Paul Savramis

Paul Savramis: Rising Stars Math & Magic a Hit with Students

Math isn’t everyone’s favorite subject, according to educator and Rising Stars founder Paul Savramis. However, it seems one outstanding Rising Stars volunteer has figured out a way to magically compel students to power through even the toughest of equations.

Seth Rosen, a longtime friend to the Rising Stars youth basketball program, is one of the area’s leading advocates of improving America’s math skills. And, as far as Paul Savramis and the 6th and 7th grade Bayshore and Queens Teams are concerned, Seth has at least one trick up his sleeve to advances his cause.

Seth is the founder of the Math & Magic program at Rising Stars. Unlike traditional tutoring, Seth incorporates magic and mystery and to his lesson plan. While it might seem like fun and games, Paul Savramis reports there have been a host of practical and tangible benefits arising from his sessions. At least half a dozen Rising Star’s participants have enrolled in the Math & Magic program. These young student athletes now have the tools to look at math with eyes full of wonder and curiosity instead of a heart full of dread and trepidation.

Rising Stars Co-Founder Paul Savramis Promotes Empowerment Workshop for Girls

Young women have so many obstacles in their path as they try to define “beauty,” says Paul Savramis, co-founder of Rising Stars Foundation. Airbrushed magazine covers and other altered realities make it difficult to know what real beauty looks like, or that it comes from within. Recently, Rising Stars hosted “Beautiful Me,” a workshop for girls aged 10 to 17 to help them discover what is really beautiful about themselves. Here, Savramis addresses the issue and explains the program.

Q: How did the participants define beauty of the beginning of the program versus the end?

Paul Savramis: We asked over 60 female student-athletes from early adolescence through the age of 17 to describe beauty. At first, names of celebrities were tossed around, and not much else. However, once these young ladies were offered a different perspective, they began to understand the value of their own unique looks and personalities. At the end, each girl had a list of beautiful things about themselves to reflect upon.

Paul Savramis Supports Organ Donation, Partners with National Donate for Life Foundation

Rising Stars founder and President Paul Savramis is well aware of the need of organ donation. Rising Stars director of funding and close personal friend Althea Williams is a kidney transplant recipient and therefore, participating in a campaign with National Donate for Life Foundation was a no-brainer for him. The organization offers strong community and educational outreach programs to inform the public about organ donation.

Q: Is it fair to assume you are a supporter of organ donation?

Paul Savramis: Absolutely. Using organs and tissues to help sick people is a wonderful thing.

Q: How extensive is the current shortage of organs?

Paul Savramis: In the US, more than 120,000 people require organ transplants to save their lives.  Thousands more are in need of tissue and cornea transplant to restore vision.

Paul Savramis and Rising Stars Sponsor “Meals from the Heart” Packing Event

Rising Stars founder Paul Savramis and a group of Rising Stars students visited the Long Island Lutheran High School gym from April 6-8, 2014 to continue a longstanding tradition. More than 30 young boys and girls packed food as part of Meals from the Heart’s overall efforts to give back to those less fortunate. The organizers directed these food packets to local food pantries and global organizations.

Q: How did the Meals from the Heart packing event begin?

Paul Savramis: The event began in 2009 as a small community effort where our students could complete a service requirement project. In the last five years, more and more people have begun sharing their time and money for this worthy cause.

Q: Was there a particular mission for this year’s event?

Paul Savramis: The stated goal of Meals from the Heart for this event was to create and distribute 300,000 food packets. That amount could feed 500 children every day for a whole year! Day and night sessions were available to allow for the schedules of all participants.

Paul Savramis and Rising Stars Work to Improve High School Graduation Rates

According to Rising Stars founder Paul Savramis, the future of many children in New York City is at risk. He invites families, businesses, schools and faith-based groups to join hands and support this growing concern. Savramis believes the available educational programs for at-risk youth have been insufficient to date.

New York City ranks among the worst cities in the country for high school graduates, says Paul Savramis, with some neighborhoods falling below 30 percent. More alarmingly, of those that do graduate, less than 20% are college ready.High school dropouts are more likely to be unemployed or incarcerated and experience health complications.

The Rising Stars Youth Foundation founded by Paul Savramis is a non-profit organization that takes an instructional and developmental approach to teaching basketball skills to a young audience. The leading mission of Rising Stars is to promote education and encourage  success in the classroom and beyond. With community service projects and mentoring programs, the young people involved in Rising Stars feel a sense of purpose through their involvement.

Paul Savramis Explains the "Rising Stars Difference"in helping improve HS graduation

Q: What exactly is the Rising Stars difference?

Paul Savramis: Rising Stars is a foundation committed to helping youth develop with their health and wellbeing. The team members of Rising Stars specifically use the power of teams and  teamwork as a way to promote education.

Q: What role has the Rising Stars organization played in the development of young people?

Paul Savramis: Since 1996, Rising Stars has graduated over 90 percent of high school seniors from the New York City area that participated in our programs. Our organization’s commitment is to ensure that these students are graduating college ready and prepared for their continued education.

Paul Savramis Reflects on the Achievements of Rising Stars

"The Best Way To Predict The Future Is to Create It ”

Paul Savramis founded the Rising Stars organization to give youth a more promising future. For this reason, Paul Savramis views the many accolades Rising Stars has received over the years as a benchmark of the organization’s success. Several major public figures have lauded Rising Stars, including Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski (Rising Stars director’s Jay Williams coach) and several former Rising Stars participants who are now professional athletes.

But among the most notable of the Rising Stars’ acknowledgments is a 2003 letter from then-President George W. Bush commending Paul Savramis and Rising Stars for their work to further the future for America’s children. The letter acknowledged the importance of athletic participation in helping children learn the value of determination and endurance. As Paul Savramis points out, President Bush also honed in on basketball in the letter and how the sport teaches participants to set goals and work hard to reach them. That most of the learning  a child will receive is at a early age and through the medium of play was a educational principle Paul Savramis emphasized in his years as Rising Stars’ leader and it is something he continues to believe in today.