FILLING​​ THE LANE
Basketball and Life Coaching
Knowledge and insight on life beyond the playing field is what threads the customized curriculum. The B.Rich Project, Inc. has been providing developmental basketball and life coaching years before its formal incorporation in 2009. Today, we currently provide the fore mentioned services to boys and girls at the Citrus Center Boys and Girls Club, Inc. in Winter Haven, FL.
Development and Tutoring
Executive members of The B.Rich Project, Inc. devote multiple hours weekly to spending time with area youth. Beginning the 2011-2012 school years, we were petitioned to participate as a mentor in the Adopt-a-Hallway program at Winter Haven High School. This program designates flex time to adult participants to interact with at-risk youth.
Filling the Lane
This supplemental program was initiated to help qualifying youth and/or grassroots athletic programs offset the activity cost associated with athletic participation and team travel. Funding for Filling the Lane began in 2011 with a member of the Haines City Hornets Boys JV Basketball Team as the inaugural recipient. In addition to the athletic development programming, The B.Rich Project, Inc. has established a commitment to the residents of Polk County, Florida for a holistic development, enrichment, educational and training programs, and community support services in an effort to reinvest success. To honor this pledge, the founders of The B.Rich Project, Inc. developed a pilot program, Fill the Lane Pilot Program, which will allow high school aged students to obtain assistance in the completion of their high school studies and prepare them for the pursuit of advanced education and/or gainful employment.
Reason For Program
The educational attainment level is considered one of the key factors affecting one’s earning potential and also plays a major role in recruitment and expansion of high-wage and high skill jobs. Post-secondary education is viewed very highly by society and is one of the main determinants of economic class and status. One of the key factors of educational attainment level can be measured through annual high school graduation rate. Polk County’s high school graduation rate has improved over the last few years but remains slightly below the state average. As the Polk population expands, trends show that it is also becoming more educationally diverse. However, there remains an educational attainment gap in Polk County, not only on a state and national level but regionally as well (Commissioners, 2010).
For the 2010-2011 school year the Polk County Public School System earning a “C” rating on the State of Florida’s School Accountability Reports. While the overall graduation rates for Polk County are fairly close when compared to the State of Florida’s graduation rates, the rates for those students marked at-risk are not as positive. The county’s current graduation rate is approximately 79%. The students identified as at-risk are graduating at a rate of 62%. Clearly, there is a need for a program that will bridge the graduation for these students.
The mission of filling the Lane is to bridge the gaps between lesson and comprehensive; to turn education into achievement. We believe we have cultivated a viable program attaining this objective with the Fill the Lane Pilot Program.
Fill the Lane’s target population are middle and high school youth from low performing schools in Polk County. If funded, Fill the Lane would create a breeding ground of prepared high school students who meet the toughened admissions requirements to Florida’s public universities, who are ready for college admission directly to Florida University or through 2+2 programs with the state/community colleges.
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