
    <div class="challenge-data-title">
        What are you doing to lead others and to help the community, and what have been the results of your actions?
    </div>
    <p></p>
    
		<div class="challenge-data-title">Choose the project category or categories:</div>
		<ul style="padding-left: 0;">
			
				<li>community building (helping to create or promote a sense of belonging and caring)</li>
			
		</ul>
    
    
		<div class="challenge-data-title">Brief summary of the community issue or opportunity the project will address:</div>
		<p>Rising Sons is an organization comprised of 18 to 25 year-old males. I believe we have the opportunity together to break the cycle of high dropouts, discrimination, violence, and poverty within urban communities.  All of our members are aspiring high school and college graduates. We mentor in after school programs, engage low-income communities through service, and attend career and personal development events.

It is evident that low-income communities are suffering from social injustice issues such as under-resourced schools, poverty, and violence. These communities have constantly been subjected to littering, robberies, drug abuse, and numerous homicides. I believe that people should invest in the future of youth and utilizes them to change needy communities. We promote family togetherness, education, and community service, by uniting the community to work toward our mission. 
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		<div class="challenge-data-title">State how the project will work – the activities and timeline:</div>
		<p>Rising Sons reinvigorates low-income and urban communities through our three tiers: Youth Education, College/Professionalism, and Community Outreach. Rising Sons’ youth education initiative is a key component to our mission and impact on the communities we serve. The Rising Sons’ college and professional initiative recruits collegiate and professional role models to emphasis the importance of education to youth. Through our community service and events outreach initiative; we help strengthen our presence and support in the communities we serve. Rising Sons host four programs, Rising Stars, UrbanTech, Colleges on the Rise (COAR), and Respect 150. 

	Our major activities and scheduled launches from January 2012 to August 2012 are as follows:
•	January 2012 – Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Event, Connecting with partners for Bear Treks, and Recruiting participants for the Anniversary Event
•	February 2012 – Rising Sons 2nd Anniversary Talent Event, Bear Treks 2012, and Black History Community Event 
•	March 2012 – Planning of Community Outreach Event and Planning of the End of School Event 
•	April 2012 – Planning for COAR Graduation Celebration, Fundraising Event, Community Service Event, and Basketball League Planning
•	May 2012 – Summer Recruitment, COAR Graduation Event, Connecting with Recreational Centers, and Planning Community Event
•	June 2012 – End of School Celebration, Summer Recruitment, Planning for Summer Training Program, Organizing Program for Summer Partnership, and End of the Year BBQ/Community Event
•	July 2012 – Rising Stars Summer Academy/Basketball League, Community Service Event Planning, and Fundraising Event 
•	August 2012 – Employee Development Training, Recruitment of College Volunteers, Funding Soliciting, and Planning Upcoming Programs
</p>
    
    
        <div class="challenge-data-title">State the results you wish to achieve:</div>
        <p>Our community programs can undercut community disparities. Rising Sons’ programs target youth and their family for aid and advisory.  We aim to encourage unity. We address a multifaceted complex issue with a simple solution: education and individualized attention.  Our strong emphasis on academic education is vital to closing the achievement and socioeconomic gap. We wish to immediately influence the lives of individuals and the atmospheres in their communities. We judge our effectiveness based upon improvements in education attainment and reduction of negative trends, primarily violence in Philadelphia. We will begin to evaluate our effects on a citywide basis compared with the changes to the statistics of the school or population subset during our involvement. </p>
    
    
        <div class="challenge-data-title">Choose the project category or categories:</div>
        <p>up to $5,000</p>
    
    
        <div class="challenge-data-title">Who is leading the project? State the name of the person or the project team:</div>
        <p>Leading the Rising Sons organization is Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alexander Peay; Chief Operators Officer, Mubarak Lawrence; and Chief Technology Officer, Stephen Harris. </p>
    
    
        <div class="challenge-data-title">How will the project engage others in this issue or opportunity affecting the community?</div>
        <p>Rising Sons will help build a network amongst national and local organizations, community leaders, and local businesses. We believe a collective understanding of issues facing youth allows for collaborative approaches to intervention. The program will also enhance the appearance of urban communities. Rising Sons’ and our programs take a hands-on approach to the beautification of urban communities. Recruiting youth as volunteers promotes well-spread enthusiasm.

Rising Sons strengthens community togetherness through service. We emphasize the high visibility of community outreach events. We implement and establish an annual contribution to societal empowerment. Our events’ purpose is to attract national and local critical attention to current crises. Our community service events generate positive attention and help to provide available resources for young people.
</p>