Rising Stars Youth Foundation
Latest Updates – December

To Our Rising Stars Family, 

November flew by for Rising Stars this past month. The first quarter ended for most of our student athletes and we are proud that 93 of them made the honor roll. Academics before athletics is the motto at Rising Stars! Congratulations to all the boys and girls for their hard work in the classroom.

On November 4th six Rising Stars teams had a chance to play at the Nassau Coliseum before the Nets opening G-League game. Rising Stars helped raise funds for hurricane victims along with our Caribbean outreach efforts. The support by children and families was amazing. The winning team who sold the most tickets was our 6th grade coached by Donald Francois. The team sold over 80 tickets and will be rewarded with tickets to January 6th Nets game at the Barclays Center.  Congratulations to all the boys.

We launched our junior board this month with a fun night at Bowlmor Lanes in NYC.  Some of our Rising Stars scholars had a chance to meet past alumni along with others that love the mission and impact that Rising Stars makes! We hope to see the junior board grow over the next year and stay involved.

The holidays are always a special time of the year for Rising Stars. On December 19th we will host our 3rd annual Hearts and Hoops charity drive. All Rising Stars children will participate in a fun night of helping others who are not as fortunate. Our partners this year will be the Ronald McDonald House, Hance Family Foundation, Homeless Bus, and Rocks of Kindness.

The Rising Stars Boy’s winter teams have been in full effect this November. Our teams are participating in the Super League, Titans League and various tournaments throughout NYC while our weekly boys training sessions continue to be a big hit. Both our 3rd and 6th grade teams are currently undefeated in the Brooklyn’s “I Got You” league and also reached the Elite 8 at the Hoop Group Spotlight at the Jersey Shore.

Even more exciting news is that Rising Stars alum Jay Williams has received the prestigious honor of being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame along with NBA legends Tim Duncan and John Stockton. We are extremely proud of Jay and all that he accomplished on the court as well as his continued efforts working with the children of Rising Stars.

This December the Rising Stars Girl’s winter teams are gearing up for the winter games to begin! Our teams will be participating in both the Super League and Titans League. Be on the lookout for news and updates.

Our alumni continue to succeed in the college ranks as Morgan Staab (Adelphi), Natalie Hickman (LIU Post), Maya Bernsley (Oneonta), Hannah Peck (Dickinson), Alessia Drevnyak (Old Westbury), Skye Burris (STAC), and Stacey Madelmayer (Stonehill) are all making impacts with their teams this season.

Rising Stars players Jessica and Nicole Paprocky had the opportunity to meet, photograph and interview NBA All-Star Stephen Curry. The Paprocky girls proudly represented the Rising Stars family!

After a great start to the 2017-18 school year, we are proud to announce that 93 boys and girls earned Rising Stars Honor Rolls Including 14 of our RS SCHOLARS and 26 student athletes on our outreach teams! This is no small accomplishment, as all of the students earned a minimum of a 90% average while balancing workouts, practices, tournaments and in many cases, multiple sports.  Every day, we are reinforcing the values of hard work and        education and the fact that with the privilege of athletics, comes the responsibility to be a leader and a team player in school and in life. During the month of December, all Honor Roll students will be recognized by their coaches and teammates with certificates and Rising Stars Honor Roll water bottles.

On December 19th, we will be hosting our 3rd ANNUAL “HEARTS AND HOOPS” community service program to help local charities. All Rising Stars teams will meet at LUHI to complete projects that will support our partner organizations during this holiday season. “Hearts and Hoops” will promote team-building spirit that will help tour kids on the courts as well as make a positive difference in the world! This year, we will be supporting:

  • The Ronald McDonald House of LI
  • The Hance Family Foundation
  • The Kindness Rocks Project
  • CityMeals on Wheels
  • The Homeless Bus

 Rising Stars Class of 2017 Highlights/Update

Hannah Peck is off to a great start at Dickinson College! She is having a nice start to her first season as part of The Red Devils.  The team is headed to San Diego over Christmas break to play in a tournament and her Rising Stars family is super proud.

Jayden Sutton is thrilled to be part of the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons. He is working hard on and off the court and has adjusted wonderfully to college life. We are looking forward to hearing about all the accomplishments of this wonderful young man.
Junior Board Event

Our enthusiastic new Junior Board members are infusing a fresh perspective into Rising Stars Youth Foundation. Both RS Scholars and Junior Board Members were excited to meet each other for the first time at Bowlmor Lanes for an evening of bowling and conversation!

Join us!

Don’t just put on the jersey, get in the game with us! Support our players, program, and purpose. You can do this by not only going to our games and tournaments, but by also following and engaging with us on social media to spread our message. With your help we can continue to offer our players more opportunities to play, learn, and grow though the Rising Star’s Difference. Donate your time, energy, resources, or funds to make a difference in a student athlete’s life. Click here to see how you can get involved.