Baltimore area residents suffer from a whole host of socioeconomic factors, which include poverty, low sense of community, and low educational attainment. These factors can be crippling and have taken a significant toll on the community’s youth. As a result of these factors, Baltimore’s youth are susceptible to adverse behaviors and experiences.
This climate calls for a paradigm shift in what is being instilled and what supports are available to young people. S.T.A.N.D. takes the initiative to lead these youth, one at a time and in cohort groups, to become responsible, self-sufficient, and productive citizens.
Our annual event, Stepping Towards a New Destiny’s Father/Son Basketball Game will take place on June 16, 2023, at the Robert C. Marshall Recreation Center in West Baltimore. We have had over 1,500 total participants over the last four years and expect this event to continue growing.
This game gives the fathers an opportunity to bond with their sons. This also reaches boys whose fathers may not be active role models in their daily lives. Many of our boys live in fatherless homes due to their fathers being deceased or incarcerated.
STAND father/son basketball game provides these boys with an opportunity to bond with other fathers. Each year there has been an increase in positive male participation in the lives of our boys. We believe that mentoring matters. We are shifting the paradigm by using basketball as a platform to get more men (young and old) involved. All participants will be given a jersey worn during the game.
