Rucker Park Prep honors those who came before and have made contributions in areas such as art, entertainment, and sports.
Aarian Punter CEO of Rucker Park Prep & Steve Barnett will honor Adrian “A-Butta” Walton, D-Ferg and Ferg Family, Greg Marius and the Marius Family, Bob McCullough -Each 1 Teach 1, Def Jam Recordings and others who have contributed to uplifting and building their community.
Each 1 Teach 1 is a program that provides a platform for student athletes to build and maximize their national exposure, which could lead to potential scholarships and other offers.
Two New York institutions, The Rucker and Def Jam, strives to enrich its community and its city.
Rucker is a hidden gem in Harlem where legends are born. Many streetball players are proud of their communities and the contributions that have been made by those who came before them.
The goal for this organization if focused on helping young adults find their footing and there way with the transitions to come for their futures.
“A lot of families don’t know how to help their children transition from high school to college,” said Steve Barnett.
According to Aarian Punter, they are focused on helping young adults get their GEDs because the goal of Holcombe Rucker was to get teens off the streets, and with this in mind they want to continue this legacy.
Barnett and Punter know that there is no fluidity when it comes to inner city youths moving from high school to college. They want to help these students obtain scholarships and prepare them for the life ahead that may include moving away to college.
With the goal also focused on financial literacy and social media, they want to make sure that young people can work with high profile mentors, learning from about mistakes that came with managing their money and how to handle the popularity that comes with fame.
Steve and Aarian want to protect, and prepare the students, as well as educating the family members on the process.
According to Barnett, the energy within the next three years will move from the NBA requiring students to attend college for at least one year to these high school students going directly to the NBA.
Barnett mentioned that Zion Williamson is a great example of what the future holds for young basketball athletes.
With teens like Zair Wade and LeBron “Bronny” Raymone James Jr., who both have a parent who know the industry and have a guiding hand Bennett and Punter, with this program will try their best to help teen athletes move forward with the careers to come.
Aarian Punter, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., one of the Devine Nine, is a community of women who focuses on helping their communities, said that the program is mainly focused on Black and Brown men.