To Our Rising Stars Family, 

With all of our children back in school, Rising Stars is in full swing for the fall. In September we hosted our annual boys and girls try-outs which both had great turnouts. Rising sTars will be fielding twenty teams between the boys and girls programs from grades 4th-8th.

Our training programs have started and are headed by new staff members. Brandon Williams will be heading the boys and Emma O’Connor for the girls. We are really excited to have them both be a part of Rising Stars.

We launched our new app, Rising Stars Youth Foundation, so please download it. You can book group and individual training through the app!

Rising Stars hosted a college night for our 9th-12th graders. The event was a huge success. A tutorial was given by college professionals. Questions were answered by Rising Stars alumni Curtis Jenkins and Nolan Kelly who currently play for Molloy College. Dan Gimpel and Bethany LeSueur educated all on the importance of being a self advocate and what steps need to be taken to become a college student athlete.

Our outreach efforts have grown since last year. We now have 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 11th grade boys in NYC and the Greater South Bay. We are in the process of staring our first girls outreach program in the Greater South Bay for 7th graders. Bethany LeSueur and new staff member Danielle Wilson will head this initiative. Our outreach initiatives have shown great impact for all participants and we look forward to seeing it’s growth.

Our partnerships have grown organically with the YMCA and NYC. We are now in the Bayshore and Patchogue YMCA along with Jamaica, Queens YMCA. All children will receive free yearly memberships, tutoring, and a great facility to practice at. Rising Stars fully supports this initiative where children come to participate for free and use all the amenities whenever they so choose. In return, all children must participate in community service, submit progress reports, submit report cars, and show full commitment to their team.

We are excited to announce that on November 4th select Rising Stars teams will play at Nassau Coliseum prior to a Nets G league game. All participants will be required to fundraise and help the victims from Hurricane Maria. It will be a great day for Rising Stars. We look forward to raising funds and awareness for those who are affected by the hurricane.

Lastly, our 7th annual golf outing is this Tuesday October 10th at the Cherry Valley County Club. Please sign up and support Rising Stars!

Rising Stars Youth Foundation

Golf Outing Details

The Rising Stars Boy’s teams have just finished another successful summer circuit but that doesn’t mean they’re done! The teams continue to develop their game traveling Long Island and the five boroughs in search of the best competition around!

The Rising Stars Girls program truly represented the organization this September at the Spooky Nook Fall Ball Classic. Coach Bethany LeSueur was joined by a few girls from the Rising Stars 10th, 11th, and 12th grade teams to compete in this elite tournament. The girls came together nicely on the court to help each other and improve their game. Congratulations on the great Rising Stars team effort! 

College Night

On September 28th Rising Stars hosted an informative workshop about the college admissions process and what student athletes, and their parents, can do to prepare at each grade level (9-12). The workshop was geared not only for kids who play sports in High School and will go on to play D1, D2, or D3 basketball; but also how being a student athlete in High School lends to the admission process (leadership, community service, and coach recommendations).

Pinnacle College Consultants presented and facilitated a discussion from the perspectives of Rising Stars panelist, which included coaches and current, and former collegiate athletes. Each family received a college folder containing useful information and discounts offered for services from Pinnacle College Consultants and Future U Test Prep. About 40 families attended the workshop. One parent said, “I can’t believe how much I didn’t know! Thank you, Rising Stars!” The event was a great success for all!

7th Annual Golf Outing

Rising Stars will host it’s annual Golf Outing on Tuesday October 10th at Cherry Valley Country Club in Garden City. Please save the date and share this email or flyer with friends and family that would like to attend!

Click here to register or donate

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.