MISSION & VISION

Our Mission

To connect student-athletes to academic, athletic, and life-skill development resources by garnering the full support of individuals & organizations devoted to assisting student-athletes to achieve their full potential.

Our Vision

To establish a program primarily focused on preparing student-athletes to succeed both in the classroom and on the field.   

Who Do We Serve?

Student-athletes from ages 8 – 18 who demonstrate a passion for playing the sport of football and aspire to elevate their level of play.  The STARS program will specifically promote access for low-income populations, single-parent households, & disadvantaged populations who otherwise would not take advantage of these opportunities.

Our Programs and Services

STARS will accomplish its mission in five ways:​

1. By providing or coordinating Position-Specific Skill Development including

   • Group Training

   • Individual Training  

   • Introduction to film study                                                                                                                           

2. By providing access to – Academic Preparedness

   • Core subject tutoring

   • College Prep: 

     • ACT test prep 

     • GPA qualification assessment                                                                                                        

3. By coordinating – Showcase Events

   • Local/ State & Regional Competitions

   • Develop Idaho sports programs locally and seek the endorsement to qualify nationally

   • Establish Idaho as a central hub for national qualifying competition for neighboring states such as Utah, Washington, Nevada, and Montana                                                                               

4. By establishing key supports to ensure – Program Sustainability

   • The organization will leverage financial contributions or goodwill programs to support program development and participant access.

   • Grants:  leverage one time dollars to establish a network of strategic partners who specialize in tutoring individuals in core topics (Comprehension/ Math & English) or group programs geared toward ACT/SAT preparedness                                                                                             

5. By Establishing -Strategic Partnerships & Elite Staff Support:  

   • IRS staff will seek strategic partnerships with local businesses that share in our vision, mission, and purpose

   • We will leverage our experience and network to create an A-List of supporters with backgrounds in sports and business. 

Goals – 2021-2025

1. Secure reliable transportation for student athletes to access tutoring, training, practice, group workouts, and local tournament opportunities. (Complete)

2. Secure support from local businesses leaders interested in volunteering time to educate student-athletes.   2b. Secure contributions to fund scholarships, reduce travel expenses, sponsor uniform costs, improve tournament venues, procure equipment, and fund capital projects.

3. Organize and deploy committee members to execute the Idaho Rising Stars vision.  Sponsorship, Strategic Planning, Club 7v7, Tournaments, Skill Development, Community Building and Leadership. 

4. Establish brand awareness through social media campaigns, website updates, apparel launch, and press releases.

5. Begin the planning phases for an indoor facility that is conducive to training needs and can be utilized for events throughout winter.

Goals – 2017-2021

1. Establish a network of reputable coaches, skill development programs, club travel teams, academies, and training programs.     (Complete)                                                                                                           

2. Formalize support roles and responsibilities required to operate a non-profit.       (Complete)                                   

3. Establish a calendar of events in coordination with strategic partners to demonstrate the value of sport and skill development training.        (Complete)                                                                                                

4. Strengthen community awareness of academic and athletic skill development opportunities.   (IP)                                

5. Identify indoor facilities that are conducive to training needs and can be utilized for events throughout winter. (Complete)                                                                                                                                           

6. Double the participation in current athletic development programs       (IP)                                                   

7. Establish a support mechanism that provides access opportunities for disadvantaged families

(Complete)

OVERVIEW

Idaho Rising Stars, Inc. (“STARS”) is organized primarily to facilitate skill development for student-athletes both on and off the field.   The program’s goal is to establish itself as one of the premier programs that will showcase local talent by coordinating nationally recognized tournament play. 

The program’s strategic focus is to promote access to both academic and athletic developmental opportunities by connecting student-athletes to reputable programs/resources that are devoted to helping student-athletes reach their full potential.  The STARS program will set out to coordinate with families, schools, coaches, and a variety of support programs throughout the treasure valley to promote fundamental development in academia and athletics. The combination of these strategic partnerships will assist in advancing student-athletes toward their growth and development goals.   Through the careful planning and coordination of group activities, participants in STARS will also develop key leadership skills that can be applied to building strong communities through advocacy for social inclusion, improved health, resiliency, quality of life and prosperity.   

The STARS program specifically supports student-athletes by recognizing the barriers that exist for low-income, single parent, distressed and underprivileged populations to access quality skill development both on and off the field.  These dependent populations face chronic financial and time constraints in addition to limited transportation options. The Idaho Rising Stars program will assist these populations by developing strategic partnerships to effectively facilitate access to key support resources at an affordable cost.   The STARS program will raise or generate funds through sponsorships, services, charitable contributions, grant opportunities & fund-raising events to off-set the cost of operating expenses.

RESEARCH

STARS will conduct research on competitive club sports programs around the country as well as local camps, skill development programs, sports academies, college preparation resources (i.e. tutoring), coaching clinics, program marketing, and advertisement for participants and life-skill development opportunities.   This research will inform the development of strategic partners focused on comprehensive academic and athletic preparedness. Each year, the Board of Directors, with the advice of subject matter experts, will approve several program development research projects to remain informed on best practices and emerging trends in sports and academia.  STARS initial program will focus on developing a network of skill development programs, academies, and camps to understand how such programs can be best coordinated in our communities to promote participation with a keen interest in making these resources available to vulnerable populations.  

While STARS board members may express a point of view or set forth policy recommendations on an issue, all publications will be written with a view toward exploring the broad range of approaches and solutions to complex financial, education, transportation, and facility access issues to ensure a comprehensive presentation of the facts.  For each project, STARS will seek to recruit technical experts, and other qualified individuals, including community business members. STARS will provide educational research to people in our community about development programs that are useful to individual participants and beneficial to the community. 

PUBLIC OUTREACH

In an effort to promote awareness and understanding about academic (educational) and athletic barriers and the available solutions, STARS will disseminate information from the research program to participant parents, program coordinators, community leaders, and the general public. This includes, but is not limited to, publishing a STARS newsletter.

FUND DEVELOPMENT

STARS income is derived from personal resources and public donations. Additional income sources will include grants, in-kind donations, and fundraising events. STARS will use its staff, directors, and others active in the organization to solicit individual and corporate contributions/sponsorships via mail, email, phone, and personal solicitations, and will devote space on its website to soliciting and processing tax-deductible donations. STARS will also seek out and submit proposals to government and foundation grant sources. STARS disposes of its income through the decisions made by its board of directors or through the decisions of the duly elected treasurer, whose power to pay expenses as set out by the board and STARS’s Bylaws in accordance with STARS’s purpose. The board of directors may at its discretion, choose to contribute to other organizations who share a similar mission, but only if the contributions further our exempt status, with the objective to eliminate barriers that impact the community’s access to quality academic (education) and athletic skill development. 

PROGRAMS FOR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers may help directly with skill development programs, including but not limited to, individual skill camps, classroom film sessions, transportation, job access, website development, social media support, and tutoring access. Volunteers may also help these programs indirectly through community outreach and education.