Paul Savramis

Paul Savramis first began operating basketball clinics at overnight summer camps in upstate New York. In 1980, he began his own summer camp, Eastern Invitational at Trenton State College, and developed it into one of the premier camps in the country. This was the beginning of a vision for Paul Savramis that would go on to include yearly clinics and after school programs in Bayside, New York, at Bayside High School and Queensborough Community College. Through his vision, the program evolved into the nonprofit Rising Stars by 1996. The organization, which is much more than a basketball program, provides private educational opportunities for at-risk children and the motivation to graduate from high school and go on to college. Under the guidance of Paul Savramis, who has served as Executive Director since its inception, 90 percent of Rising Stars participants graduate from high school and go on to college.