Urban Ed Academy (UEA) is holding a prestigious evening hosted by 49er’s Superstar NaVorro Bowman at San Francisco’s Press Club to raise money for the launch of their revolutionary summer education program, SMART Saturdays!

SMART Saturdays (Study – Move – Achieve – Respond – Transition) builds academic proficiency and develops character for 500 3rd – 5th grade boys of color from the San Francisco Bay Area. Through an innovative, interactive, and culturally relevant curriculum taught over 42 Saturdays a year, SMART Saturdays is committed to eliminating the racial achievement gap in education and enhancing the quality of life for communities of color.

Too many young men of color find themselves on the fringes of American society simply because they lacked solid educational foundations. SMART Saturdays seeks to change this paradigm, ensuring that boys of color begin cultivating at a young age the academic, social and emotional competencies required to do well in school, their careers, and life.  UEA is where boys become productive young men.

SMART Saturdays engages students academically while fostering leadership, building self-esteem, and cultivating a strong a sense of culture and community. To support the June 2013 kick off of our inaugural class of 500 boys of color, UEA must to raise $25,000 and they cannot do it without you.

Urban Ed is encouraging all Bay area residents to be in attendance at our fundraiser and any accompanied donation will help change how boys of color access and value education beginning at a young age. In addition, the event promises to be a refined, unique, distinctly Northern California wine country experience. San Francisco 49er NaVorro Bowman will host the spectacular evening and will be joined by leaders in politics, esteemed athletes, and industry professionals all eager to enjoy a fun evening in support of an incredible cause.

VIP donation will include admission to the private reception commencing at 6pm, general admission will begin at 7pm. To purchase tickets to attend this esteemed event visit http://urbanedacademyfundraiser.eventbrite.com.

UEA believes that what Frederick Douglass said more than 150 years ago holds true today, “it is easier to build strong children than to fix broken men.” With your support UEA boys can be our next generation of visionaries, leaders, scholars, entrepreneurs, and community stewards. Please come out and show your support, it is greatly appreciated.

For more information visit: UrbanEdAcademy.org  and support their Indiegogo campaign by clicking here!

Presenters and honorees included:

• Jason Collins - honored with the Inspirational Athlete of the Year award. Presented by Baron Davis.
• Hope Solo - received the Female Athlete of the Year award. Presented by Casey Wasserman.
• Colin Kaepernick - received the Breakout Player of the Year award. Presented by Jim Hill and John Salley.
• Chris Paul - honored with the Spirit Award. Presented by Gary Payton.
• Special tribute to Dr. Jerry Buss - presented by Jerry West. Award accepted by Johnny Buss.
• Beth Moskowitz (Sports Spectacular Executive Director) - honored with the Achievement Award.

The event was hosted by John Salley, Jim Hill and Kevin Frazier. Additional attendees included, Evan Lysacek, Holly Robertson Peete, DeAndre Jordan, Al Joyner, Elgin Baylor, Jessica Hardy, Larry Fitzgerald, Jim Everett, Chris Mann, Jarron Collins, Benji Weatherly and more.

Sports Spectacular partners with top athletes & world-class health professionals to improve everyday lives through research, prevention and education.Since 1986, Sports Spectacular has raised over $22 million through the generous donations of its supporters, which has directly supported the groundbreaking research of the Medical Genetics Institute, as well as the world-class doctors in our fellowship program.  Check out the photos below, we salute Sports Spectacular for over 27 years of excellence in service and congratulations to all of the honorees!

Ivanice Harris

Case Type: Endangered
DOB: May 18, 1985
Missing Date: May 16, 2013
Age Now: 28
Missing City: Waikiki
Missing State: HI
Gender: Female
Race: Black
Complexion: Medium
Height: 5-3
Weight: 125
Hair Color: Black
Hair Length: Shoulder Length
Eye Color: Brown
Wear Glasses or Contacts: No

Location Last Seen: She was last seen at 2:15 a.m. Thursday talking to a man outside a bar.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Harris, 28, who is from Portland, was visiting for her 29th birthday. “The last message we have from her is a text message to our mom,” her sister said. Harris, who recently enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College, went to Hawaii about two weeks ago with her boyfriend and a friend.

