"If I hadn't joined the All Stars I would have been another statistic - pregnant, or a drug user. The All Stars is into development. It's helped me grow in more ways than I can imagine. It's helped me in school."

Amy "Hiye" Olivieri, Staten Island

"The All Stars helped me take myself seriously. I also learned the importance of taking responsibility - as a person, in my life and as part of a team. I used to be a pretty bad student. I used to hang out a lot and my mother told me that I couldn't be in the talent shows if my grades didn't get better. Well, the All Stars helped me turn a lot around in my life. I changed my whole attitude. In fact, I became the class Valedictorian."

Victoria
"Chocolate" Jenkins, South Bronx

"Two things you can get out of being in a gang - jail or the morgue. You're not going to end up being mayor or the President. I realized I had to change my way of thinking. The All Stars gives you a lot of confidence. They trust kids to take care of the program and make the whole thing work. The All Stars doesn't separate people. People from different backgrounds, sexual preferences, business people, unemployed people - they all work together."

Brock "Slim" Carson, Brooklyn

"Every time kids see me they're like "Maurice when are the All Stars coming back?" You know, the All Stars gives them something to do. I like to help young people. When I was growing up there was no All Stars, there wasn't anybody telling me you can do this and get away from the 'hood. I guide kids in a different direction instead of the wrong one. Like for example, there was this one time that one of my friends came to me for advice because she thought she was pregnant and that the guy she had slept with might have given her a disease. I was able to give her advice, tell her about places and people she could talk to. I knew about these things from the All Stars. I meet a lot of people while I'm doing outreach work and know people who work in places that offer services to the community."

Maurice Lee, Brooklyn