Australia.

In addition to playing in Australia, Michael played throughout the Middle East and Europe. His last club was Sport Lisboa E Benfica in Portugal, one of the most storied sports clubs in the world, with the largest fan membership. “Benfica was an amazing experience. It was very professional and operated like any NBA franchise. We practiced three times a day and went throughout Portugal to talk to kids. We played on national TV and had billboards all over.  It was such a great experience.” Michael ended up being one of the Portuguese league’s top three-point shooters. Playing at that level also led Michael to believe that he could play at the NBA level. “I played with NBA players in college but never did I think that I would be able to compete on that level,” he says.

After playing overseas, Michael was extended an invitation to train during the summer with the Denver Nuggets, including basketball greats Carmelo Anthony, Nene and Chauncey Billups.  “I was nervous,” Michael says. “I had successes in basketball, but never thought I would be playing against some of the best players on Earth. But I knew I could play at that level. With some breaks and some looks here and there, I felt confident that I could make it to the big show (NBA) at some point.”

But when Michael returned to the States, he began to realize that life was not just about basketball anymore.

“I have had success in sports and school. It was time to do my part in making a difference in the world.”

Through his world travels, Michael noticed that American kids are not on the same educational level as European and Australian kids. He also noticed that Americans, in general, are not aware of many historical figures and events that have shaped the world socially, geographically and politically. Michael decided that something needed to be done in order to raise the awareness of American children, but he wanted to take a unique approach in educating the youth. “I wanted to make something that would be cool for kids and adults but at the same time spread a positive message,” he says. “I figured clothes will always be around and relevant to everyone.  Why not make clothes that are cool and educational at the same time?”

And so, Blood Heart Group was born.

Michael built BHG based believing that people need to know about the struggles and triumphs that others have experienced in order to help shape our future, creating a company that stands apart from the crowd. “I don’t want Blood Heart Group to be like other companies,” Michael says. “I don’t want to be a guy making millionsof dollars a year selling clothes that teach and not go beyond that,” Michael says.

“We as a human race, more than ever, need to go the extra mile. Our society and our kids don’t need semantics and rhetoric anymore. They need us to step up from under the guise of constant entertainment and political correctness to address the dire issues we face on a daily basis.”

BHG rolled out its environmentally conscious apparel line in early 2008, with images of then-future president Barack Obama, Aung San Suu Kyi, Benazir Bhutto, Nelson Mandela, Jackie Robinson, Caesar Chavez, Oscar Schindler, Amelia Earhart and Marie Curie.  The apparel shares the inspiring stories of each of these historic heroes. BHG believes that history provides countless examples of individuals who have shaped the world through their strength, courage and wisdom and honors these leaders of human history with ‘T-shirts that teach.’    

In addition to the BHG apparel line, Michael started TEAM BHG. The team, comprised of professional and collegiate athletes, will be the vehicle to execute the “Buy a Heart. Give a Heart” initiative. TEAM BHG will tour schools nationwide to share the message with our youth that history is full of people, just like them and Michael, who have stepped up to the challenge to make a difference, no matter how difficult their lives have been.

“We want to change lives as much as we want to sell shirts.”

TEAM BHG also plans on developing a program that will take American kids oversees to see the conditions that other people live under on a daily basis.  “Americans are probably the least traveled group in the first world,” Michael says. “The American dream is based in tangibility – things we can own and posses. If all of what we see is what we can buy or how we can party, then how can we properly understand what’s going on in the world? We have been desensitized as a people. If we let people, and especially kids, see what’s going on in Pakistan, Sudan, Paraguay and Siberia, maybe they would have a different view on life and we wouldn’t have all the hate and lack of compassion we have in our country,” says Michael. “Maybe it would spark a cultural revolution.  Maybe it would just help kids read more.  There’s nothing to lose; if you don’t try something, it will never work 100% of the time.” BHG will provide inner city youth with the opportunity of a lifetime by teaching and immersing them with the rich history of each image and message on the shirts, which span many cultures.

Although it might seem to the layperson that Michael has had an overwhelmingly difficult life, his positive energy is contagious, igniting motivation in everyone around him. “I never take one single day for granted,” Michael says. “I love my family and my friends and I go as hard as I can. Many nights, I just pass out due to simple exhaustion. But I promise that I will live life to the fullest. And I promise, no matter on what scale, BHG will succeed! Most importantly, I promise to try my best to put BHG in front of as many people as I possibly can! A change in one person can be the spark to a revolution. My goal now is to find that person!”