While attending  The Rising Stars charity dinner about a month ago, I looked around the room of the New York Athletic Club, and could not help but notice the likes of Jayson Williams, formerly of the Chicago Bulls and current ESPN analyst; New York Giants great, Michael Strahan; Jeff Nelson, former pitcher and world series winner with the New York Yankees; Chris Duhon of the New York Knicks; Marcellus Wiley, former NFL Pro Bowler for the San Diego Chargers; and many other great stars.  These guys are, or were, all highly successful professional athletes and like me, were there to support Jayson Williams’ great cause.  The Rising Stars Youth Foundation uses basketball as a vehicle to teach children leadership skills, accountability, and responsibility in both sports and life.  Today’s youth are challenged by so many of the pitfalls that the world throws at them and can easily get swallowed up without the help of good guidance.  The Rising Stars Program is there for these kids because they really are our future.   

The event, which in the past has raised over $4o0,000 for this organization, was excellent, but the message the speakers sent was even greater.  The common theme they all delivered was belief.   This message, although simple, can produce profound results.  Many times, because of their background, young student athletes do not have someone to believe in them.  Having a person believe in you can determine your success or failure.  Without that support system, these student athletes may not reach their potential or, at worst, fail.   There are many children out there today that do not have a support system and this is unfortunate.   It only takes one person to come along and say, “Hey, you can be successful,” to make the difference in a child’s life.  This is something that I have personally experienced myself when I was growing up and it is something that I try to impart upon the athletes that I train and coach.  On a higher level, The Rising Stars organization does this with so many of our young children.  By believing in them, it gives them a chance.  It gets these children in the game and once in that game, anything can happen.

All of this starts with that common message of belief.  As stated earlier, I have been fortunate enough to have many people believe in me and what I am trying to accomplish.  At the same time, I am sure that guys like Michael Strahan, Marcellus Wiley, Jay Williams, Jeff Nelson, and Chris Duhon all had people who believed in them as well.  Believing in someone can make a difference, and so can you. 

If you would like more information about The Rising Stars and how you can contribute, please visit this link: http://www.jaywillrisingstars.org/