Last Seen Wearing: She was last seen wearing a red-orange, long-sleeve sweater and long blue denim pants.

Identifying Marks or Characteristics: Unknown.

Have information about Ivanice? Click here to submit information to the Black and Missing Tip Line.

Mentoring is prevalent in the black community more now than ever. While issues such as crime, poverty and lack of self-confidence continue to escalate amongst black people, mentoring is an opportunity for people to be advised on a range of topics that can help them make better decisions in life. Project COPE reaches out to the youth of Camden, New Jersey who have incarcerated parents. It is asked that those who wish to be mentors are 18 or older and take as little as one hour a week out of their time to interact with a child of the Project COPE program. It is intended that the mentee will receive answers to any questions that they may have while being empowered and knowing that they can overcome any obstacle to lead a positive life with a bright future.

Another opportunity to mentor within the northeast region is through the Success Mentoring Organization. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this program wants mentors who can assist high school students in any way possible so that they can graduate. It is preferred that the mentors have a degree and are willing to tutor the mentees as well in a broad range of topics. Whether the mentees are advancing to secondary education, to receive a GED or enter the work force, having been a part of this program would have better prepared them for their future.

New Jersey also offers a program where the mentors are foster parents. These mentors do everything a parent would do but are referred to as mentors because the meanings of the titles go hand in hand. This mentorship lasts for 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and is designed for mentors who are completely devoted to showering a young person with all of the love and care that they need. A stable family can help make all the difference in the life decisions that a person makes. Serving as a mentor in any fashion gives the mentor just as many beneficial life lessons as the one being mentored.  For more information on these stellar organizations, contact them at the information below, and always remember, mentoring matters.

Project COPE
856.964.1990
http://www.centerffs.org/mentoring/project-cope

Success Mentoring Organization
215.686.0317
http://successmentoring.org

New Jersey Therapeutic Foster Care
732-627-9890
856-533-4100
http://www.nj-mentor.com/children-&-families/therapeutic-foster-care

Be sure to check out their Twitter and Tumblr the official campaign hashtag is #WhatIsBeauty! Kudos to Endless Dreams Foundation for this effort, we here at BCG wish you all the best!

Maya Penn, the multi-hyphenate entrepreneur, philanthropist, designer, artist, animator, illustrator and writer would seem to be an anomaly when compared with her contemporaries in the seventh grade. But for the Atlanta-based young trep, who started out crafting ribbon headbands for family friends at age 8, her entrepreneurial ambitions are simply a product of her environment.

“I started my business out of curiosity,” says Penn, whose online shop Maya’s Ideas has since expanded into a line of handcrafted accessories and clothing made from eco-friendly materials like recycled fabrics and organic cotton.

Not only did Penn’s mother Deidre teach the younger Penn to sew, her father John, also an entrepreneur, served as an example. And thanks to homeschooling, the Penns were better able to customize their daughter’s education toward problem solving and crafting creative business ideas.

“We’ve always encouraged Maya to make her own decisions at a young age,” Deidre says. “We want to give her a sense of independence.”

So far so good. Though she works on the business just part time, Maya’s Ideas is on track to bring in about $55,000 in sales this year. She also vows to give away 10 percent of her profits to Atlanta-area charities. Penn, whose company is profitable, has donated $4,000 along with many volunteer hours. We love it, please check out Maya’s shop mayasideas.com and learn how you can support this young business woman!

Source

The organization’s mission is to provide temporary financial assistance to people who are directly or indirectly affect by cancer and who are struggling to pay their common living expenses. You don’t have to be a biker to receive information or assistance, the organization is committed to helping people with any form of cancer, not just Breast Cancer. BABC likes to say they are a small organization, doing big things. To learn more about the cause or to donate visit www.babcinc.org.

“Those who have served this nation as veterans should never find themselves on the streets, living without care and without hope,” said Secretary Shinseki. “Homeless prevention grants provide community partners with the opportunity to help prevent and end homelessness on the local level. This is a crucial tool to get at-risk veterans and their families on the road to stable, secure lives.”

Approximately $22 million in rehabilitation funds will be available to current operational grant and per diem grantees as part of the effort to increase the useful life of the facilities previously funded under the program.  VA expects current grant and per diem grantees will apply for funding to rehabilitate their current project location and enhance the safety, security and privacy issues associated with the homeless Veteran populations they serve.

A maximum of $250,000 is available per award and the award will not be more than 65 percent of the estimated total cost of the rehabilitation activity. VA has established funding priorities to support its oldest capitally funded projects. In addition, approximately $2 million in funds will be available for current operational grant and per diem grantees to assist in the acquisition of vans in order to facilitate transportation of veteran participants to medical appointments, employment opportunities in the community, and facilitate grantees’ outreach activities.

The maximum award for a van will be $35,000.  The amount of the award will not exceed 65 percent of the total cost of the van. Applications for both awards are due to the grant and per diem office by no later than 4 p.m. Eastern time on June 28, 2013. This funding is available under VA’s Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program for current operational grant and per diem grantees. The Grant and Per Diem Program provides community-based organizations with funding to develop and operate transitional housing and supportive services for homeless Veterans. The Grant and Per Diem Program has more than 15,000 operational transitional housing beds nationwide.

The 2012 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress, prepared by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, estimated there were 62,619 homeless veterans on a single night in January 2012 in the United States, a 7.2 percent decline since 2011 and a 17.2 percent decline since 2009. The AHAR reports on the extent and nature of homelessness in America. Included in the report is the annual point-in-time (PIT) count, which measures the number of homeless persons in the U.S. on a single night in January 2012, including the number of homeless veterans.

Additional information is available at http://www.va.gov/HOMELESS/GPD.asp or contact the Grant and Per Diem National Program Office at 877-332-0334.

Dwight Howard  will be one of four celebrities involved in the ACUVUE® 1-DAY Contest. Demi Lovato, Joe Jonas, and Shay Mitchell round up the rest of the group. Winners are selected if their videos make the cut and include one 30-second and one 60-second video showcasing what they hope to achieve one day, how to find the confidence to pursue their dreams and why they should be chosen. The winner will have the opportunity to be mentored by each celebrity for a day. The contest will end on May 27, 2013.

Sports Out West caught up with the Lakers All-Star on Tuesday to discuss the promotion and what it entails.

“We do whatever we can to motivate kids to be better,” Howard said. “I’m very excited. I’m happy they asked me for this opportunity. I think it’s very important to try to change a kid’s life. It’s bigger than basketball. I’m looking forward to it.”

To those that do not get the opportunity to be with Howard for a day, he did have some key tips for all basketball hopefuls. If you remember, Howard was also pretty skinny when he first entered the league almost nine years ago.

“If you really want to make it to the NBA, there are a lot of things you must sacrifice,” Howard said. “Whatever it is you have to do, not going out, spending less time with friends, you have to do that. The biggest thing is sacrifice; the dedication. It will not happen overnight.”

His advice on basketball and how to succeed transcend just the game or the NBA, there are strong parallels to his own approach to life.

“You have to push yourself and go beyond what everyone else is doing,” Howard added.

Howard attributed to his own parents as his mentors. He wants this experience to be more than just a contest for the winner.

“This is bigger than just one day. I want to do whatever I can to make this person’s life better,” Howard said. “This is very authentic for me. I want the kid to understand that I’m not doing this for my own good but for the kids.”

Of course his giving will not end with this effort,  always a giver in November 2009, he was named one of the 10 finalists for the Jefferson Awards for Public Service, which awards athletes for their charitable work.

Howard established the Dwight D. Howard Foundation in 2004 to provide scholarships for students who want to attend his alma mater, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, and grants to Lovell Elementary School and Memorial Middle School in Orlando, Florida. The Foundation also organizes summer basketball camps for boys and girls, and together with high school and college coaches and players, fellow NBA players are invited to be on hand at the camp.