Legendary Legacies

about us

We use relationships to achieve unprecedented outcomes.

We serve the traditionally underserved

Legendary Legacies (LL) was founded by Ron due to the need he identified in his hometown of Worcester, MA based on years of service in the community. LL offers young men ages 17-24 the opportunity to develop the skills necessary to become productive citizens and maximize their God given potential by providing positive male adult role models through programming efforts.

These relationships are the backbone of our organization. LL offers mentoring, life skills development, case management, community outreach, family support services, recreational opportunities and local, national, and international service opportunities.

Our Mission

To equip young men with the tools to discover their purpose and live their passion for the betterment of their community.

Our Vision

To lead generations of young men through reconciliation to greater ownership of their destiny spiritually, socially, financially, and physically.

meet our team

Ronald Waddell

Executive Director, Co Founder

Ron is a certified transformational life coach through the Association for Christian Character Development, a certified Gang Specialist through The National Gang Crime and Research Center and a Certified Youth Mental Health Specialist.

He is a Certified Recovery Coach and holds a certificate in Nonprofit Management and Leadership from Boston University. He has completed and co-facilitated multiple re-entry training inside MA Houses of Corrections. He is present at a number of community and state events and speaks passionately and eloquently about issues affecting marginalized communities.

Ronald has experienced many of the issues that affect the targeted youth participants of the Legacy Builders program, and uses this experience to better relate to marginalized youth throughout the City of Worcester.

Gabriel Rodriguez

Outreach Director

Gabriel Rodriguez is the Director of Community Outreach Coordinator  for Legendary Legacies Inc., a non-profit in the city of Worcester, MA, dedicated to seeing young men ages 17-24 maximize their potential. 

Growing up in Worcester, Gabriel was gang involved for 10+ years and even dealt with periods of incarceration. After his last bid, he committed to make the necessary changes in his life to become a productive citizen.  Gabriel is a certified residential and youth care professional. He also holds certificates for gang counseling, and gangs and mental health through the NGCRC. 

In addition he holds a certificate from the youth worker training institute at Clark University.  He specializes in youth work and has devoted himself to helping youth change their lives and reach their potential.  Gabe is currently pursuing a degree in social work at Quinsigamond Community College.

Miguel Reyes

miguel reyes

Life Coach & Restorative Justice Leader

Miguel Ángel is a Re-entry Navigator and Life Coach at Legendary Legacies. He also is the organization’s Restorative Justice Certified Circle Keeper/Facilitator with over ten years of RJ experience as a practitioner.

Miguel brings invaluable insight to LL in our Re-entry area of service with eighteen years of lived experience within the “Criminal Legal System” as a youthful offender. As an advocate for “Criminal Legal System” reform Miguel has done work with Massachusetts Parole Board, DOC, HOC and DYS.

Miguel’s lived experience, College level education as well as numerous certifications in various disciplines, translates into passion for serving the Worcester community and beyond.

Yetziann Ortiz

Program Director

Yetziann Ortiz is a compassionate, dedicated, and driven human service professional. She is relentless in assisting individuals in achieving their full potential. Before joining Legendary Legacies Inc, she was the Program Coordinator for YouthWorks, a summer employment program that places 250 young people a year at community partners across the city of Worcester.

Yetziann seamlessly incorporates her experience as an educator into her program design efforts. She successfully designed and launched the Legacy Voting program focusing on educating young men to increase civic engagement. As the Program Coordinator for Legacy Links, she is the hub of communication between community partners and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and a minor in Early Childhood Education. She is also a passionate advocate for Autism Awareness.

Edgardo Pizarro

edgardo pizarro

Crisis Response Team Coordinator

Edgardo has become one of our newest addition to the Legendary Legacies Family. He is a Life Coach Navigator in our Crisis Response Team.
Edgardo has a passion to serve the youth and provide them the resources they need to help them reach their full potential. Coming from a tough background in the barrios of Puerto Rico, Egardo understands the hardships that come from a broken home. With his own personal experiences, he hopes to bring light to those whom are hopeless and need direction with compassion and empathy.
During his leisurely time he enjoys spending time with his growing family and play basketball.

eddie "Bebe" lavergne

Life Coach

Eddie Lavergne is one of LL’s navigators, working under the Safe & Successful Youth Initiative (SSYI) grant. Eddie is dedicated to helping young men between the ages of 17-24 to maximize their potential and excel within their short-term and long-term goals.

Eddie has an associate degree in Human Services from Quinsigamond Community College. He is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Human Services at Springfield College. In addition, Eddie holds a certificate from the Youth Worker Training Institute at Clark University, as well as certificates in crisis response and motivational interviewing, among others.

Eddie’s passion is to see the young men of his community succeed and help navigate the many obstacles of labeling and marginalization.

John Graham

Life Coach/ Navigator

John has 20 years of experience in the Correctional field. John has an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Ma, and a Bachelor of Social Sciences with a Concentration in Criminal Justice from Assumption University in Worcester, Ma. He is certified in Assisting Individuals in Crisis and in Group Intervention, through (ICISF) International Critical Incident Stress Foundation Inc. John is also certified in CPR/First Responder and AED.

John has a passion for helping young black and Latino men change the narrative on how their lives should look in our society today. John believes by showing them a strong positive male presence, which includes fostering fatherhood, brotherhood, mentorship, and letting them know that taking care of their mental health is by far one of the most important things they can do to become successful.