The Kodjoe Family Foundation
Sophie’s Voice Foundation was founded in 2008 by actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker in honor of their daughter Sophie who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. By dedicating themselves to a healthy lifestyle they found ways to address not only their daughters mental, physical and medical needs but also the needs of their entire family. Boris and Nicole have committed their resources and celebrity to educating multicultural communities worldwide on the importance of families working together to build healthy lifestyle habits one day at a time.
In December 2011, SVF established The Center for Spina Bifida Research, Prevention and Policy (CSB) at Emory University in Atlanta. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory School of Medicine and the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory are also founding partners for this center, which seeks to provide national and international leadership in healthcare for individuals with spina bifida. CSB initiatives include the total global prevention of folic acid-preventable spina bifida and the transition for children from pediatric healthcare into accessible adult healthcare.
Nicole and Boris are extremely excited and motivated to be a voice for those unheard and to provide education about prevention and a possible cure for this most preventable birth defect.
As our children got older and grew more and more interested in some of our initiatives and projects, we decided to expand the work of the Foundation to accommodate some of Sophie and Nicolas’ social and cultural activism interests. As of June 2019 we have changed the name to the Kodjoe Family Foundation.
Board of Directors
Boris Kodjoe
Nicole Ari Parker
Regina Boone
Vicki Palmer
Steve Ewing
James Brown
Patrick Kodjoe
Avis Richards
Cathie Hartnett – Executive Director
Our Story
2008
Origins: Sophie’s Voice Foundation
The Kodjoe Family Foundation began in 2008 as Sophie’s Voice Foundation (SVF), created by actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker in honor of their daughter Sophie, who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. Inspired by their journey, Boris and Nicole dedicated themselves to promoting healthy lifestyles—not only to meet Sophie’s medical and emotional needs but also to support families everywhere in building healthier lives together.
2011
Advancing Research and Prevention
In December 2011, SVF partnered with Emory University to establish The Center for Spina Bifida Research, Prevention and Policy (CSB) in Atlanta. Together with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, the Emory School of Medicine, and the Rollins School of Public Health, the center became a leader in national and international efforts to:
- Prevent folic acid-preventable spina bifida worldwide
- Improve healthcare transitions from childhood to adulthood for those living with spina bifida
2011–2018
Expanding Advocacy
Throughout the following years, Boris and Nicole used their voices and platforms to shine a light on preventable birth defects and the importance of education and wellness in multicultural communities. Their advocacy extended beyond spina bifida, sparking broader conversations about prevention, healthcare, and equity for underserved families.
2019
A Family Foundation
As Sophie and Nicolas grew older, they began engaging with the foundation’s mission, bringing their own social and cultural activism to its work. To reflect this family-wide commitment, the foundation was renamed The Kodjoe Family Foundation in June 2019. Today, the foundation continues to champion health, prevention, and empowerment—building on its roots while expanding into new initiatives led by the entire Kodjoe family.
2025
The Future
Looking ahead, the Kodjoe Family Foundation is expanding its global reach with a renewed focus on health, education, and community empowerment. Through the LOVE ALL Scholarship Program, the foundation creates opportunities for young students of color, opening doors to higher education and leadership development. At the same time, FULL CIRCLE AFRICA builds bridges between the diaspora and Africa, transforming the narrative from one of charity and aid dependency to one of economic development, investment, and shared opportunity.
With these initiatives, the foundation continues to inspire families, uplift communities, and strengthen global connections—guided by the belief that healthier, empowered families are the foundation of a brighter future for all.
Boris Kodjoe
Boris Kodjoe is an actor, director, producer, investor and philanthropist. Known for his roles in the ABC Grey’s Anatomy spin-off hit series Station 19, House Of Cards, The Last Man on Earth, Brown Sugar, Soul Food, the Resident Evil franchise, and The Real Husbands Of Hollywood, his movies have grossed over $1 billion at the box office.
Boris is a German/Ghanaian dual citizen who received his bachelor’s degree in Business from Virginia Commonwealth University where he attended on a tennis scholarship. He has 25+ years of business development and advisory expertise in entertainment, media and tech.
Boris co-founded “Full Circle Festival” that brings together business leaders, cultural influencers, and government officials to create synergies around economic development and Africa-focused investment opportunities. His efforts have helped generate over $10 billion of tourism revenue for the Ghanian economy since 2019.
In May of this year, he launched an African Film Fund in partnership with Afreximbank, FEDA and the Interlink Group, a vertically integrated content value chain dedicated to financing scalable African and diaspora storytelling. Its mission is to deliver strong investor returns while transforming Africa’s creative economy, shifting global perceptions, and empowering a new generation of storytellers to shape culture with authenticity, innovation, and excellence.
He and his wife, Nicole Ari Parker, have built the successful GymWrap fitness apparel line with a wide retail and online presence while supporting health and wellness initiatives for underserved communities via their Kodjoe Family Foundation. Through the foundation’s “Love All Scholarship Program” they sponsor black High School students who show promise in the classroom and on the tennis court. The program’s mission is to give students an opportunity to develop their talents in order to gain valuable life skills as well as access to a college education.
Nicole Ari Parker
Seven-time NAACP Image Award nominated actor, producer, and entrepreneur Nicole Ari Parker currently stars in season 3 of the Max hit “And Just Like That”, the wildly successful reboot of the iconic comedy Sex and The City.
Parker is best known for her outstanding performance as Teri Joseph on Showtime’s award-winning original series “Soul Food” and has previously been featured in a variety of hit television series including NBC’s “Chicago P.D.”, Fox’s “Empire”, Amazon’s “The Romanoffs” and Showtime’s “I’m Dying up Here”. On the big screen she starred in such hits as “Boogie Nights” with Marc Wahlberg and Don Cheadle, opposite Denzel Washington in “Remember The Titans”, with Eddie Murphy in “Imagine That”, alongside Forest Whitaker in “How It Ends”, in “Brown Sugar” with her husband Boris Kodjoe and in “Almost Christmas” opposite Danny Glover and Gabrielle Union.
Parker commanded the stage at the Broadhurst Theater in her 2012 Broadway debut as Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” opposite Blair Underwood for director Emily Mann. Her powerful performance as Blanche earned her an Outer Critics Award nomination. In 2014, she reunited with director Emily Mann as Cleopatra in “Antony and Cleopatra” at the McCarter Theatre Center. Parker is a graduate of NYU’s famed Tisch School of the Arts, Circle in the Square Studio. She received a special award at the Urban World Film Festival, for Outstanding Body of Work as an Actress.
Last year, in 2023, Parker starred in the Off-Broadway World Premiere of Nathan Alan Davis’ “The Refuge Plays”, in a limited engagement at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. Her transcendent performance won her a 2042 Lucille Lortel Award nomination.
In 2012, Parker created and launched The GymWrap™ — a fitness apparel company featuring stylish headbands developed to minimize sweat absorption through a unique blend of materials and patented technology that allows heat to escape while letting cool air in. The GymWrap is sold online and in over 1400 retail outlets nationwide.
Parker and her husband founded the Kodjoe Family Foundation, a charitable organization to raise awareness for global health and wellness initiatives in multicultural communities. The Kodjoe Family Foundation is leading an international effort to prevent neural tube birth defects worldwide.
She lives between New York and Los Angeles with her husband, their two kids and dogs Max & Teddy.
Thank You to Our Partners
This work is only possible through the support of our incredible partners who share our vision for equity and excellence in tennis and beyond. A heartfelt thank you to: