Recent articles and news clips have applauded the direction Rising Stars Youth Foundation has taken with its sponsor partners in March. We asked Rising Stars Founder Paul Savramis to explain the whys and hows of it all.
Q: News 12 and Pix 11 showed the grand opening and ribbon cutting at the new Rising Stars Athletic Complex this past March. A segment of the ceremony involved Jovia Bank introducing its financial literacy program and describing its hopes for impact. What can you add to that?
Paul Savramis: The ceremony was incredible for all of us at Rising Stars. It recognized that we built this complex to offer more than just a basketball program. The Jovia Bank literacy program is one of those offerings.
Q: What exactly is that program?
Paul Savramis: Jovia came to Rising Stars as a great way for them to reach families in the community and introduce financial literacy. They are using a basketball player's salary as a springboard to introduce topics such as banking, fiscal responsibility, credit scores, and online protection, to name just a few. Beginning early is a great way to develop a foundation of understanding for any topic.
Q: How does a Jovia session differ from a class kids would take in school?
Paul Savramis: That's a great question. As does Jovia, I believe it has to do with your presentation. How and where you present are two factors that contribute. Here, we tie the class into a special event at the gym, like a three-point Dunk Contest on a lower rim. We have pizza, music, and entertainment then go onto the Jovia learning center at the complex. Kids are primed and ready to learn. It's amazing!
Q: So it’s safe to say that Jovia brings much more to a Rising Stars collaboration than just being a sponsor.
Paul Savramis: Absolutely! We do not consider adding advertisers who promote their products if those products don't align with what we promote. That's an important consideration for Rising Stars and any other youth programs.
It's not a fine line—it's a very clear and defined one. Jovia came to Rising Stars with a plan. In addition to financial literacy, they have provided support for other community service initiatives and events and integrated Rising Stars students into each of them. That's a win-win situation, and we are proud to call them partners.
