The Wisconsin LadyStars Organization was started in 1998, and was designed to educate, develop team building skills, and illustrate the benefits of hard work and determination. We are committed to building an effective outreach program involving professional athletes, collegians, LadyStars Alumni and community leaders. Our endeavor is to provide training and other support to build youth leadership skills for helping youth to avoid drugs and crime and direct their energies toward improving their communities, schools and futures.

The Wisconsin LadyStars Organization has a two-fold mission with both components being of equal importance:

Our Athletic Development Component is to enrich, develop and showcase the skills of Wisconsin Area youth in the local and national basketball arena by working cooperatively in a diverse, educational and athletic environment.

Our Youth Development Component is to instill leadership and good sportsmanship qualities on the court, as well as to develop social skills and academic aptitude to guide and support our youth, as they become productive members of society and the work force.

We seek to develop and enhance the following critical values in our youth:

• Commitment to Family

• Commitment to Faith

• Commitment to Education

• Self-Pride and Self-Respect

• Teamwork and Leadership

• Good Character & Sportsmanship

• Integrity

All children and youth experience some degree of risk as they progress from birth to adulthood. An increasing proportion of our children, particularly African American youth, are at substantially higher risk for negative outcomes such as infant mortality, child abuse and neglect, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, crime, violence, and academic underachievement in conditions which they have not created.

The work force, the economy, the social structure, education, justice, and democratic government are all weakened when basic needs of such a large proportion of children, youth and families are not being met. Escalating public costs of health care, remedial education, foster care, adjudication, incarceration, and welfare illustrate the impact of not addressing the needs of our families.

The Wisconsin LadyStars Organization feels an obligation to provide guidance and opportunities for our youth via a program that will help:

OUR COMMUNITY to provide safe, secure environments for families with children.

FAMILIES to promote positive, productive, and contributing lives

The Wisconsin LadyStars is a Basketball Skill Development and Social Development Organization that was developed to showcase the skills and diversity that represent Wisconsin in regional and national Amateur Athletics Union (AAU), Nike, and Adidas tournaments. In addition, the organization teaches leadership, teamwork and other social skills that participants must develop in order to be productive members of the work force.

The organization is comprised of talented players who want to play competitive basketball in high school and college. We work intensely at developing individual skills and team play. Our teams have continued to compete and excel on a level with other teams vying for AAU regional and National Titles.

In addition, we endeavor to visit every local college when we play on or near a college campus. We believe this exposure to "campus life" will motivate our youth to excel in the classroom and on the court to make it to college.

Some of our LadyStars graduates that earned full scholarships include:

Helen Johnson*- (Milwaukee Washington '03), University of Louisville '07
                           * Wisconsin Player of the Year '03

Dawnisha Smith - (Milwaukee Washington '02) , Marquette University '06

Tierra Shirley - (New Berlin West '02), Marquette University '06

Akia Harmon - (Milwaukee Messmer '02), Southern University '06

Rachel Manpuaa - (Lakeside Lutheran '02), Indiana State University '06

Our Youth Development Component is comprised of a series of enrichment seminars and field trips designed to expose our children to options that may not otherwise be available to all youth. The Wisconsin LadyStars Program endeavors to have each participant to maintain a 2.25 grade point average for 2006. This grade point average will be increased to 2.5 for 2007 and 2.75 for the year 2008 in accordance with our commitment to raise the bar of academic achievement. If a player does not move towards these standards, they are placed on academic suspension until they move towards the standards.

We are continually seeking to add additional components our past and currently planned sessions include the following:

1). Career Development

• Speakers from Corporations, Small Businesses, Labor and Trade Unions, Health and Medical Field, Colleges, Government Officer

The Wisconsin LadyStars Organization has relationships with prominent local and national sports organizations and governing bodies such as:

Milwaukee Bucks                           Women’s National Basketball (WNBA)

Girl Scouts of America                   Boys & Girls Clubs

Inroads National Alumni Association     Inroads Wisconsin