Rising Stars provides at-risk youth a valuable opportunity to receive a quality private education and build character through participation in team sports. The non-profit organization requires that students maintain high academic standards and give back to the community through numerous volunteer opportunities during the year. Here, Rising Stars founder Paul Savramis discusses some of these opportunities.
Q: Why does Rising Stars require that scholarship recipients participate in volunteer programs?
Paul Savramis: We believe that all children deserve their best chance at success. We do this by offering full and partial scholarships to boys in the Long Island area to attend private school. In return, our student athletes must, in a sense, repay the community by serving various organizations.
Q: What are some recent Rising Stars events?
Paul Savramis: One of our biggest, and one near to my heart, is the annual food drive we host in conjunction with Long Island Lutheran High School; we just held our 4th earlier this month. This event was unique in that we packed food boxes for 500 kids. The boxes contained food for an entire year and were distributed to children in Haiti as well as to local youth in our area.
Q: Does Rising Stars have any community events geared toward girls and young women?
Paul Savramis: We do, actually! Our girls’ teams recently took part in a female empowerment workshop entitled “Beautiful Me.” This event’s goal was to teach our young female athletes how to overcome adversity, even if it’s coming from within. We focused on helping these girls see their true value and how to build a solid foundation of self-worth by serving others.
Q: Are there any events scheduled for the near future?
Paul Savramis: Well, you never know when an opportunity is going to present itself! But, we do have a very special speaker coming to the CPAC auditorium on May 4th. Matt Long is an athlete and survivor who is scheduled to share his inspirational story. He is truly the most shining example I have ever seen of what can happen when giving up simply isn’t an option.